Christmas Cookies

I am one of those people that really prefers to wait until December 1st to start embracing the holidays. I have long been determined not to get sucked into the madness in November.

And so it goes against my inclinations to reference Christmas in this column, considering it is still very much November (until Monday, anyway). But as I get older -- and busier -- I am becoming increasingly schooled in matters of practicality. There are only three pre-Christmas weekends in December and, realistically, they’re a write-off for many of us already. Cocktail parties, brunches, shopping missions, getting the tree up.

I am thus giving myself permission to think (and write) about Christmas in November. Because there has to be time for baking, which is, perhaps, one of the things I like best about the holidays. And it’s no fun if it’s rushed.

Holiday baking is probably the most loaded of all Christmas traditions. Every family has their legendary treats. In my family, there are a few items that make an annual appearance, most notably my mom’s famous chocolate-covered almond bark. I have eaten it every year since I can possibly remember, but only developed a true appreciation for it when I first made it myself a few years ago -- and literally scarred myself for life in the process. (A third-degree-burn-inducing blob of beyond-boiling sugar on the hand).

One of my new favourites is the sugar cookie, which is fun to tart up with icing and sparkles. I say “favourite” now because I have yet to undertake that project this year. It always seems like a great idea until it’s midnight and I’m covered in hardened green icing and picking up silver dragees off the living room carpet.

That and the cookies never look as lovely as I imagine they will when I begin. Some of that has to do with artistic talent (which I can do little to fix) and some of it has to do with creating the perfect icing (which, happily, I can). Thank goodness for science.

Last week I paid a visit last week to Yvonne Zensner at The Cake Box (www.cakebox.ca), who I thought would be the ideal person to offer some tips.

Zensner and her staff make picture-perfect cakes and cookies at their very-busy downtown Kitchener shop, which opened about 18 months ago. They also run decorating classes that, in her words, “teach you the techniques you’d see in Martha Stewart magazines that you don’t know how to do” -- how to bake and store the cookies, how to make icing that sets, how to tint it and so on.

Here are some of Zensner’s best tips -- and an icing recipe you can use with your own favorite sugar cookies.

- Be sure to chill the dough before rolling and cutting shapes to get clean edges. Keep a close eye when baking your cookies to ensure you get a soft inside and a crispy outside. (I also noticed that Zensner’s cookies are made nice and thick to stand up to all that decorative fare -- so don’t roll your dough too thin).

- Always use gels or pastes to tint your icing. “The colours are so intense that you need very little,” Zensner says. Liquid food colouring will interfere with the icing’s consistency.

- Use a thinner icing for “flooding” cookies (giving them an all-over base). Let it set, and then use a slightly thicker icing to pipe on details. If you’re using very dark colours for flooding, let the icing set overnight before you add detail or the colour will bleed.

- Zensner and her staff use sandwich baggies for piping -- they fill them up and snip off the corners. “Never fill the bag more than halfway,” she advises. “A third is best. You can control it better.”

- Hold the piping bag with the palm at the top and squeeze down, not from the middle. (Like a tube of toothpaste).

- If you’re adding sprinkles, be sure to do it when the icing is still wet.

Decorator's Icing

Zensner recommends you use a stand mixer to make this, if you can -- it has that extra oomph. Using meringue powder gives the icing that “beautiful, glossy look,” and is child-friendly and safer for pregnant women than recipes that use egg whites. A hint of lemon juice cuts the sweetness. This will make a fair bit of icing so you may want to try halving the recipe to start. You can always make more. Tint as desired.

1 kilogram confectioners sugar, plus more set aside

2 tbsp meringue powder


1-1/2 cups water


a squeeze of lemon juice (optional)

Mix above ingredients until smooth, shiny and pure white. This can take a good five minutes. This icing will be a thicker consistency. Set some of it aside for piping on fine detail. 

Slowly add a spoonful of water to remaining icing and blend until desired consistency. The ribbon test is a good indicator: run a knife through the icing. If the line disappears before five seconds, you need more sugar; if it remains after eight seconds, add more liquid. 

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