12 Days of Cookies: A Brown Table’s Buckwheat and Oat Flour Christmas Cutout Cookies

This year, we found the best cookies on the web for our 12 Days of Cookies, with today’s cookie being A Brown Table’s own riff on Christmas cutout cookies.

 

The Baker: Nik Sharma is the author of Season, the critically acclaimed cookbook; the founder of A Brown Table, a blog dedicated to seasonal recipes with beautiful photography; and a regular columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. 

 

Why We Love It: Nik’s favorite Christmas cookie swaps in oat and almond flour for traditional all-purpose flour. What we love about it is has a little more fiber than your traditional Christmas cookie, without tasting “healthy.” The blend of flours also makes the dough super easy to work with, contributing to an easy-to-roll dough, ideal for making with kids and adults alike.

 

Buckwheat and Oat Flour Christmas Cutout Cookies

 

Ingredients

 

For the cookies:

• 1 cup plus 3 Tbs. (5 oz./142 g) buckwheat flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 cup plus 3 Tbs. (5 oz./142 g) oat flour
• 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. (4 oz./125 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
• 9 Tbs. (4 1/2 oz./125 g) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
• 2 tsp. full-fat cream cheese
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the chocolate drizzle:

• 1/2 cup (3 oz./90 g) white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup (3 oz./90 g) extra-dark chocolate chips

Directions

 

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the buckwheat and oat flours, salt, baking soda and brown sugar. Mix on medium-low speed until evenly combined, 1 to 2 minutes.

 

2. With the mixer running on medium-low speed, add half of the butter to the bowl. Beat for 2 minutes. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and add the remaining butter, the cream cheese and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly combined, about 2 minutes. Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper and, using your hands, shape it into a disk. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

 

3. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

 

4. Divide the cookie dough into 4 equal pieces. Wrap 3 of the pieces in plastic wrap and return them to the refrigerator while you work with the 4th piece.

 

5. On a surface very lightly dusted with buckwheat flour, using a rolling pin, roll out the piece of dough about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. (Alternatively, you can roll out the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper lightly dusted with buckwheat flour; it makes handling the cookies easier.) Using your favorite cookie cutters, cut out cookie shapes. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) between the cookies. Wrap any dough scraps in plastic wrap and return to the refrigerator with the remaining dough. Transfer the baking sheets to the freezer and chill the cookies for about 30 minutes.

 

6. While the cookies are chilling, preheat an oven to 300°F (150°C).

 

7. Bake the chilled cookies, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking time, until their edges start to turn light golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let cool for about 1 minute before transferring the cookies to the wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough to roll out and back the remaining cookies.

 

8. When the cookies are completely cooled, arrange them in a single layer on a large sheet of parchment paper. (It’s best to work in a cool place in your kitchen so that the chocolate will harden after it is drizzled on the cookies.)

 

9. To make the chocolate drizzle, put three-quarters of the white chocolate chips in a small heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Warm the white chocolate chips, stirring frequently, until they are melted and the mixture registers 110°F (43°C) on a thermometer. Remove the bowl from the saucepan, add the remaining white chocolate chips, and stir until melted and thoroughly combined. Using a fork, drizzle the melted white chocolate over the cookies. Set aside at room temperature until the chocolate is solid.

 

10. Repeat the same process to melt the dark chocolate chips, and drizzle the dark chocolate over the cookies. (You can drizzle both types of chocolate in the same direction, or drizzle them in different directions to create a fun pattern.) Let the cookies sit at room temperature until the chocolate is solid, then store the cookies in an airtight container. Makes about 3 dozen 2-inch (5-cm) cookies.

Follow along on our blog for 12 days of Christmas cookies, and head to our Holiday Headquarters for more recipes, gift ideas, and supplies for all your holiday entertaining needs.