Here we are, our last cookie of the 2013 2 Sisters 2 Cities’ Cookie Countdown! The last cookie is always the hardest to pick. Since we photograph the number of cookies that correlate with the day of the countdown (if you haven’t noticed yet), having one cookie in a photo can be boring! I knew that the last cookie had to be something special so when I saw these Roly-Poly Santa Cookies on Better Homes and Gardens’ website I was sold. The funny thing is that M and I both had these cookies on our 2013 cookie brainstorming list.
Although these cookies are so cute, they are a little bit more labor-intensive than your average cookie. I think this would be a great recipe to gift to kids. I wanted to save one for my nephew T, but I knew they would never last in my luggage on the way home.
Roly-Poly Santas are made up with 11 red and white dough balls, then embellished with mini chocolate chips, red hots, and frosting. I was worried that my red dye wouldn’t make a true red color. I always get a bright pink when I try to make red frosting, but I’ve heard this happens to a lot of people. From my research, I discovered that Americolor’s Super Red soft gel paste does the trick. I was happy with the red color that my Santa cookies came out in and I did not taste any dye in them.
- 1 cup of butter, softened
- ½ cup of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of milk
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 2¼ cups of all-purpose flour
- Red paste food coloring
- Miniature semisweet chocolate pieces
- 1 recipe of Snow Frosting
- Red cinnamon candies
- ¼ cup of shortening
- ¼ tsp. of vanilla
- 1 cup plus 2 tbsp. of confectioners' sugar
- 1½ tsp. of milk
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- In the bowl of your mixer, beat butter on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add sugar to butter and continue to beat until combined.
- Beat in milk and vanilla, scraping down sides until all is combined.
- Next mix in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour by hand. Remove 1 cup of the dough and place in a separate bowl . With the remaining dough, tint red with food coloring gel in mixer.
- For each Santa (this should make 10-12 cookies), shape red dough into twelve- 1-inch ball and sixty -1/2-inch balls(one 1-inch red dough ball, and five ½-inch red dough balls per Santa cookie.)
- Shape plain dough into twelve- ¾-inch ball and forty-eight- ¼-inch balls (one ¾-inch plain dough ball, and four-1/4 inch plain dough balls)
- Line 2 baking sheets with baking mat or parchment paper.
- Place the red 1-inch ball on a baking sheet, flattening the dough ball until about ½ inch thick. Attach the plain ¾-inch ball for head, flattening until ½ inch thick.
- Next, attach four of the red ½-inch balls for arms and legs and then attach the plain ¼-inch balls for hands and feet. Pinch the remaining ½-inch red ball into a Santa hat and attach to head.
- Repeat steps to create the rest of the Santas. Add the mini-chocolate chips as eyes and buttons.
- Bake Santa cookies for 12 to 15 minutes until edges are lightly browned.
- Let the cookies cool on baking sheet. Be careful because the are extremely fragile. Once cooled, gently move to a wire cooling rack.
- To create beard, put frosting in a piping bag with a small star tip (recipe below). Attach the red hot for the nose. Let sit until frosting sets.
- In the bowl of you mixer, beat together shortening and vanilla for around 30 seconds. Gradually mix in around ½ cups of the confectioners' sugar until smooth. Next beat in 1½ tsp. milk. Continue to mix in remaining confectioners' sugar until the consistency for piping.
Source- Slightly Adapted from BHG.com
