It’s almost Christmas which means only one thing: COOKIES! I finally have the time to create some fun treats to share with my friends and family. These are by far my favorite cookies to make during the holiday season (or any season, if I’m really being honest!) This sugar cookie recipe is easy to mix up and use any time of the year. The color icing recipe is pretty simple too and can be divided to create tons of fun colors! All in all, these recipes are perfect for any holiday fun filled night.
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This dough is so simple to whip up in your mixer, a few ingredients and you are ready to go. Once the dough is all mixed together, you chill it for at least one hour in the fridge. That is the quickest turn around I’ve seen for a sugar dough, and trust me I’ve done some research!
Make sure your cookies a dusted with flour on the edges, and you can put a bit of sugar sprinkled on top before baking. The cookies only take a 8-10 minutes to bake so make sure you continue to cut the shapes out and placing them on a greased cookie sheet, ready to plop in the oven! As you can see the shape of the cookie stays the same even after baking! They rise a bit and have a soft chewy center!
The royal icing from Sweetopia is simply delish with a ton of flavor. The mixture is soft and silky, but stays firm on the cookies when you begin to ice them. It dries quickly and won’t smudge or break. It’s perfect for taking some treats to your friends or families house!
After mixing up the royal icing, you want to choose the colors for your icing. Instead of using food coloring, I always go with Wilton’s Icing Color Dye. Use a toothpick to grab a bit of dye and mix it with some of the white royal icing. Stir it in with a spoon and transfer to some piping bags to make it a bit easier. If you don’t have piping bags, use small sandwich ziploc and trim the bottom tip.
After all of your hard work, it’s time to decorate your cookies! Go wild and get creative. The cookies will be soft in the center and delicious once they are all finished and brighten up any holiday party.
So, how do you celebrate the holidays in the kitchen? I would love to know more about your traditions! If you found this recipe tasty and want to share/save for your friends, pin the image above and enjoy!
Holiday Sugar Cookies
Author: Alexis Sanchez
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 1½ Cup Butter, Softened
- 2 Cups White Sugar
- 4 Eggs
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 5 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
Royal Icing
- ¾ Cup Warm Water
- 5 Tablespoons Meringue Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- 4 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- Wilton's Icing Color Dye or Food Coloring
Instructions
- In a mixer with a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add this to the wet mixture until combined completely. Cover and chill dough for at least an hour or overnight. If you are preparing this for a couple of days before, remove from bowl and form into balls and wrap in plastic wrap.2. While the dough is chilling, hand whisk water and meringue powder for 30 seconds. Add cream of tartar and mix for another 30 seconds. With a stand mixer and fitted with a paddle, mix the powdered sugar with the other ingredients for 10 minutes (yes, exactly 10 minutes). Add vanilla to the mixture.
- Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to ¼-1/2 inch thickness. Cut the dough into shapes using cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart on a greased cookie sheet. Put a pinch of granulated sugar on each top.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes in the preheated oven. They are done when the edges are lightly brown and the center is still white. Let the cookies sit on the pan for 1 minute after taking them out of the oven, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
- Separate the royal icing into small bowls depending on how many colors you want. Dye the icing and transfer to piping bags (or small sandwich zip locks).
- Begin icing the outline of the cookies, then fill in the center. Use a small butter knife to smooth the icing out if you wish. Let the cookies dry completely before moving them. Stack them up, package them or layer them on a platter, grab some milk and ENJOY!
Notes
Recipe for Royal Icing from Sweetopia.
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