Holiday Cookies (Reduced Sugar)
By America's Test KitchenPublished on April 16, 2020
Time
1½ hours, plus 50 minutes chilling, 20 minutes cooling and 6 hours setting
Yield
Makes 40 cookies
Sugar
5 grams (down from 10)
Ingredients
Cookies
⅓ cup plus ¼ cup coconut sugar (2⅔ ounces/75 grams)2½ cups (12½ ounces/354 grams) all-purpose flour ⅛ teaspoon salt 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces and softened2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened2 teaspoons vanilla extractGlaze
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut sugar (3 ounces/85 grams)4 teaspoons cornstarch 2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened1–2 tablespoons milk ⅛ teaspoon saltBefore You Begin
Note that glaze made with coconut sugar will be dark brown in color and require 6 hours to set. For a bright white glaze that is easier to tint with food coloring and requires only 30 minutes to dry, omit the cornstarch and substitute ¾ cup (3 ounces) confectioners’ sugar for the ground coconut sugar in the glaze. Do not skip grinding the coconut sugar in step 1 or step 6 or the cookies will have a crumbly texture and the glaze will be grainy.
Instructions
- For the cookies: Working in 2 batches, grind coconut sugar in spice grinder until fine and powdery, about 1 minute. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix ground sugar, flour, and salt together on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, and mix until only pea-size pieces remain, about 1 minute. Add cream cheese and vanilla and mix until dough just begins to form large clumps, about 30 seconds.
- Transfer dough to clean counter, knead until dough forms cohesive mass, then divide into 2 equal pieces. Shape each piece into 4-inch disk, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, roll ⅛ inch thick between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Slide dough, still between parchment, onto baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Working with 1 sheet of dough at a time, remove top sheet of parchment and cut dough as desired using cookie cutters; space ¾ inch apart on prepared sheets. (Dough scraps can be patted together, chilled, and rerolled once.)
- Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until lightly puffed but still underdone, about 5 minutes. Remove partially baked cookies from oven and, holding sheet firmly with both hands, rap pan flat against open oven door 3 to 5 times until puffed cookies flatten. Rotate pan, return cookies to oven, and continue to bake until light golden brown around edges, 4 to 6 minutes longer. Let cookies cool completely on sheet.
- For the glaze: Working in 2 batches, grind coconut sugar in spice grinder until fine and powdery, about 1 minute. Whisk ground sugar and cornstarch together in small bowl. In separate bowl, whisk cream cheese, 1 tablespoon milk, and salt together until smooth. Whisk in coconut sugar mixture until smooth, adding remaining 1 tablespoon milk as needed until glaze is thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle or decorate each cookie with glaze as desired. Let glaze set for at least 6 hours before serving.
Time
1½ hours, plus 50 minutes chilling, 20 minutes cooling and 6 hours settingYield
Makes 40 cookiesSugar
5 grams (down from 10)Ingredients
Cookies
Glaze
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Cookies
Glaze
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Cookies
Glaze
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Our first versions of this reduced-sugar version gave us good-tasting cookies with an unfortunately domed appearance. We arrived at a solution through a happy accident: Halfway through baking, if we jostled the baking sheet, some of the cookies would deflate and bake up perfectly flat. By striking the pan against a surface partway through baking, we could create flat, uniform shapes every time. Using this simple but unconventional method, we were able to cut the sugar in half without sacrificing texture or aesthetics. A tangy cream cheese frosting rounded out our versatile, delicious holiday cookies.
Before You Begin
Note that glaze made with coconut sugar will be dark brown in color and require 6 hours to set. For a bright white glaze that is easier to tint with food coloring and requires only 30 minutes to dry, omit the cornstarch and substitute ¾ cup (3 ounces) confectioners’ sugar for the ground coconut sugar in the glaze. Do not skip grinding the coconut sugar in step 1 or step 6 or the cookies will have a crumbly texture and the glaze will be grainy.
Instructions
- For the cookies: Working in 2 batches, grind coconut sugar in spice grinder until fine and powdery, about 1 minute. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix ground sugar, flour, and salt together on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, and mix until only pea-size pieces remain, about 1 minute. Add cream cheese and vanilla and mix until dough just begins to form large clumps, about 30 seconds.
- Transfer dough to clean counter, knead until dough forms cohesive mass, then divide into 2 equal pieces. Shape each piece into 4-inch disk, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, roll ⅛ inch thick between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Slide dough, still between parchment, onto baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Working with 1 sheet of dough at a time, remove top sheet of parchment and cut dough as desired using cookie cutters; space ¾ inch apart on prepared sheets. (Dough scraps can be patted together, chilled, and rerolled once.)
- Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until lightly puffed but still underdone, about 5 minutes. Remove partially baked cookies from oven and, holding sheet firmly with both hands, rap pan flat against open oven door 3 to 5 times until puffed cookies flatten. Rotate pan, return cookies to oven, and continue to bake until light golden brown around edges, 4 to 6 minutes longer. Let cookies cool completely on sheet.
- For the glaze: Working in 2 batches, grind coconut sugar in spice grinder until fine and powdery, about 1 minute. Whisk ground sugar and cornstarch together in small bowl. In separate bowl, whisk cream cheese, 1 tablespoon milk, and salt together until smooth. Whisk in coconut sugar mixture until smooth, adding remaining 1 tablespoon milk as needed until glaze is thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle or decorate each cookie with glaze as desired. Let glaze set for at least 6 hours before serving.
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