Christmas Cut-Out Cookies: compare the 2 variations
Time, effort, key ingredients, diets, nutrition and cleanup side by side, so you can pick the one that fits tonight.
Which should I make?
- Fastest GingerbreadReady in 3 hr 30 min; the other takes 9 hr 10 min.
- Easiest GingerbreadMedium like the other, but 8 steps against 13.
- Kid helper Sugar Cookies with Royal IcingA child can do 8 of the 13 steps: no knife, no heat.
Side by side
| Gingerbread | Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing | |
|---|---|---|
| Total time | 3 hr 30 min | 9 hr 10 min |
| Prep | 30 min | 1 hr |
| Level | Medium | Medium |
| Steps | 8 | 13 |
| Serves | about 30 cookies (4-inch) | about 36 cookies (3-inch) |
| Key ingredients | all-purpose flour, unsalted butter and powdered sugar | all-purpose flour, unsalted butter and powdered sugar |
| Only in this one | ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves and ground nutmeg | baking powder, granulated sugar, meringue powder and gel food coloring |
| Dietary | ||
| Calories | 160 | 160 |
| Protein | 2 g | 1 g |
| Carbs | 28 g | 26 g |
| Fat | 5 g | 5 g |
| Cleanup | 3/5 3 things to wash | 3/5 3 things to wash |
| Kid helper | Yes, 4 of 8 steps | Yes, 8 of 13 steps |
Nutrition is per serving. Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Dietary: Based on the ingredient list and estimated nutrition; check labels; not medical advice. Cleanup score: 5 means one thing to wash, 1 means six or more. We count pots, pans, bowls and appliances, not the knife, board and spoons.
How we pick
- Fastest: the shortest total time, at least 10 minutes ahead of the next.
- Easiest: the lowest level (easy, medium, hard), then at least 2 fewer steps.
- Lightest: the fewest estimated calories a serving, at least 15% and 40 calories under the next (only when two or more have an estimate).
- Kid helper: the variation where a child can do the biggest share of the steps (no knife, no heat), when that's not all of them equally.
- Least cleanup: the best cleanup score, a point ahead of the next.
- Make it ahead: the only variation whose notes say how to make it ahead.
- Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free or dairy-free: the variation that fits a diet the others don't, from the ingredient lines.
A pick needs a clear winner; close calls are left out.