Christmas Stars

These are the Christmas cookies that start arguments over who gets the star cutter and who’s stuck with the bell. The dough is a classic rolled sugar cookie flavored with both vanilla and almond extract, which gives them a more complex, bakery-style taste than vanilla alone. Roll, cut, bake, frost, and decorate. This is holiday baking at its most traditional.

The dough needs a solid hour or two in the fridge before rolling. Warm dough sticks to the counter, stretches out of shape, and makes cookies that spread too much in the oven. Cold dough rolls cleanly, holds its cut-out shape, and bakes into cookies with crisp, defined edges.

Roll to ⅛ to ¼ inch thickness depending on whether you want a snappy thin cookie or a slightly softer, thicker one. Bake until just tan around the edges, not brown all over. The centers should still look slightly underdone when you pull them. They firm up as they cool.

The frosting is a simple powdered sugar icing: sugar, cream, and vanilla beaten smooth, then divided and tinted with food coloring. It dries to a smooth, slightly glossy finish that’s ideal for stacking and gifting.

Kitchen Tips

• Chill the dough well. If it softens too much while you’re cutting, pop it back in the fridge for 15 minutes before continuing.
• Work on a well-floured surface and flour your cutter between every few cuts to prevent sticking.
• Let cookies cool completely before frosting. Warm cookies melt the icing into a sticky puddle.
• Use gel food coloring instead of liquid drops for more vibrant colors without thinning the frosting.

Variations

• Add a teaspoon of lemon zest to the dough for a citrusy twist on the classic.
• Use royal icing instead of the powdered sugar frosting for a harder, more detailed decorating surface.
• Sandwich two cookies together with a layer of chocolate ganache or jam for a filled holiday cookie.