These pretty cookies are fairly labor intensive, but boy, are they worth it. A few of these festive blossoms on top of my Christmas cookie trays really make a festive presentation.
The recipe i originally submitted, before being accepted and edited, said to use about 20 drops of red food color to make the cookies. Since then, I have decided that i like the way the cookies look much better when i use red gel food color from the craft store. I just keep adding little dabs of color and mixing until i get the perfect color. And I roll the cookie balls in the red decorator sugar before they are cut into sixths for the petals...In my original recipe i also said that i baked the cookies on sheets lined with aluminum foil (dull side up, so as not to burn the cookies!) so that I could peel them off easier after baking. Hope this helps, because when done right, these cookies are such a pretty and yummy addition to any christmas cookie tray.
Read More I'm making them now and right off the bat, I can see a problem. Just mixed the dough and there is no way to start rolling into balls! Dough is too sticky. It's in the refrigerator now to firm it up so I can handle it. I'll be anxious to see how this all turns out. I'm sure they won't look like the picture but I'm heck bent on trying!
Read More The recipe i originally submitted, before being accepted and edited, said to use about 20 drops of red food color to make the cookies. Since then, I have decided that i like the way the cookies look much better when i use red gel food color from the craft store. I just keep adding little dabs of color and mixing until i get the perfect color. And I roll the cookie balls in the red decorator sugar before they are cut into sixths for the petals...In my original recipe i also said that i baked the cookies on sheets lined with aluminum foil (dull side up, so as not to burn the cookies!) so that I could peel them off easier after baking. Hope this helps, because when done right, these cookies are such a pretty and yummy addition to any christmas cookie tray.
These are very pretty but they don't have a lot of flavor. They are pretty bland. I used a natural food coloring so mine were pink which was fine with me. I like pink pointsettias. I also used mini chocolate chips or peanut butter chips in the middle instead of the icing. Next time I will reserve a bit of dough, color it yellow and roll up tiny balls to press in the middle before baking. In order to get the pretty shape you need to first make the slices in the dough ball, then gently pull the pieces out from the center. They will look like flowers before you bake them so keep working with the dough ball to work the petals into the shape you want before baking. They do not unfold on their own during baking so you need to do that before.
If you use food coloring instead of paste you're going to end up with pink cookies. Use paste instead to get a true red color. The cookies themselves are yummy and pretty! I love sugarplum's picture in this recipe. Her cookies always rock!!
Great Christmas recipe, except I used yellow M&m's in the middle instead of icing. Just push in center when cookies come out of oven.
Question. Reviewers commented that these cookies turned out pink, not red. Could it be because there is nowhere in the recipe instructions that tell you when to add the red decorator sugar? So, when do you add it? Sounds like these would be a hit if they turned out red. :0) ( Oh, the 5 stars are for your beautiful cookies and photos!)
These were absolutely wonderful. I found that it was imperative to make the little cuts quickly after they came out of the fridge. That made it much easier to tug the little sections apart.
I'm making them now and right off the bat, I can see a problem. Just mixed the dough and there is no way to start rolling into balls! Dough is too sticky. It's in the refrigerator now to firm it up so I can handle it. I'll be anxious to see how this all turns out. I'm sure they won't look like the picture but I'm heck bent on trying!
I followed the directions exactly. They weren't easy to make, but they turned out beautifully. It was worth the work.
I thought these cookies tasted really good but they didn't look nearly as attractive as in the picture. The dough is hard to work with. I think next time I will try a cookie press.
I made these today and am glad I baked one sheet of cookies and waited to see how they turned out before baking the rest. The recipe does not say how big to make the balls of dough, I made them walnut-sized and really should have made them slightly smaller. Also the recipe does not say to pull apart the petals before baking, but you MUST SEPARATE the petals BEFORE baking, they do not separate themselves during baking. Once I figured out those two points the rest turned out pretty. I will likely make these again, they are a colorful addition to the holiday cookie tray.
To get RED poinsettias use red powder food color from cake supply store. It is far more potent in color than any gel or liquid. Same goes for making black - use powder coloring !!!!
What great cookie! I followed SUGARPLUMBCOOKIES recipe and used the 1 teaspoon of red food coloring and after slicing the dough ball, I slightly pressed the center of the ball to spread the flower petals. I also followed the yellow icing recipe and my poinsettias looked like SUGARPLUMBCOOKIES photo.
