Santa Hat Cookies topcook.tomathouse.com
Ingredients:
- 2 and 2/3 cups premium flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 220 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 beaten egg white
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
- White, red and green gel food coloring
- Green decorative sugar
Preparation:
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the whole egg, vanilla, and mint extracts. Reduce the speed to low; beat in the flour mixture. Increase the speed to medium-high; beat until the dough is smooth.
- Transfer 1/3 cup dough to a medium bowl and 1 cup dough to a separate bowl; reserve the remaining dough (about 2 cups) in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using a rubber spatula, fold 1 teaspoon white food coloring into 1/3 cup dough. Fold 3/4 teaspoon red food coloring into 1 cup dough. Fold 3/4 teaspoon green food coloring into 2 cups dough. Transfer each color of dough to a separate piece of plastic wrap, form into disks, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 to 2 hours.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unroll the white dough and roll one-quarter of the dough into a 12-inch-long rope; shape the remaining white dough into a 1 x 12-inch rectangle. Place both pieces on the prepared baking sheet; freeze until ready to use. Shape the red dough into a 1 x 12-inch rectangle (it will be thicker than the white dough). Remove the white dough from the freezer, brush the top of the white rectangle with beaten egg white, and top with the red dough, pressing until it sticks. Use your fingers to shape the top of the red rectangle into a triangle. Attach the white rope to the top of the red dough (the end should resemble a Santa hat). Freeze until the dough hardens, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, roll the green dough between two sheets of parchment paper into a 20x32 cm rectangle. Remove the red and white dough from the freezer and place them on top of the green dough. Wrap the green dough around the hat, forming a triangular log. Roll the log in green decorative sugar. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Unroll the dough; cut a thin slice from each end. Cut the log into 1/4-inch-thick slices; arrange them 5 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the cookies are firm but not browned, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets.
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