Eggless Spiced Sugar Cookies | Christmas Tree Edible Decoration | Eggless Christmas Cookie Recipe

Wow its just 8 days to Christmas and sure the Christmas Spirit is real high for me :-). This year like always I have a huge list of bakes and goodies that I plan to make and distribute for friends and family. I must say that nothing like home goodies ads gifts for this Christmas. I am sure many of you loved to receive gifts that are homemade. I made these spiced sugar cookies that have a lovely flavour that is similar to the flavours your get in a Christmas cake (Christmas Plum cake). Isn't this great? well an experiment in the kitchen turned success is what I would call this recipe. Although I see so many coloured cookies doing rounds over the internet I love recipes that are simple and easy to do which taste wonderful. I sure can say that this cookie is of this category.

SPICED SUGAR COOKIES RECIPE

Recipe Source - Own
Prep time - 10 mins and 3 hours refrigeration 
Baking time - 8-12 mins (depending on your oven)
Makes - 10 -12 medium cookies

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour/ Maida - 2 and 1/2 cup
Butter (at room temperature) - 1/2 cup
Granulated Sugar - 1/2 cup powdered
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Vanilla extract - 2 tsp
Rum extract - 1 tsp
Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp
Nutmeg powder - 1 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Ground ginger powder - 1 tsp
Salt - one generous pinch
Watermelon seeds - 2 tbsp (optional)

Method

1.Take 2 bowls, in the first one add all the dry ingredients - flour, spices-cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, cardamom powder, ground ginger powder, baking powder, salt and mix well, set aside

2. In another bowl cream butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy, now add vanilla and rum extract. To this add the dry ingredients little by little and combine to form a really sticky dough. Now refrigerate the dough for 3 hours minimum or overnight

3. After the dough is nice and chill, prepare a baking tray with parchment/ butter paper. Pre-heat the oven to 150C for 10 mins and dusk the kitchen counter top with flour and place the chill dough to it. If its hard just keep for 2-3 minutes in room temperature. If you find the dough still sticky add some flour and knead to a dough.

4. Using a rolling pin roll flat around 1/2 inch thickness and using cookie cutter make cuts and place the shaped dough on the prepared baking tray, decorate with your favourite sprinkler/nuts/coloured sugar

5. Bake in centre of oven for 8-10 minutes until the edges turn colour, take care and keep watch of the cookies to make sure that it is not burnt

6.Once they are baked remove from the oven and let it cool down for 3 -4 minutes in tray and then transfer to cooling rack.

Once they cool down completely store in room temperature and gift your family with these yummy cookies.

Cooks Wisdom 

TIP 1

The dough can be a little stick but manageable you can use flour/ powdered sugar while rolling the dough. In case the dough turns out to be too sticky then you can add more flour and knead to a manageable dough

Tip 2

The spices do add loads of flavour so make sure you use them according to your liking. I added rum extract for a Christmas touch

Tip 3

You can add half brown sugar and half white sugar to this recipe for a golden colour cookie

Tip 4

I have used watermelon seeds to decorate these cookies you can use pistachios, almonds, walnuts, cinnamon sugar or coloured sugar 

Tip 5

To make these cookies as christmas tree hangings you can shape them as wreaths and tie them with ribbons and hang on your tree

Tip 6

These cookies are firm on the outside and soft on the inside, they are not hard like the Indian biscuits