The twist on these slice-and-bake cookies is a decorating technique that's all in the dough. Our Test Kitchen's simple instructions will walk you through the process step-by-step for perfect results. Colorful sugar is the finishing touch for festive sparkle.
For cookies on demand, keep a couple of dough logs in the fridge to slice and bake as needed. You don’t even have to bake all the cookies at once: Just slice off as much as you need each time.
Ingredients
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1 cup butter
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2/3 cup granulated sugar
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1 tsp baking powder
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1/2 tsp salt
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2 large eggs
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1 tbsp vanilla
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2 cups all purpose flour
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1 tsp red and green gel food coloring
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1 tbsp water
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red decorating sugar
Directions
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In a large bowl beat butter with a mixer on medium to high 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat on medium 2 minutes, scraping bowl as needed. Beat in one of the eggs and the vanilla. Beat in flour until combined.
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Divide dough into thirds; tint one portion red and one portion green with food coloring. Leave remaining portion plain. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap; chill 30 to 60 minutes or until dough is easy to handle.
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On a lightly floured surface roll each portion into a 12-inch rope. Place ropes side by side. Twist ropes together; lightly roll into a smooth log. Combine remaining egg and the water. Brush over roll. Place decorating sugar on a sheet of parchment paper; roll log in sugar to coat. Wrap in plastic wrap; chill until firm enough to slice (1 to 2 hours in the refrigerator or 30 minutes in the freezer).
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Preheat oven to 375°F. Use a sharp knife to cut log into ¼-inch slices. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until bottoms are light brown. Cool on cookie sheets 2 minutes. Remove; cool on wire racks.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| 68 | Calories |
| 4g | Fat |
| 7g | Carbs |
| 1g | Protein |
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings Per Recipe 48 | |
| Calories 67.8 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 4.1g | 5% |
| Saturated Fat 2.5g | 13% |
| Cholesterol 17.9mg | 6% |
| Sodium 67.9mg | 3% |
| Total Carbohydrate 6.9g | 3% |
| Dietary Fiber 0.1g | 1% |
| Total Sugars 2.9g | |
| Protein 0.8g | 2% |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% |
| Vitamin C 0mg | 0% |
| Calcium 8.8mg | 1% |
| Iron 0.3mg | 2% |
| Potassium 10.1mg | 0% |
| Fatty acids, total trans 0.2g | |
| Vitamin D 1.7IU | |
| Alanine 0g | |
| Arginine 0g | |
| Ash 0.3g | |
| Aspartic acid 0.1g | |
| Caffeine 0mg | |
| Carotene, alpha 0mcg | |
| Choline, total 7.6mg | |
| Copper, Cu 0mg | |
| Cystine 0g | |
| Energy 283.7kJ | |
| Fluoride, F 0.4mcg | |
| Folate, total 10.7mcg | |
| Glutamic acid 0.2g | |
| Glycine 0g | |
| Histidine 0g | |
| Isoleucine 0g | |
| Leucine 0.1g | |
| Lysine 0g | |
| Methionine 0g | |
| Magnesium, Mg 1.6mg | |
| Manganese, Mn 0mg | |
| Niacin 0.3mg | |
| Phosphorus, P 13mg | |
| Pantothenic acid 0.1mg | |
| Phenylalanine 0g | |
| Phytosterols 0mg | |
| Proline 0.1g | |
| Retinol 35.1mcg | |
| Selenium, Se 2.5mcg | |
| Serine 0g | |
| Theobromine 0mg | |
| Threonine 0g | |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 0.1mg | |
| Tryptophan 0g | |
| Tyrosine 0g | |
| Valine 0g | |
| Vitamin A, IU 129.4IU | |
| Vitamin A, RAE 35.7mcg | |
| Vitamin B-12 0mcg | |
| Vitamin B-6 0mg | |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 0.4mcg | |
| Water 3.5g | |
| Zinc, Zn 0.1mg | |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.