Santa Face Shortbread Cookies Recipes

SANTA CLAUS SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, nutmeg and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture., Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm enough to roll., Preheat oven to 375°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-in. Santa-shaped cookie cutter. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets., Bake 8-10 minutes or until light brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For frosting, in a large bowl, beat butter until creamy. Beat in milk, vanilla and salt. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Pipe onto cookies and decorate as desired.

SANTA FACE SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat butter, brown sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Stir in flour, oats and baking powder. Gather dough into ball. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Heat oven to 350°F. On well-floured surface, roll dough 1/4 inch thick. Cut with 3- to 3 1/2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter. On ungreased cookie sheet, place cutouts 2 inches apart.
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely.
• Turn cookies so pointed ends are up. Using desired tip, pipe frosting on upper 1/3 of cookie. Place 1 marshmallow half at tip of each cookie for hat; sprinkle with red sugar. Using small dots of frosting, attach 2 blue candies on each cookie for eyes. Pipe small frosting mustache below eyes; place red candy in center for mouth. Pipe frosting on lower 1/3 of each cookie for beard. Store in single layer, loosely covered.

CHRISTMAS MICE SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Cover work area with piece of waxed paper about 18 inches long. Dry cherries with paper towels.
• Place 2/3 cup chips and the oil in 6-ounce custard cup. Microwave uncovered on High 1 minute to 1 minute 10 seconds or until chips are softened; stir until smooth.
• Hold 1 cherry by stem (mouse tail), and dip into melted chips, covering completely. Immediately place on shortbread triangle, with tail at 45-degree angle. Place 2 of the sliced almonds against front of cherry to form mouse ears. Repeat with remaining cherries, shortbread and almonds.
• Using the remaining melted chips as glue and a toothpick to spread the melted chips, attach the flat side of a whole chip (flat side back) to the base of the almonds to form the mouse head. Using melted chips as glue, attach a few shreds of coconut for the whiskers and a cinnamon candy for the nose.
• Let cool without moving 50 to 60 minutes or until melted chip mixture is firm and completely set. Store in cool place up to 1 week.

SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 3 by 1-inch finger-shaped cutter. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• When the cookies are cool, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put 3 ounces of the chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. (Don't trust your microwave timer; time it with your watch.) Stir with a wooden spoon. Continue to heat and stir in 30-second increments until the chocolate is just melted. Add the remaining chocolate and allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until it's completely smooth. Stir vigorously until the chocolate is smooth and slightly cooled; stirring makes it glossier.
• Drizzle 1/2 of each cookie with just enough chocolate to coat it.

SANTA STAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in orange juice concentrate and vanilla. , Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until easy to handle, about 2 hours., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 4-in. star-shaped cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until edges are firm, 7-8 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool., In a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, water, meringue powder and cream of tartar; beat on low speed just until combined. Beat on high until stiff peaks form, 4-5 minutes. Tint 9 Tbsp. red and 2 Tbsp. tablespoons black. Leave remaining icing white. Keep unused icing covered at all times with a damp cloth. If necessary, beat again on high speed to restore texture., Place red icing in a pastry bag. With a #3 round pastry tip, pipe Santa's hats and suits. Once the red icing is dry, use black icing with a #1 round tip for eyes, mittens, belts and boots. With white frosting and a #2 round tip, add the trim for hats and suits. Use the same tip for mustaches and beards. If desired, use sprinkles for belt buckles and mouth.