If you have ever tried to decorate a Christmas cookie with royal icing and finished with a smudged snowman, this one is for you. Embossing and stamping press the design into the dough before it is baked, so the pattern stays sharp and you do not need to pipe a thing. The result looks like it came from a bakery, and children can do it.
Start with the right dough
Stamped cookies only work if the dough does not spread in the oven. An ordinary sugar cookie with baking powder will puff and blur the pattern, so use a firm shortbread-style dough. This one keeps its edges:
- 250g cold butter, cubed
- 125g icing sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 350g plain flour
Rub the butter into the icing sugar and flour until it looks like breadcrumbs, add the yolk and vanilla, and bring it together without kneading. Wrap it and chill it for at least an hour. This makes about 24 cookies.
How to emboss
- Roll the dough to 6mm between two sheets of baking paper. Thinner than that and the pattern will not show.
- Press the stamp straight down firmly, then lift it straight up. Do not twist.
- Cut around the stamp with a cutter or a knife.
- Chill the cut cookies on the tray for 15 minutes. This is the step that stops spreading.
- Bake at 160°C (fan) for 12 to 14 minutes, until the edges are very pale gold.
The embosser stamps come in different phrases. “Merry Christmas” and “Cookies for Santa” are the pair most people want, and the “Mum” stamp does double duty for Mother’s Day.
Cookie Embosser Stamp Merry Christmas
Cookie Embosser Stamp Cookies For Santa
Mondo Cookie Cookie Cutter Set
Cutters that already carry the pattern
The plunger cutters press the shape and an impression in one movement. The snowflake set gives you three sizes, which look great on a plate together. The tree cutter is very simple and always reads clearly as a Christmas tree.
Mondo Snowflake Plunger Cutter Set – 3 Piece
Cookie cutter tree
Gingerbreadman Cookie Cutter
Cookie Cutters Snowman Set 5
Finishing without a piping bag
Once the cookies have cooled, there are three quick finishes:
- Dust. Mix a little lustre dust with a few drops of vodka and brush it over the raised pattern with a dry brush, so the gold sits on the high points and the impression stays dark.
- Dip. Dip one edge in melted white chocolate and shake on sugar decorations.
- Glue and press. Paint a little edible glue on the cookie and press on a gold rod or pearl.
Over The Top Bling Metallic Rods Gold 70g
Sprinks Cachous Pearl Beads Matte White 4mm 65g
Christmas Set Sugar Decorations 6 Piece Pack
Packing them
Embossed cookies keep for about two weeks in an airtight tin, and they pack well because they are flat and dry. A window box shows off the pattern.
Biscuit Box With Window Lid 22.5X11.5X4 2 Pack
Biscuit Box 1 Pack 17.5X11.5X4cm
Common problems
- The pattern disappears. The dough was too warm or too thin. Chill and roll to 6mm.
- The cookies spread. There is too much butter or baking powder in the recipe. Use the shortbread dough above.
- The stamp sticks. Dust the stamp lightly with flour or icing sugar between cookies.
FAQ
Can I make the dough ahead? Yes. It keeps in the fridge for three days or the freezer for two months.
Do I need to ice them? No. The embossed pattern is enough, and many people prefer the buttery flavour.
Are the stamps food safe? Yes, but wash them in warm soapy water and dry them fully afterwards.
Featured photograph: Yulian Karadzhov / Unsplash. Stock inspiration photographs are not photographs of Good Cents’ own work.
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