Christmas Cut-Outs

As you might have guessed, the Farmer’s Wife is rather particular about the things she makes and serves from her kitchen, and the Christmas Cookies are certainly no exception. She has a list she works from each year—why change them when they’re the best?

And at the top of that list is Christmas Cut-Outs.

Now, these are not a light and fluffy sugar cookie. If that’s what you’re looking for, then move along right now. No. The Farmer’s Wife likes flavor. And she likes pretty. Her Cut-Outs are both. Because, you see, those tasteless puffy kinds are just that. Tasteless and puffy.

In the Farmer’s Wife’s Kitchen, things and people are expected to mind themselves. And that includes her cookies. When she cuts a shape, it stays the shape and size it was cut, and that’s that. The tips of each of her star cookies is pointed. She insists on it.

And as far as the flavor goes, you’ll see that for yourself soon enough.

Here is how it is to be done: A half-cup plus two tablespoons honey are placed in a large saucepan along with six tablespoons butter. All is melted and stirred. To that is added a cup of sugar of the white granulated variety, the zest and juice of one lemon, and a quarter cup of good bourbon. This is stirred well and set aside to cool. In a separate bowl, five cups pastry flour (sifted) are stirred together with a teaspoon each of black pepper, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a half teaspoon each of cloves, salt, and red pepper. Also, two teaspoons baking powder are added and stirred and all is poured into the saucepan, where you’ll do more stirring until it all comes together. A piece of parchment is to be set on your counter and the dough dumped in the center, forming a ball. It is to be wrapped well and refrigerated for a couple hours, up to overnight.

When you’re ready to bake: the oven is to be preheated to three hundred and fifty degrees. Your baking sheets are to be lined with parchment and your dough is to be rolled out until it’s a quarter inch thick. This will be a bit tricky. Actually, a lot tricky. This is just about the stiffest dough you’ll ever find yourself working with, but it’s worth it. Just don’t give up on it. It will eventually smooth out on itself. Use whatever size or shape cutters you like, only when you bake them, have all the cookies on each tray be about the same size. These are to be baked anywhere from twelve to fifteen minutes, depending on the size you went with. They should be just a tiny bit brown on the edges. Cool on a wire rack and frost. Now, the Farmer’s Wife likes the flavor of these so much, she doesn’t like to hide it under a bunch of frosting, so she went with Royal icing of the meringue powder, powdered sugar, and water variety, but you do whatever you like. They are your cookies, after all, made in your kitchen. Any and all rules are yours for the making and yours for the keeping. Only…if you deviate too much from this recipe, please don’t mention where you got it from.