Christmas Sugar Cookies and Royal Icing

I always make a ton of cookies all throughout December.  When I was little, my mom and I used to make iced sugar cookies, and I got to decorate them!  It’s a tradition that I am carrying on to my 6 year old.  There’s just something about Christmas and decorating sugar cookies that brings the Holidays into reality.  We have decorations up, lights, etc, but it hasn’t quite felt like CHRISTMAS yet.  I made up a double batch of yummy sugar cookies, and got the icing mixed up and colored and ready to go to surprise him.

These cookies aren’t overly sweet, which I like, because the icing is sweet enough!  They hold their shape and do not spread or puff up when baking.  They are soft, but give just the right amount of resistance when biting into them.  I know, I’m probably a bit of a cookie snob, they need to have the right texture!  I think they are the perfect cut out sugar cookies!  The icing is a royal icing that spreads easily, but you don’t HAVE to use a piping bag.  I just dab a glob on and spread it like peanut butter.  I’m a pro at peanut butter spreading.

He was super excited to see the bright icing colors and sprinkles I dug out of my baking cabinet, and got right to work.  After a brief demonstration, we were spreading icing and sprinkling sprinkles!

Print Recipe

Christmas Sugar Cookies and Royal Icing

A soft cookie that holds its shape when baking, with icing that spreads easily and allows you to stack when dried.

Author: The Neighborhood Moms

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

For the Icing

• 1 cup powdered sugar sifted for best results
• 1 Tbls corn syrup
• 1 Tbls milk
• 1 drop lemon juice or other flavorants optional

Instructions

• Mix together the sugar, eggs, and butter until smooth.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
• Add a cup at a time into the mixer.
• Dough should be moist but not sticky. Add a tiny bit more flour if still sticky.
• Refrigerate for 1-2 hours minimum.
• Preheat oven to 400.
• Roll dough out onto a well floured surface until 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick.
• Cut desired shapes out and place on a baking sheet covered with a silpat or parchment paper.
• Bake 6-8 minutes. (7 minutes was the sweet spot for us!)

For the Icing

• Mix all icing ingredients together and add desired food coloring.
• Add more milk if too thick (a few drops at a time).
• Add more powder sugar if too runny.

Notes

If cut outs are sticking to the workspace, consider working with the dough on wax paper. This way you can lift the paper to remove the cookie.
I typically double the cookie recipe and make 3 batches of the icing in separate containers, each with their own color of icing.

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Michelle

Michelle is the mom of a very active 9 year old boy. She recently left the workforce to be a SAHM and is learning to cut back to make it work. In addition to this busy life, she loves to do computer geekery with websites, graphics, and video games, as well as reading and cooking!
Email Michelle at michelle@theneighborhoodmoms.com

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