Description
Make slice-and-bake sugar cookies with red and green swirls for a festive holiday treat.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- Red food coloring (gel preferred)
- Green food coloring (gel preferred)
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
- Divide the dough evenly into three separate bowls. Leave one bowl plain (this will be the white layer).
- Add red food coloring to the second bowl and mix until the color is uniform.
- Add green food coloring to the third bowl and mix until the color is uniform.
- Wrap each color of dough separately in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or until firm enough to handle.
- On a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper, place the white dough. Cover with another sheet of plastic wrap and roll it into a rectangle approximately 1/4 inch thick.
- Repeat the rolling process for the red dough and the green dough, making them the same size as the white rectangle.
- Remove the top layer of plastic wrap from the white dough. Carefully place the red dough directly on top of the white dough, pressing gently to adhere.
- Remove the top layer of plastic wrap from the red dough. Carefully place the green dough on top of the red dough, pressing gently.
- Starting from one long edge, tightly roll the layered dough into a log. Wrap the log tightly in plastic wrap.
- Chill the dough log for at least 2 hours, or until very firm.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove the log from the refrigerator and slice it into 1/4-inch thick rounds.
- Place the cookie slices about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly set. Do not overbake.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Use gel food coloring for the most intense, non-streaky colors in the dough.
- For easier slicing, let the dough log sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting.
- You can freeze the sliced cookies on a baking sheet before baking; transfer them to a freezer bag and bake directly from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the baking time.
- Prep Time: 45 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 130
- Sugar: 11
- Sodium: 65
- Fat: 7
- Saturated Fat: 4
- Unsaturated Fat: 3
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 16
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 2
- Cholesterol: 25