1 hour 30 minutes
1 hour
Dessert
Beginner
Winter, Fall
I am not one to mess with the classics, especially around the holidays, so I’m not going to say that your grandmother’s sugar cookies need to be anything other than the delights that they are. I will say, however, that while I’ve been known to eat my body weight in sugar cookies, especially in the nude (the cookies, not me), I love their delicate vanilla flavor, but I find the cookies dressed in the standard holiday garb of royal icing to be a little…wanting.
It’s rarely the cookie itself that’s underwhelming, it’s the shellac of flavorless icing that does the delicious cookie a disservice. I love how cheery they look all dolled up in bright colors—royal icing serves this decorative purpose—but I can’t help wishing that the flavor more often matched the visual appeal.
I asked myself: “What do I want my holiday sugar cookies to taste like?” Answer: “Christmas.”
And what says Christmas to the senses more than the Christmas tree? So, I snapped a few tips off the ends of the branches, snipped off the needles, and ground them to paste with powdered sugar and cream. I knew, as soon as the smell of the warm cookies mixed with the fragrance of fir, that I was onto something good. When I glazed one and took my first bite, I smiled big and passed the plate around—eyebrows went up, and they all smiled, too. They were thereby dubbed “the Christmasiest Christmas cookie of all time.”
I guess maybe I am one to mess with the classics, but if you try this, I think you’ll forgive me. Feel free to use your favorite sugar cookie recipe to pair with this evergreen icing, but I’ll share my favorite here, which I’ve adapted, slightly, with the addition of a pinch of nutmeg and a splash of booze to really warm things up and welcome that evergreen spirit.
Sugar Cookies
Evergreen Icing
Preparation for Sugar Cookies
Preparation for Evergreen Icing
1 hour 30 minutes
1 hour
Dessert
Beginner
Winter, Fall
I am not one to mess with the classics, especially around the holidays, so I’m not going to say that your grandmother’s sugar cookies need to be anything other than the delights that they are. I will say, however, that while I’ve been known to eat my body weight in sugar cookies, especially in the nude (the cookies, not me), I love their delicate vanilla flavor, but I find the cookies dressed in the standard holiday garb of royal icing to be a little…wanting.
It’s rarely the cookie itself that’s underwhelming, it’s the shellac of flavorless icing that does the delicious cookie a disservice. I love how cheery they look all dolled up in bright colors—royal icing serves this decorative purpose—but I can’t help wishing that the flavor more often matched the visual appeal.
I asked myself: “What do I want my holiday sugar cookies to taste like?” Answer: “Christmas.”
And what says Christmas to the senses more than the Christmas tree? So, I snapped a few tips off the ends of the branches, snipped off the needles, and ground them to paste with powdered sugar and cream. I knew, as soon as the smell of the warm cookies mixed with the fragrance of fir, that I was onto something good. When I glazed one and took my first bite, I smiled big and passed the plate around—eyebrows went up, and they all smiled, too. They were thereby dubbed “the Christmasiest Christmas cookie of all time.”
I guess maybe I am one to mess with the classics, but if you try this, I think you’ll forgive me. Feel free to use your favorite sugar cookie recipe to pair with this evergreen icing, but I’ll share my favorite here, which I’ve adapted, slightly, with the addition of a pinch of nutmeg and a splash of booze to really warm things up and welcome that evergreen spirit.
Sugar Cookies
Evergreen Icing
Preparation for Sugar Cookies
Preparation for Evergreen Icing