Dec 21, 2015, Updated Dec 22, 2021 Theo didn’t really get the process at first, and chose to dip most of his candy in icing and eat it rather than decorate his men. But he had a blast. And when he eventually caught on he made some very… er… let’s say artistic gingerbread designs. The easiest way to roll the dough is between sheets of wax or parchment paper. If you find it is sliding around on the counter while rolling, place a piece of damp paper towel underneath it to prevent slipping. Lightly flour both sheets of parchment paper before rolling, this helps with cutting out shapes and lifting them off. Any rolled cookie dough is a bit finicky – sometimes it’s stiff and tears, and sometimes it’s too soft. All you need to do if it is soft (if you are having trouble lifting out your cut-outs) is slide the dough along with the parchment onto a rimless baking sheet or cutting board and pop it in the freezer for a few minutes. If it gets too firm, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes. Using cool cookie sheets keeps the butter from melting too quickly, which can cause spreading. Run pans under cold water between batches to hasten the process (it can cause a bit of warping, but my pans are fine and I do it all the time). I used this Royal Icing recipe to decorate the cookies – it is super easy, dries hard and matte, doesn’t damage easily, and really glues on the candies. What Christmas cookies are you baking this year?
