Chocolate Beet Sugar Cookies
Let’s get festive!
As the big holiday draws nearer, my thoughts are turning to more traditional cookies. I know you love them, I know you want them, but with a Susanality twist!
Last year, I concocted a last-minute holiday cookie that I shared on IG (shown just above). I think it started with wanting to create a rolled sugar cookie suitable for cutting out. I also wanted it to taste really good, so of course I started with chocolate. As soon as I made my first batch of chocolate sugar cookies tinted maroon with both beet powder and red food coloring, I realized the color was just crying out to become mini Rothko replicas. I had so much fun making these little paintings that I just had to share the video, but I never shared the recipe because it was so late in the season. So here goes!
Since I already explored the Rothko theme (partly inspired by my forays into Ellsworth Kelly’s work back in 2019 — check those cookies out here and here via NYT Cooking gift links), I decided to use that same red cookie as the backdrop for more traditional holiday cookie decorating. If you don’t have beet powder or don’t want to order it, you can just make a straight-up chocolate version. I think adding some red food color to that would get you a similar shade of dough. I ordered a big bag of beet powder last year and it keeps forever, so I wanted to use it. It’s pretty widely available, even in the drugstore as a nutritional supplement (though I’ve noticed the prices for that are pretty inflated!). I went to my go-to, Nuts.com, for mine. I think they have an order minimum to get free shipping, but they have all kinds of things you’ll want in the house this time of year, for baking or for gifts.
As I’ve said, I am not a big sprinkles person. But there’s a time and a place for everything, right? I happen to have quite the collection of sprinkles and colored sugars from all of the cookie shoots I’ve done over the years. They don’t go bad either, so I just store them up in a big bin. You might notice the same exact green and red sugar I used for these cookies (possible paywall) that I styled back in 2018! Nobody ever wants this stuff at the end of a shoot, so I always take them home with me.
Yesterday, as I shot the photos for this newsletter and firmed up all the details for the recipes, I basically hosted a cookie decorating party for one, and I have to say, it was really FUN. Steve’s eyes lit up when he saw the results, so I highly recommend this as a project for you and your friends, or you and your kids, in the run up to the holidays. These are perfect for bringing to a cookie swap or any other kind of party. They keep well, and they pack well. I have to admit, I am also attracted to these cookies, and I particularly like the crunch of the nonpareils. I bought those at Michael’s a few years ago, and they have many colors to choose from!
The dough is extremely easy to work with. It’s not as temperature-sensitive as some butter-based doughs, and it’s easy to roll and re-roll until you have nothing left. Don’t worry about excess flour on the surface of the raw cookie — it will disappear as they bake. If there’s a LOT of excess flour, brush it off after they’re chilled, but use as much flour as you need to roll the dough easily.
Finally, let’s talk glazes. I’ve noticed sometimes people comment on how a cookie glaze is TOO SWEET, but I would like to remind you that they are made almost solely with sugar, so expect some sweetness! If you taste it straight from the bowl, it’s going to be sweet, but by the time you spread a thin amount on a cookie, it should taste just right, especially to kids or the kid in you. I try to balance the sweetness as much as possible. In the case of the vanilla glaze, I did that with lemon juice (but if you don’t want that flavor, use water or milk instead). And the chocolate one is, well, chocolatey, so it’s kind of perfect in my humble opinion. It makes the overall flavor and eating experience just a little special.
I really wanted to bake and decorate this cookie WITH you via a cooking class, but I just didn’t have enough time to organize it. Maybe next year! In the meantime, I’m happy to answer any questions about this recipe or cookies in general in the comments section. Happy baking!
