Christmas Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

Cookies:

  • 2 c granulated sugar
  • ½ c solid shortening (Crisco)
  • ½ c unsalted butter, at room temp
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • ½ c whole milk, warmed
  • 1 teas baking soda
  • ½ teas ground nutmeg
  • Fine zest of 1 lemon
  • Pinch of salt
  • 4 c sifted flour, with 1 teas cream of tartar in the last cup of flour

Royal Icing: 

  • 1 lb confectioners sugar
  • ½ tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 3 lg egg whites

Equipment & Fuel

Directions

Cookies: 

1. In a large dough bowl, cream the shortening and butter together, then add the sugar.

2. Stir in the eggs, and mix well. Stir in the lemon zest.

3. In a separate bowl, warm the milk, then add the baking soda. Set aside.

4. In a separate bowl, stir the sifted flour, salt, and nutmeg together.

5. Add to the batter, alternating with the hot milk.

6. To the last cup or so of flour add the cream of tartar, then blend in with the batter.

7. Cover the dough and let chill in the refrigerator overnight.

8. Warm Smoker to ~350 degrees F.

9. Cover your work surface with saran wrap and then lightly dust with flour.

10. Working with just roughly ¼ of the dough at a time (the remainder stays in the fridge), lightly dust the dough with flour, cover with a sheet of saran wrap, and then roll the dough to ~1/4” for a softer cookie or ~1/8” for a crisper cookie.  Dust the edges of cookie cutters with sifted flour, then “cut out” your cookies.

11. Place on lightly greased (or non-stick) cookie sheets and sprinkle with colored sugar, if desired (or frost later).

12. Bake on the grill for ~8 minutes until lightly browned.

13. Let cool a few minutes before placing cookies on a cooling rack.

14. Frost, if desired, once cooled.

Royal Icing: 

1. Mix together in a large bowl, preferably a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, until light and creamy.

2. Use a piping tip and bag to outline cookies.

3. For “flood” icing, blend ~1/4 c of the thick icing and 1 tsp of egg white with your coloring gel, until desired consistency (it should flow like maple syrup!)

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