4 Creative Christmas Cookie Recipes
It wouldn't be Christmas without spending time in the kitchen baking cookies for Santa and his helpers! There's no better way to celebrate this time of year than to make some delicious, festive Christmas cookies. Since the holidays are always a bit hectic and schedules are tight, we've come up with some simple, yet creative Christmas cookies for you to try out this year. Our 4 recipes are made using a basic sugar cookie dough, but there's a special holiday twist to each and every one. Try out all 4 and brighten up your holiday spread!
Sugar Cookie Dough
- 1¾ sticks butter, softened
- 1¼ cups powdered sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2½ cups flour
For the sugar cookie dough, use a hand mixer to beat the butter, egg yolks, and vanilla extract. Sift the powdered sugar and combine it with the other ingredients. Once the mixture becomes smooth and creamy, knead in the flour until a smooth dough forms. Transfer the dough to a cool place and let it rest for 30 minutes. For the best results, make sure the cookie dough is very cold to prevent the butter from softening quickly in the oven. This will help the cookies will keep their shape better.
1. Christmas Tree Cookies
Yield: 15
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy
You'll Need:
For the cookies:
- sugar cookie dough
- sprinkles
- star-shaped sprinkles
For the green buttercream frosting:
- 1 stick butter, softened
- ⅔ cup sweetened condensed milk
- green food coloring
Extra:
- 1-inch, 1½-inch & 2-inch round cookie cutters
Here's How:
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Roll out the cookie dough, then use the 3 round cookie cutters to cut out 15 circles of each size. Place the cut-out cookie dough on the baking tray, transfer the baking tray to the oven, and bake the sugar cookies at 350°F for 10 minutes. Once the cookies have baked, remove them from the oven and let them cool. For the green buttercream frosting, beat the butter until it's a light color and fluffy, then stir in the green food coloring and sweetened condensed milk. Mix everything together until a smooth, creamy frosting forms. Transfer the green buttercream frosting to a piping bag and pipe the frosting onto the sugar cookies. Stack the cookies one on top of another, starting with the largest cookies on the bottom, mid-sized cookies in the middle, and smallest cookies on top. Decorate the Christmas tree cookies with sprinkles and place a star-shaped sprinkle on top.
2. Snowman Cookies
Yield: 20
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy
You'll Need:
For the cookies:
- sugar cookie dough
- clear gummy bears
- snowflake sprinkles
- chocolate pearls
- orange M&M's, halved
For the icing:
- 2 tbsp egg white powder
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp warm water
- black food coloring
Extra:
- snowman cookie cutter
- 1-inch round cookie cutter
Here's How:
Preheat the oven to 350°F and like a baking tray with parchment paper. Roll out the cookie dough and use the snowman cookie cutter to cut out snowmen. Cut a large circle out of the snowmen's bellies using the round cookie cutter. Place the cut-out snowmen on the baking tray, transfer the baking tray to the oven, and bake the cookies at 350°F for 10 minutes. Once the cookies have baked, turn off the oven, place 3 clear gummy bears in the circle cut out of each snowman's belly, and sprinkle a few snowflake sprinkles on top. Place the baking tray back in the oven and let the gummy bears melt in the residual heat left in the oven. For the icing, sift the powdered sugar, then stir together the powdered sugar and egg white powder in a large mixing bowl. Gradually add in the warm water and continue to stir. Transfer the icing to a blender or food processor and blend everything together for 7–10 minutes. Add in some additional water until the icing becomes the desired consistency. Transfer ⅓ cup of the icing to a separate bowl and stir in the black food coloring. Cover the snowman sugar cookies with the black and white icing. Decorate them with chocolate pearls for the buttons and eyes, and use some orange M&M's that have been cut in half for the nose.
3. Snow Globe Cookies
Yield: 10
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy
You'll Need:
For the cookies:
- sugar cookie dough
- ⅓ cup coconut cream
- ⅔ cup shredded coconut
Extra:
- 4-inch round cookie cutter
- decorative Christmas figurines
- 5 clear fillable ball ornaments
Here's How:
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Roll out the cookie dough and use the round cookie cutter to cut large circles out of the cookie dough, then place them on the baking tray. Transfer the baking tray to the oven and bake the cookies at 350°F for 10 minutes, until the edges start to brown slightly. Remove the sugar cookies from the oven and let them cool completely, then spread coconut cream on top. Sprinkle shredded coconut on top of the coconut cream. Place decorative Christmas figurines on top of the coconut cream, then cover the cookie with ½ of a clear ball ornament, making a snow globe.
4. Candy Cane Cookies
Yield: 10
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 12 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy
You'll Need:
For the cookies:
- sugar cookie dough
- red food coloring
Here's How:
For the candy cane cookies, divide the cookie dough into 2 equal halves and mix red food coloring into one of the halves. Divide each portion of cookie dough into 10 equal segments. For each candy cane cookie, use 1 plain piece of dough and 1 red piece of dough. Roll each piece into a 6-inch long log. Twist the logs together and bend them into the shape of a candy cane. Be sure to twist the dough carefully so that the cookies don't break. Transfer the candy cane cookies to the refrigerator or freezer and let them chill before baking. Once the cookies have chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place the candy cane cookies on the baking tray, transfer the baking tray to the oven, and bake the cookies at 350°F for 10 minutes, until they start to brown lightly.
If you want to really show off your Christmas baking skills, then these 4 recipes are for you. Even Santa Claus and his elves won't be able to resist these delicious treats!
Get the recipe for the Delicious Desserts Using Graham Crackers featured in the bonus video.