Grinch Cookies

The holidays can be a busy and stressful time, so if I can make something ahead of time, I always do. These cookies are the perfect example. Make them a few weeks before your holiday celebration and freeze them until you need them. It makes life so much easier if you can take one thing off your to-do list.

You can also freeze the dough. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months; defrost overnight in the fridge before using.

Yes, Grinch cookies can be frozen. If you have any leftovers, they will keep for a few months in the freezer in an air-tight container.

These Grinch cookies can be stored on the counter in an air-tight container for a few days.

The best way to figure out how many drops of green food coloring you need is to add one drop at a time so until you get to your desired color. Add more or less to get just the green hue you are looking for. I personally prefer to use gel color, (You will find you need less of this very concentrated food coloring.)

• Use a light-colored baking sheet, use a silicone baking mat, or line your cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• It is also important not to cook your cookies on the bottom rack; you want them in the middle of the oven for even baking. (So, for the best results, bake only one cookie sheet at a time.)
• Another good tip is to let your baking sheets cool in between batches of cookies. (When the weather is cold, I just put my cookie sheets outside in between batches, lol.)
• Lastly, I recommend setting your timer for a minute or two before the recommended baking time and checking your cookies for doneness.

I have never made these cookies gluten-free, but if you use a 1-1 baking flour, like Bob’s Red Mill, the recipe should work.  Just watch the baking time as they may bake up differently. Betty Croker makes a gluten-free sugar cookie mix.

Yes, you can! You can add food coloring to pre-made sugar cookie dough. I recommend gloves, because you will want to add the food coloring one drop at a time until the desired color has been reached, and I have found it easiest to work the color in with your hands.

I have also found store-bought sugar cookie dough will spread more when baked, so I suggest chilling the dough after working the color in and using parchment paper on a cool baking sheet.

You can also use a sugar cookie mix that requires you to add the wet ingredients.

These cookies are called Grinch cookies because they are green, just like the character Grinch from the movie the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, which was based on a Dr. Seuss book.