Holiday Cutout Cookies With Hummingbird High

Through much recent practice, we found that the quickest way to lift the spirits is to bake (and eat!) a sweet and special treat. And lately, we've been feeling like we could all use a little holiday cheer early this year – cue Michelle Lopez of Hummingbird High. A blogger, baker, and overall inspiring individual, Michelle's creations are here to help lighten the mood and kick off the holidays. Below, she shares a delicious and oh-so-festive cutout cookie recipe perfect for the winter months.  

 

 

Coconut Oil Cutout Sugar Cookies

 

A fun, joyful, and edible way to decorate for the holidays, these cutout sugar cookies can easily be customized with the cutters you have at home.

 

NOTES:

• Yields approximately 80 1-1/2 inch cookies depending on the size of your cutter.

• Aim for coconut oil that is solid yet soft enough to easily scoop without struggling, around 70 to 74 degrees. 

• If you don't have coconut oil on hand, substitute unsalted butter at room temperature (1:1 ratio).

• For distinct shapes and definitions, be sure to roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thickness.

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

For the vanilla cookies:

• 3 1/3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) LouAna Refined Coconut Oil, at room temperature (see baker's notes)

• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

 

For the cocoa cookies:

• 2 3/4 cups (12.35 ounces) all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup (1.5 ounces) natural unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) LouAna Refined Coconut Oil, at room temperature (see baker's notes)

• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon coconut extract (in a pinch, use pure vanilla extract)

 

 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until well combined; set aside.

 

2. In the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup LouAna Refined Coconut Oil, and 1/2 cup unsalted butter. Beat on medium-high speed until very light and creamy, about 5 minutes. Once light and creamy, use a rubber spatula to scrape down the paddle attachment and sides of the bowl. Turn the mixer back on to its lowest setting and add 1 large egg and extract; continue mixing until combined. Once the egg is fully incorporated and with the mixer still on its lowest setting, add the dry ingredients a quarter cup at a time. Continue mixing just until the dry ingredients incorporate into the mixture and a dough forms into large clumps.

 

3. Stop the mixer and turn the dough out onto a parchment lined surface. Use your hands to knead it into a rough ball; divide the ball in half. Place one of the dough balls in the center of the parchment paper and place another sheet of parchment paper on top of the ball. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rough oval slab about 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick (see baker’s notes). Scoot the dough slab onto a sheet pan and set aside. Roll out the second ball of dough between two new sheets of parchment paper and carefully transfer the slab on top of the previous one and transfer to the freezer to chill for 5 minutes.

 

4. While the dough is freezing, prepare your cookie cutters or stamps by covering with flour. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.

 

5. After 5 minutes, remove one of the dough slabs from the freezer — at this point, it will be fairly solid and stiff. You should still be able to stamp out shapes; if it’s too hard, let the dough sit untouched at room temperature for another minute or two before trying again. Working quickly, stamp out cookie shapes, transferring them to the parchment lined sheet pan as you go, making sure to leave at least 2 inches between each cookie. Transfer to the freezer.

 

 

6. Repeat the process with the second slab of dough, transferring the cut out shapes onto another parchment lined sheet pan.

 

7. Gather and re-roll any dough scraps into a ball; repeat steps 3 to 7 as necessary until all the dough has been stamped into cookies.

 

8. Freeze the cookies on their sheet pans for at least 1 hour; the cookies will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month. If freezing for longer than a few hours, carefully wrap each sheet pan in plastic wrap to prevent the dough from absorbing weird flavors and odors.

 

   

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Photos and recipe courtesy of Hummingbird High