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Santa’s Favorite Cookies – Christmas Lights Sugar Cookies

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If you want to make some special Christmas cookies for your family or a Christmas party, these are beautiful! They take a little more time and effort than the other cookie recipes we’ve shared, but the results are worth it! And if you have older children, they might like to help you–or even try making them by themselves. And don’t worry if your cookies aren’t as perfect as you want them to be. Just enjoy making them and eating them!

Christmas Lights Sugar Cookies

To get your own printable recipe, scroll to the bottom of this article.

Christmas Lights Cookies

 

Christmas Lights Cookies

To make these beautiful cookies, first preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare your baking sheet with parchment paper.

Then whisk together your dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, blend the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until combined. (Dough may be a little crumby.)

Christmas Lights Cookies

Turn our dough onto a surface sprinkled with flour. Press into a ball and roll out to 1/2″ thickness. Use cookie cutters to create shapes. (We used these cookie cutters from Amazon.)

 

Christmas Lights Cookies

Carefully lift shaped cookies and place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake cookies for 7 to 9 minutes. (While cookies are baking, make your royal icing.) Do not brown the cookies. Allow cookies to cool for at least 7 minutes on the baking sheet before carefully removing to a cooling rack. Cool completely before decorating.

To make royal icing, place meringue powder, confectioners sugar, and warm water in a stand mixer. Beat on low until combined. Increase speed and beat until soft peaks form. Transfer royal icing to a decorating bag with a small round tip attached. (You may be able to find meringue powder in the baking section of your local grocery store. In larger stores, look in the cake decorating section. Or you can just order it from Amazon!

Christmas Lights Cookies

Using the royal icing, trace the outline of the cookie about ⅛ inch from the edge. 

Christmas Lights Cookies

Immediately fill the outline with royal icing and allow the icing to settle. Fill any gaps while royal icing is wet. Set for about 2 minutes (depending on the humidity in your home) before decorating.

Christmas Lights Cookies

Use black gel to create curving lines over cookies.

Gently press mini M&Ms into the royal icing with the edge side down.

Important Note: If you use gel icing for black lines, the gel will not completely harden! If you need to stack or package these cookies, tint some of your royal icing black and use that instead of using gel icing.

Allow cookies to dry completely or serve immediately.

 

 

For cookies:

3 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 (2 sticks) cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

½ teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Additional flour for rolling

 

For icing and decorating:

3 tablespoons Wilton Meringue Powder

4 cups (about 1 pound) confectioners sugar

6 tablespoons warm water

1 (10.1 ounce) package Mini M&M Milk Chocolate Candy

2 (0.67 ounce) tubes black decorating gel

 

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Whisk together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a mixing bowl, blend the butter and sugar until creamy and light. Add egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until combined. Dough may be a little crumbly.
  4. Turn out the dough onto a surfaced sprinkled with flour. Press into a ball and then roll out to ½ inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to create shapes. Carefully lift shaped cookies to the baking sheet.
  5. Bake cookies for 7 to 9 minutes. Do not brown the cookies. Allow cookies to cool for at least 7 minutes on the baking sheet before carefully removing to a cooling rack. Cool completely before decorating.
  6. To make royal icing, place meringue powder, confectioners sugar, and warm water in a stand mixer. Beat on low until combined. Increase speed and beat until soft peaks form. Transfer royal icing to a decorating bag with a small round tip attached.
  7. Using the royal icing, trace the outline of the cookie about ⅛ inch from the edge. Immediately fill the outline with royal icing and allow the icing to settle. Fill any gaps while royal icing is wet. Set for about 2 minutes (depending on the humidity in your home) before decorating.
  8. Use black gel to create curving lines over cookies. Gently press mini M&Ms into the royal icing with the edge side down.
  9. Allow cookies to dry completely or serve immediately.

Cook’s notes: Be mindful that the black gel will not harden completely. If you need to package these cookies, tint some of your royal icing black and use it to create the lines.

Print
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Christmas Lights Cookies

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Ingredients

Scale
  • FOR COOKIES:
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 (2 sticks) cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Additional flour for rolling
  • FOR ICING AND DECORATING:
  • 3 tablespoons Wilton Meringue Powder
  • 4 cups (about 1 pound) confectioners sugar
  • 6 tablespoons warm water
  • 1 (10.1 ounce) package Mini M&M Milk Chocolate Candy
  • 2 (0.67 ounce) tubes black decorating gel

Instructions

  1. TO MAKE COOKIES:
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Whisk together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  4. In a mixing bowl, blend the butter and sugar until creamy and light. Add egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until combined. Dough may be a little crumbly.
  5. Turn out the dough onto a surfaced sprinkled with flour. Press into a ball and then roll out to ½ inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to create shapes. Carefully lift shaped cookies to the baking sheet.
  6. Bake cookies for 7 to 9 minutes. Do not brown the cookies. Allow cookies to cool for at least 7 minutes on the baking sheet before carefully removing to a cooling rack. Cool completely before decorating.
  7. TO MAKE ICING AND DECORATE COOKIES:
  8. To make royal icing, place meringue powder, confectioners sugar, and warm water in a stand mixer. Beat on low until combined. Increase speed and beat until soft peaks form. Transfer royal icing to a decorating bag with a small round tip attached.
  9. Using the royal icing, trace the outline of the cookie about ⅛ inch from the edge. Immediately fill the outline with royal icing and allow the icing to settle. Fill any gaps while royal icing is wet. Set for about 2 minutes (depending on the humidity in your home) before decorating.
  10. Use black gel to create curving lines over cookies. Gently press mini M&Ms into the royal icing with the edge side down.
  11. Allow cookies to dry completely or serve immediately.
  12. COOK’S NOTES: Be mindful that the black gel will not harden completely. If you need to package these cookies, tint some of your royal icing black and use it to create the lines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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6 Comments

  1. These are so cute! Almost too pretty to eat. Love how you used the M&M’s to make the lights – very creative!






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