Traditional cutout sugar cookie made with brown sugar dough.
Cutout Cookies
Cutout cookie dough is stiff so that it can be rolled out with a rolling pin, then cut into shapes, usually with cookie cutters. For easier handling, chill the dough and work with small amounts at a time, keeping remaining dough chilled till needed. Unchilled dough absorbs too much flour, resulting in tough, dry cookies. Repeated re-rolling also causes tough cutout cookies, so re-roll your dough only one time. To avoid sticking, roll on a lightly floured board, or use our favorite technique: roll the dough between two sheets of waxed paper. You can also use a knife, a pizza or pastry roller, or traceable cardboard patterns to produce unusual cutout cookie shapes.
Basler Brunsli
A traditional recipe from Basel, Switzerland, these are a cutout chocolate almond spice cookie.
Aachener Printen
Delicate spice cookies traditional in Aachen, Germany.