This recipe is sure to bring Santa’s sleigh to a screeching halt. These cookies are loaded with flavor and fun and taste like the holidays. It’s basically a party packed inside of a cookie because…they’re filled…with…sprinkles.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 8 to 12 filled cookies (depending on the size of the cutter) |
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more if needed and for dusting
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- Spiced Royal Icing, recipe follows
- 1/2 cup holiday-themed sprinkles
- 3 cups powdered sugar, plus more if needed
- 1/3 cup pasteurized egg whites (from a carton)
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 8 drops anise extract (about 1/8 teaspoon), optional but recommended! (Just don’t overdo it, this is a super-strong flavor)
- Food coloring, optional
Instructions
- Prepare the Cookie Dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla extract and almond extract to the butter-sugar mixture. Mix until well combined. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until a dough forms. If the dough is too sticky, you can add a little more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it’s easier to handle.
- Divide and Chill: Divide the dough into two equal portions. If your dough is easy to handle, you can go ahead and roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment, which helps with the edges cracking if you try and roll it out when it’s too cold. Otherwise, wrap each portion in plastic wrap and flatten into a disc. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until firm.
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cut out Stocking Shapes: Roll out one portion of the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8-inch thickness. If it’s too firm to roll out, let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes or so. Using a 3- to 4-inch stocking-shaped cookie cutter, cut out stocking shapes, re-rolling scraps once. Repeat with the second portion of dough. You should have about 36 stockings.
- From these stockings, choose a third and carefully cut out a smaller rectangle from the center of each with a paring knife, leaving a stocking-shaped frame.
- Bake the Cookies: Place the stocking frames on one prepared baking sheet and the solid stockings on another, ensuring there is enough space between them. These cookies don’t spread much so they can get pretty close. If your dough has softened, return it to the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up before baking.
- Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges just start to turn golden. Remove them from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.
- Let the Cookies Cool: Ensure that your cookies are completely cool before decorating. It’s important to work with a clean and dry surface.
- Assemble the Cookies: Once the cookies are completely cool, spread or pipe a thin layer of Spiced Royal Icing around the edge of half of the solid stockings (the ones without the center cutout). You’re creating a border of icing to adhere the hollow cookie to. You don’t want to put icing on the entire bottom cookie or else the sprinkles will stick! Place the stockings with the cut-out on top of the base cookie, lining them up the best you can. Add 1 teaspoon of holiday-themed sprinkles in the center of the cut-out. Create another border of icing around the top edge of the cookie filled with sprinkles, so the top cookie will stick. Gently place a stocking frame on top of each sprinkled cookie to create a sandwich, pressing lightly to adhere and lining up the edges.
- Decorating Your Stocking Stuffer Cookies: For an easy and stunning decoration, dip the top of each cookie in the icing to coat or pipe icing to decorate. Note: If dipping, let the icing dry between cookie layers beforehand.
- Let It Set: Allow the icing to set and harden for a few hours, or until it’s completely dry to the touch. Depending on how thin your icing is and how humid your kitchen is, they may need to dry overnight.
- Serve and Enjoy: Once the icing has set, these fun stocking stuffer cookies are ready to be enjoyed! When you break the cookies open, colorful sprinkles will pour out, adding a festive surprise to your holiday celebration.
- Prepare the Royal Icing: In a mixing bowl, sift the powdered sugar to remove any lumps.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Combine the pasteurized egg whites, vanilla and anise extract, if using, in a grease-free mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Mix on medium speed until opaque. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar to the egg white mixture, mixing on medium-high speed once everything is incorporated. The icing should be thick and glossy; this may take a few minutes!
- Adjust the Consistency: If the icing is too thick, you can add a few drops of water to thin it out. Conversely, if it’s too thin, you can add more powdered sugar to thicken it. Adjust until you reach your desired consistency.
- Add Food Coloring (Optional): If you want to color your icing, add a few drops of food coloring and mix until the color is evenly distributed. Divide the icing into different bowls if you plan to use multiple colors.
- Prepare Piping Bags: Fit a piping bag with a small round decorating tip, such as a #2 or #3 tip. If you don’t have a tip, you can use a resealable plastic bag and snip a tiny corner for piping.
- This royal icing recipe typically yields enough icing to decorate 24 to 36 cookies, depending on the size of your cookies and the complexity of your designs. If you find that you need more icing, you can easily scale up the recipe by doubling or tripling the ingredients as needed. Just keep in mind that royal icing can dry out quickly, so it’s a good idea to cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap while you’re working to prevent it from hardening prematurely.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 579 |
| Total Fat | 19 g |
| Saturated Fat | 12 g |
| Carbohydrates | 97 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 66 g |
| Protein | 6 g |
| Cholesterol | 67 mg |
| Sodium | 91 mg |