Description

These Slice and Bake Christmas Cookies are festive, colorful, and perfect for holiday celebrations. Made by layering vibrant colored dough shapes inside a log of plain dough, these cookies are sliced and baked to reveal beautiful patterns. The recipe is straightforward, using simple ingredients and hands-on techniques like chilling, shaping, and slicing, resulting in charming homemade cookies that are both delicious and visually delightful.

Ingredients

Scale

Basic Dough

1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup (90 grams) confectioners’ sugar
¾ cup (150 grams) white sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
4 cups (480 grams) all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Decoration

Gel food coloring (various colors such as green, brown, blue, as desired)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined. Set this mixture aside for later use.
Cream Butter and Sugars: In a separate large bowl, beat the softened butter with confectioners’ sugar and white sugar using a hand mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
Add Vanilla and Eggs: To the butter mixture, add the vanilla extract and eggs, then beat again until the mixture is smooth and fully incorporated.
Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually add the dry flour mixture into the wet ingredients, beating until a soft dough forms that is not sticky to the touch.
Chill Dough Portions: Wrap and refrigerate two-thirds of the plain dough for later use. Divide the remaining third of the dough into portions equal to the number of desired colors.
Color the Dough: Add gel food coloring to each divided portion. Mix well using a hand mixer or by kneading with gloved hands. Wrap each colored dough portion in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to set.
Shape Colored Dough: Roll each chilled colored dough to about 1/2 inch thickness. Use mini cookie cutters to cut out small shapes. Stack identical shapes into firm tall stacks and freeze these stacks for at least 4 hours to harden.
Soften Plain Dough: Remove the plain dough from the fridge after about 3 hours of chilling and let it sit at room temperature for approximately 1 hour until softened.
Assemble Logs: Take the frozen colored dough stacks from the freezer and press the softened plain dough around each stack, forming a log shape. Make sure the stack runs through the center. For intricate shapes, gently press bits of plain dough into crevices before fully wrapping.
Smooth and Freeze Logs: Roll each log gently between your hands to create an even, smooth, rounded shape. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
Slice Cookies: Remove the frozen logs from the freezer and allow them to sit for about 20 minutes to soften slightly. Using a sharp knife, slice the logs into ¼-inch thick cookies carefully.
Bake Cookies: Place the sliced cookies onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them out appropriately. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes or until cookies are set and edges turn very lightly golden.

Notes

For best results, use gel food coloring which does not add extra moisture to the dough.
Ensure dough portions are well chilled at each stage to maintain shape during slicing and baking.
Use gloves when kneading colored dough to prevent staining your hands.
Slicing the logs with a very sharp knife helps achieve clean edges.
These cookies can be made ahead and stored frozen before baking for convenience.
Adjust color portions and shapes for personalized holiday themes.