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  • Home
    • Disclosure Policy
    • About Me
  • What's New! (Blog)
  • Low-Carb Lifestyle!
    • Trim Healthy Mama-inspired Grocery Lists
    • THM-style Beverages >
      • Mock Starbucks Mocha Frappuccinos
    • Family Favorite Recipes (Not Low Carb) >
      • Snacks >
        • Delicious Homemade Gooey Granola Bars!
        • Healthy Peanut Buttery Treats
      • Soups and Stews >
        • Jamaican Seafood Chowder
        • Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
      • Salads >
        • Red Cabbage Coleslaw
      • Main Dishes >
        • Beef >
          • Beef Stroganoff
        • Chicken >
          • Chicken Fiesta
          • Chicken Nachos
          • Marinated Zucchini and Chicken Sandwiches
          • Chicken or Turkey Enchiladas
          • Hungarian Chicken Paprikash
          • Green Chili Chicken Lasagna
        • Lamb >
          • Slow-Roasted Lamb Shoulder
        • Seafood >
          • Chilled Quinoa and Salmon Salad (E)
          • Shrimp and Zucchini Tostadas
        • Pasta Recipes >
          • Baked Lemon Pasta
          • Paccheri (Pasta) with Cauliflower and Tomatoes
      • Desserts >
        • Cookies >
          • Free Christmas Cookie cookbook download!
          • Healthier Gingerbread Man Cookies
          • Healthier Holiday Cut-Out Cookes
          • Maple Leaf Cookies - YUMMM!
        • Donuts
        • Frozen Desserts >
          • Lemonade Ice Cream Pie
    • Recommended Ingredients and Foods >
      • Inspiration Mixes - Gluten/Dairy/Caseine/Wheat Free and delicious!
      • Organic Maple Syrup
  • Homeschooling
    • Homeschool Curriculum & Product Reviews >
      • Homeschool Curriculum Reviews >
        • Art >
          • ARTistic Pursuits
          • Simply Draw!
        • Grammar >
          • All About Homophones - (Marie Rippel)
          • Time 4 Learning
          • Daily Grams
        • Handwriting >
          • Cursive Handwriting - New American Cursive
        • History >
          • The Mystery of History >
            • MOH vol. 3 Audio MP3's
          • Tapestry of Grace History
          • U.S. History >
            • America, The Last Best Hope (William Bennett)
          • Winter Promise
        • Latin >
          • Latina Christiana, by Memoria Press
          • Visual Latin
        • Literature-based Unit Studies >
          • Beyond Five in a Row
          • Further Up and Further In by Diane Pendergraft
        • Logic and Reasoning >
          • Building Thinking Skills (Critical Thinking Skills Co.)
        • Math >
          • Math Mammoth
          • Math Tutor DVD.com
          • MathRider: Horselovers' Math Facts Software Game!
        • Music and Composers
        • Online Educational Courses >
          • Aleks Online Courses
        • Science >
          • Apologia Science >
            • Apologia Science's Notebooking Journals
            • Zoology 1 - Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day
          • Science Weekly newsletters
        • Spelling >
          • Phonetic Zoo (by IEW)
        • Writing >
          • The Write Foundation: Level 2 - Paragraphs
          • WriteShop's StoryBuilders
      • Homeschool Product Reviews >
        • eBooks >
          • College Success Begins at Home (TOS eBook)
          • Dreams and Designs—Homemade Supplies to Complement Your Homeschool
          • Help, Lord, I'm Getting Ready to Start Homeschooling My High Schooler!
          • The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner
        • Online Educational Website Memberships >
          • KB Teacher
        • Science >
          • Polymer Crystals
    • Driver's Education for Homeschoolers
    • Foreign Language >
      • Latin >
        • Christmas Songs in Latin
        • Latina Christiana (Level 1) >
          • Latina Christiana Level 1 Lesson Links >
            • Charts and Helps
            • Year One Sayings
            • LC1 Intro and Lesson 1
      • Latina Christiana (Level II) >
        • Latina Christiana Level 2
        • LC2 Intro and Lesson 1
    • Forms and Charts >
      • "Week At A Glance" Planner
      • 2012-2013 Homeschool Attendance Form
      • 2012-2013 Homeschool Attendance Form
    • Free Audio Books to Download
    • Free Homeschool I.D. Cards!
    • Government and Civics
    • Handwriting
    • History: Classical / Chronological >
      • The Mystery of History, by Linda Lacour Hobar
      • The Middle Ages (MOH vol. 2)
      • Ancient History (MOH vol. 1) >
        • Ancient Rome >
          • Roman Architecture
          • Roman Houses
          • Roman Town (software game by Dig-It)
          • Roman Trade and Commerce
    • Language Arts
    • Science
  • Free Printables
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      • Christmas
  • Book/DVD/Audio Reviews
    • Children's Movie/DVD Reviews
    • Other Product/Company Reviews
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    • Gardening and Herbs
    • Marriage - God's Way
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    • Godly Kids & Teens >
      • Godly Womanhood
      • Sharing God With Your Children
      • Training Our Daughters to be Keepers at Home >
        • Keepers At Home - "Beginning of Club Year" Helps
        • Keepers At Home - "End of Club Year" Helps
        • KAH Skills >
          • Bible Memory >
            • Memorizing New Testament Books and Their Meanings
            • Proverbs 31:10-31
          • Cake Decorating
          • Card Making >
            • Stitched Cards
          • Computers
          • Character Studies >
            • Contentment and "I'm Bored" phrases
            • Willingness
          • Decoupage
          • Hospitality
          • Library Skills and Literature Pins
          • Sewing >
            • Beauty and the Pig - Goldie Doll
            • Edwardian-Style Aprons
            • Paper Piecing
      • Children >
        • Bible Study Bookmarks
        • The Church History ABCs (for kids!!!)
        • The Lord's Prayer - copywork
        • Some Thoughts...Family Bible Time
        • Running Away...with permission
      • Young Adults (Teens) >
        • Stepping Heavenward, by Elizabeth Prentiss
        • Deeper Roots: Discovering Our Amazing God
  • Frugal Family Trips to Washington, D.C.
Picture

Healthy(er) Holiday Cut-out Cookies

10/30/2010

0 Comments

 
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     A favorite family tradition throughout my growing up years was to make cut-out holiday cookies at least 2-3 times per year.  I remember making these for Christmas and Easter, although there may have been other times during the year that we enjoyed these homemade treats.

     Of course, I had to do the same with my own children, right? 

     We have followed in a similar pattern with my own girls, except that we usually make autumn cookies, like you see above in the photo, sometimes Christmas cookies, and sometimes, Resurrection Sunday crosses.

     I must admit that I LOVE making cut-out cookies and helping the girls frost them.  Yes, it makes a messy kitchen and dining room, and the clean-up takes me longer than with some other projects we do around the house, but I enjoy this time with the girls very much!

     I've always used one particular recipe for the cut-out cookies, because my definition of a wonderful cut-out cookie is a bit on the thicker side, soft and chewy on the inside, and firm enough to handle to frost with icing.

     Yesterday, while my husband and oldest daughter went hunting, Brittany and I mixed up the dough for the cut-out cookies.
Picture
     We didn't have enough white flour to make the larger batch of dough, so we combined regular white flour and whole wheat pastry flour together to make a healthier dough, albeit unplanned.

     It is my understanding that whole wheat pastry flour is just as healthy as regular whole wheat flour; it is a different variety of wheat which, when milled, produces a lighter variety of flour.  I'm not sure it's good to make yeast breads or cakes with whole wheat pastry flour; I'd have to do some research into that.  However, we have enjoyed using whole wheat pastry flour for:
  • pancakes
  • waffles
  • muffins
  • cookies of all types
  • ebilskievers
  • cornbread
and much, much more.

     I wasn't sure how the cookies would turn out, as I didn't want to give up the texture and flavor of my original recipe.  Guess what?  They were delicious!  They baked up soft and chewy and wonderful.  Even though they aren't made completely with whole wheat pastry flour, they are delightful.  I might add a bit more flour the next time I make these, just to see how they turn out with 3/4 whole wheat pastry flour, and 1/4 white flour.  Maybe I'll be brave enough to try them with 100% whole wheat pastry flour?  Hmmm.  Maybe not. 

Here is the recipe I use for the "healthier" version of my cut-out cookies:

Roll-Out Cookies
1-1/4 cups butter, softened
2 cups sugar (or organic evap. cane juice sugar)
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour

2-3 cups regular flour (if dough is sticky, add the extra cup of flour)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk


     Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cream butter and sugar together.  Add eggs and vanilla; beat until fluffy.  Sift dry ingredients together and add alternately to creamed mixture with milk.  If mixture is too sticky, add flour, a little at a time, until the dough is easy to handle.  Roll dough 1/8 to 1/4" thick.  Cut out cookies, dipping cutter in flour before each use, if necessary.  Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until edges are set and golden.  Makes 36-42 average sized cookies. 
Picture

     After the cookies had cooled on cooling racks, and the hunters had arrived back home, we ate dinner...and then it was time to make frosting.  I almost always make homemade frosting when we need it.  I really don't care for the taste of the processed store-bought frosting.  There's some odd taste in there that just isn't right!

     Here is my favorite recipe for making homemade frosting.  If you prefer to use coconut oil (in its cool room temperature form) instead of the shortening, feel free.  The icing won't set up and harden on the decorated cookies, so it will stick to layers of waxed paper if you are layering these cookies in a box.  If you are planning on shipping these cookies somewhere, you'll want to use shortening instead of coconut oil.  If the weather is hot, I don't think you'll want to use the coconut oil, because it will turn to a liquid state.  That might make quite a mess on your cookies!  You could also try to use 100% butter and no shortening altogether.

     I decided to use a combination of butter, shortening, and coconut oil:

Buttery Frosting
  • 1/2 cup shortening or solid coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 lb. sifted powdered sugar (4 cups)
  • 2 Tbsp. milk
  • 3-4 Tbsp. agave, corn syrup, or honey (basically, a liquid sweetener) to make the frosting more "spreadable"
Cream butter and shortening (or coconut oil) together with a mixer.  (I use a hand mixer for a single recipe.)  Add vanilla and mix well.  Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed.  Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often.  Frosting will appear to be on the dry side.  Add milk and liquid sweetener of your choice and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.  Keep frosting covered, refrigerated, with a damp cloth until ready to use.  Store in refrigerator, in an airtight container.  Can be stored up to two weeks.  Rewhip before using.  Makes 3 cups. 

     And, of course, frost cookies and add sprinkles, if desired!  I usually buy seasonal sprinkles the day or week after a particular holiday, getting them for 50-75% off...and I save them for the following year.
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    ​​Hi!  I'm Julieanne!
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