DIY GIFT- Christmas Cookies

BLOG-Mas DAY 10

Welcome to day 10 and the 3rd edible DIY. Today I will share 5 Christmas cookie recipes…sort of. What if I told you that you could make as many types of cookie as you want with just one base recipe? Ca-razy right?  Not only crazy but totally possible . From a simple sugar cookie recipe I will demonstrate how to make: Chocolate ,  Red Velvet, Peanut Butter, Apple Spice and of course a regular sugar cookie.

PREP

So you need to begin with a good sugar cookie recipe and make up as many baches as you require. I used a recipe from Joy of Baking which I have linked. I will still briefly  go through the process of making the batter but hers is far more in depth, so check it out.Her recipe makes approx 20, 4 inch (10cm) diameter cookies. I made up one batch which I divided into 5 parts.

PART 1- Making the Batter

WHAT YOU NEED 

1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup butter (unsalted)

3/4 granulated sugar 

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract 

Sugar cookie ingredients

WHAT TO DO 

1) Combine and whisk dry ingredients in a bowl.

Dry ingredients 

Whisk

2) Beat sugar and butter together then add egg and beat until smooth, adding vanilla extract.

Butter, sugar and egg

Vanilla extract

3) Slowly add flour then beat until smooth batter forms

Add flour

Batter

Place the batter in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. This part is very important for cookies!

PART 2-Flavouring the Batter

Remember this is for 1 batch divided into 5, however the amount of flavourings you add is subjective depending on your preference.

WHAT YOU NEED 

Peanut Butter

1) 1 tbsp of smooth peanut butter- This gives a moderate peanut flavour, you can add more or less to suit you.

Chocolate

1) 1tbsp Cocoa powder- This makes it very chocolatey, if you prefer a milder chocolate flavour use less.

2) 1/4 cup chocolate chip morsels/ candy melts- I used both milk chocolate and white chocolate . 

Red Velvet

1) 1/4 tsp cocoa powder

2) Red food colouring (I had only a few drops so mine came out pink 😦

3) White chocolate morsels/candy melts

Apple Spice

1) 1/4 cup diced apple – I used a gala apple.

2) 1/2 tsp spices- I used cinnamon and nutmeg .

Flavouring ingredients .

WHAT TO DO

Peanut Butter

1) Mix in the peanut butter until batter is homogeneous in colour.

Mix

2) Replace in refrigerator for approximately 15 minutes to firm up again.

3) Portion into circular cookies in the size you wish (remember cookies always spread) and create the iconic peanut butter cookie crisscross with a fork.

Peanut butter cookie

Chocolate 

1) Mix in cocoa powder until fully blended.

2) Form you cookies then add the chocolate chips on top.

Chocolate cookie

Red/Pink Velvet

1) Add cocoa and food dye and completely mix in.

Mix

2) Form cookies and add white chocolate chips

Red Velvet Cookie

Apple Spice

1) Add apple bits and spices and mix

2) Form Cookies

Apple Spice cookie

Sugar Cookie

1) Use a cookie cutter and cut out cookies

Sugar cookie

Bake at 350 f (175C) for 10 minutes or until edges start to brown.

Remember, cookies like most baked goods continue to cook for a bit after coming out of the oven so the cookies may seem a bit soft at first but they will harden.

Finished cookies

Cookies

Package and gift!

Wrapped in wax paper

When I think of sugar cookies I think of Christmas time, the super sweet vanilla smell makes you feel warm inside. If you’re wondering how all these flavours work with a sugar cookie, the answer is they work beautifully. The background flavour and texture of a sugar cookie lends to sweetness and provides a light cookie with a good crunch but does not in anyway take away from the added flavours.

These make great gifts, my sister gave everyone sugar cookies about six years ago and it was fantastic.If you are thinking of doing this as with most DIYS I recommend making large amounts to cut down on overall cost. You can package off a few (like pictured here) and use them as stocking stuffers or fill up a tin or jar and give as a gift.

I hope you enjoyed this post and found a flavour you might like to try. Thanks for reading and have an awesome day.