contact us

Use the form on the right to contact us.

You can edit the text in this area, and change where the contact form on the right submits to, by entering edit mode using the modes on the bottom right.

         

123 Street Avenue, City Town, 99999

(123) 555-6789

email@address.com

 

You can set your address, phone number, email and site description in the settings tab.
Link to read me page with more information.

Blog

Butteryum food blog recipes

Filtering by Category: christmas recipes

Christmas Cookie Cutouts (No Futzing with Frosting)

Patricia @ ButterYum

Aren't these cookies adorable?  And they are so easy to make, you won't believe it.  And you can make all different kinds.  (Thanks to Terri for coming up with the catchy tagline!)

To make the cookies, roll the cookie dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap.  No extra flour is needed and you can reroll the scraps multiple times without it affecting the quality of the cookies.  To ensure all my cookies are the same thickness, I use rolling guides.

Now it's time to cut the cookies with the plunger cutters, but there's no need to push the plunger thingy down at this point.  Pop the cut dough in the fridge to chill so the dough hardens before transferring the cutouts to a sheet pan - this will keep the cutouts from distorting. 

I forgot to get a photo of the cookies going into the oven, but you know the drill.  I bake my cookies on a silpat lined half sheet pan. 

While the cookies are baking, knead the fondant to make it pliable and roll it to 1/16-inch thickness, again I'm using my rolling guides.  Use any fondant that you like.  I sometimes buy colored fondant, but most of the time I buy white fondant and color it using gel colors.  

When I cut the cookie dough, I didn't push the plunger down, but I will now.  

Then I away the scraps and save them in an airtight container to be used another time.  I let the fondant sit at room temp to firm up before placing them onto the baked cookies - if the room is warm, I pop them in the fridge for a couple minutes.  

Place the fondant cutouts onto the cookies while they're still warm from the oven.  This will allow the fondant to melt ever so slightly so it adheres to the cookie.  That's it folks.  Super easy.

And super cute!

I love them all, but the pink snowflakes are my favorite.  

Okay, go get some plunger cutters and make yourself some cookies!  

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

Christmas Cutout Cookies

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Directions

To make the cookie dough:

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the BeaterBlade attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium high speed for 30 seconds.

  3. Add egg and vanilla; beat to combine.

  4. Add flour mixture and beat until incorporated.

  5. Remove dough from mixer bowl and wrap well with plastic wrap; chill for 1-3 hours.

  6. Preheat oven to 375F.

  7. Roll each dough portion to 3/16-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface.

  8. Cut out desired shapes with floured plunger cutters, without plunging the design into the cutout.

  9. Chill dough before transferring cutouts to sheet pan to prevent distorting.

  10. Place cookies 2-inches apart on silpat lined sheet pan.

  11. Bake for 6-8 minutes; remove from oven and top with fondant cutouts that have the design pressed into them.

  12. Cool completely before serving. Store in airtight container between with wax paper between layers.

Notes

  • Recipe makes 40-60 cookies, depending on size.  

  • Plan to use about 1/2 pound fondant (I like to buy white fondant so I can color it any way I like).  

  • Fondant cutouts can be made a day or more in advance if stored on wax or parchment paper in an airtight container.  

  • If cookies cool before fondant toppers are added, warm the cookies for a few seconds in the microwave.

10 Comments
categories chocolate recipes, christmas recipes, cookie and bar recipes
tags christmas cookie recipes, cookie recipes

Dry Brined Turkey

Patricia @ ButterYum

If you're intimidated by the thought of brining in a liquid solution, Dry Brining is the perfect technique for you.  I’ve made turkey all kinds of ways, and dry brining is by far my favorite for a couple of reasons; 1) it’s much less messy than brining in liquid, and 2) it produces the most juicy, flavorful bird imaginable!

Plan to begin the process anywhere from 24-72 hours (*see notes below recipe) before you place your turkey in the oven to roast.  Enjoy!

Rinse and dry a 12-14 pound turkey well and place on a rimmed sheet pan. If there’s a pop-up timer in the turkey, remove it (they’re notoriously inaccurate).

Sprinkle the entire bird, inside and out, with kosher salt. Be sure to check the “note” section below the recipe to calculate how much kosher salt you’ll need based on the weight of your turkey.

Place the turkey in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 24 hour (but can be as long as 72 hours - *see notes below the recipe).

Be careful about accidental cross contamination - here I placed a barrier of homemade chicken stock in front of my turkey to reduce the risk that someone might accidentally touch it.

After 24-72 hours, remove the turkey from the fridge and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels.

Next, tuck the wings, tied the legs smear butter all over the skin, and insert an oven-safe probe thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh (without touching any bone). Sprinkle the turkey lightly with salt and pepper. Not too much, the salt brine will have flavored the meat already so we’re just adding a little flavor to the skin.

Roast in a 325F oven for 15-18 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165F. I check both legs in a couple of places, just to be on the safe side.

Allow the turkey to rest for 30-40 minutes before carving (the internal temperature will rise 5-10 additional degrees - this is normal). That should leave you with plenty of time to make gravy with all the yummy pan juices. Happy Roasting!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

Dry Brined Turkey

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

  • 12-14 pound turkey (thawed if applicable)

  • 6 tablespoons kosher salt (see formula in the “note” section below)

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

  • kosher salt and pepper for sprinkling

  • 1 large onion, sliced

  • 1 large carrot, sliced

  • 1 large stalk celery, sliced

  • 2 cups water

Directions

  1. Remove neck, giblets, etc from inside turkey; reserve for gravy.

  2. Rinse turkey well and dry thoroughly with paper towels; place on half sheet pan.

  3. Sprinkle turkey inside and out with salt, refrigerate uncovered for 24-72 hours.

  4. Preheat oven to 325F and place oven rack in the lower third position.

  5. Pat turkey well with paper towels to absorb any moisture that might be on the surface (pay close attention to nooks and crannies).

  6. Place a roasting rack into a large roasting pan; add sliced onion, carrot, celery and water.

  7. Smear softened butter all over turkey and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and pepper; place on roasting rack.

  8. Place turkey in oven, uncovered, and roast for 15-18 minutes per pound or until the meat in the thickest part of the thigh registers 165F.

  9. Remove from oven and rest for 30-40 minutes. Strain pan drippings and use to make gravy.

NOTEs

  • Cook’s Illustrated suggests salt-brining a turkey for a maximum of 48 hours, while The New York Times says you can let it go for as long as 72 hours.

  • To calculate how much Kosher salt you will need, use this formula:

2 Comments
categories turkey recipes, thanksgiving recipes, easter recipes, dinner recipes, christmas recipes
tags turkey recipes, thanksgiving recipes, holiday recipes, christmas recipes