Cookies, colors and sweetness at this dark end of the year

Basic sugar cookies

1. Start with our dear friend, butter. Leave it out until it reaches room temperature. Cream the butter and sugar together. Whisk it vigorously until fluffy. If you don’t have an electric whisk, you can use a normal whisk. And if you don’t have that, you can seriously use a fork (just make sure the butter is extra soft).
2. Add your vanilla, followed by one egg at a time.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients, the flour, baking powder and salt. Make sure there are no lumps.
4. Add half of the dry ingredient mixture into the butter-sugar-egg mixture, incorporating well. It should be very sticky at this point.
5. Add the remaining flour, and mix until the dough comes together. You can knead it with your hands to bring everything together. At this stage, if you wish to incorporate any food coloring, you can work it in.
6. Remove your ball of dough from the bowl and wrap it entirely in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least two hours, or preferably overnight.
7. Before baking, roll the dough, sprinkling with flour. It is easier to divide the dough into two pieces than to roll it out all at once.
8. Line your baking trays with parchment paper. Make your cuts and re-roll the scraps.
9. As Lebanese ovens rarely have exact temperatures, set your oven to a medium to medium-low temperature and place the tray in the center of the oven for 8 to 9 minutes. If you use dyes, do not leave them for a long time; they may burn.
10. After removing them from the oven, let the cookies cool completely before decorating.

Gingerbread preparation

1. First, melt the butter. Remove from heat and add molasses, honey (optional), sugar and vanilla. Stir until well incorporated.
2. In another bowl, mix your dry ingredients, along with all your spices.
3. Pour in the wet ingredients and mix well until the dough comes together. Transfer the dough to plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours, preferably overnight.
4. The number of cookies produced per batch is highly dependent on the thickness of your roll and the size of your cookie cutters, so choose your own adventure! Merry Christmas!

Preparing the icing

1. Whisk the egg whites, powdered sugar and vanilla and place in a double boiler. Stir continuously until you obtain a firm mixture. Remove them from the heat after 10 minutes.
2. If you don't have the time or the desire, use a ready-made mixture sold in stores and follow the instructions on the package.
3. If you can’t find a piping bag, use toothpicks to create extra details, swirls, and lines. I had a set of unused paintbrushes that I used to paint on some of the designs, but go for what suits you.
4. Stick to a color palette. Even one color with several shades can produce a beautiful arrangement. Find a few versatile candies and sprinkles. Mix and match as you choose.
5. After icing your cookies, make sure they're completely dry before stacking and layering them; otherwise, they will stick to each other.