Basic Christmas cookie dough

Ingredients

• 1 kilogram of flour
• 500 g of sugar
• 500 g of butter or margarine
• 4 large eggs (or 6 small eggs)
• 2 packets of baking powder
• 2 packets of vanilla sugar
• 2 pinches of salt
• flour for flour, work surface
• butter or margarine to grease the pan
• Bakery flavors (lemon, butter vanilla, rum, almond, orange)
• unsweetened cocoa
• grape
• Baking spices: cinnamon, gingerbread spices, anise
• Ground walnuts and almonds
• shredded coconut
• Candied orange and lemon peels
• honey (to be used in place of sugar, by weight)
• instant coffee
• Various jams
• food coloring
• powdered sugar
• lemon juice
• chocolate glaze
• Chocolate and sugar vermicelli
• Shaped almonds

Melt the butter at room temperature in a saucepan, but do not heat it too much; it should only become slightly liquid.

When the butter is almost melted, remove it from the heat, add the sugar and eggs, and then mix with an electric mixer until a smooth cream forms.

Gradually incorporate the flour, yeast, flavorings, and salt.

First, mix a small portion of the flour, then the other ingredients, and finally the remaining flour, to ensure even distribution.

Divide the dough into portions and mix in any optional ingredients. Then, you can assess the consistency of the dough.

Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.

Re-knead by hand: the warmth of your hands allows the air to escape and the dough to become pliable again. It should be smooth and release easily from the work surface.

Grease the work surface and the dough, then roll it out thinly and cut out the cookies.

Bake for 6 to 7 minutes in a preheated oven at 200 °C, until the cookies are lightly browned.

If the dough is too dry or the cookies are crumbly, add 1-2 more eggs, or a little water or milk.