Description
Celebrate the holidays with these delightful Christmas Lights Sugar Cookies, featuring a classic sugar cookie base decorated with vibrant royal icing to mimic festive Christmas lights. These cookies are perfect for holiday parties, gifting, or festive family baking sessions, offering a crisp yet tender bite with beautifully piped icing accents.
Ingredients
Scale
Sugar Cookies
- 6 cups all purpose flour (2 pounds)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature (1 pound)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Royal Icing
- 16 ounces powdered sugar (1 pound)
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon meringue powder
- ⅓ cup water, plus more if too thick
- Food coloring (Wilton icing gel recommended)
Instructions
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt to combine thoroughly and remove lumps. Set the mixture aside.
- Mix Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, beat the room temperature unsalted butter and granulated sugar using an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Add the eggs and vanilla extract, then continue beating for another minute to incorporate fully.
- Combine Flour Mixture: On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Blend until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Knead and Chill Dough: Transfer the dough onto parchment paper and knead gently by hand for a few minutes. Divide the dough into two equal sections, wrap each in parchment paper, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to chill.
- Roll and Cut Cookies: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Place a sheet of parchment paper over the dough and roll it out to between ⅛ and ¼ inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut shapes, leaving them on the parchment paper to maintain shape, then transfer to a baking sheet.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 10-13 minutes or until edges are slightly golden. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool completely before decorating.
- Prepare Royal Icing: In a large bowl, combine powdered sugar, meringue powder, and ⅓ cup water. Beat on low speed for about 6 minutes until the mixture is thick and fluffy.
- Adjust Icing Consistency: Add 4-5 tablespoons of water to achieve medium consistency (toothpaste-like). Divide icing in half; add 1-2 tablespoons water to one half for flood consistency, which should flow off a spoon like glue.
- Color and Decorate: Tint icings with desired food coloring. Using medium consistency icing in a piping bag, outline cookie edges. Fill the inside with flood icing using a squeeze bottle or piping bag. Let dry for an hour, then add decorations with medium icing.
- Store or Freeze: Allow decorated cookies to dry completely before storing. Optionally freeze undecorated cookies before decorating to preserve freshness for several months.
Notes
- The calorie count provided is an estimate for the entire recipe, but actual intake will be less as you won’t consume all royal icing.
- Measuring flour by weight is recommended for accuracy.
- Make sure the eggs and butter are at room temperature to ensure proper mixing and texture.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before icing to prevent melting.
- If your royal icing is too thick, add water in small amounts until desired consistency is reached.
- You can substitute meringue powder with egg whites if desired, but be aware of food safety considerations.
- Use gel food coloring for more vibrant colors without thinning the icing.
- Cookies can be decorated a day ahead and stored at room temperature in an airtight container.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (approx. 3 inches)
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 110mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 31g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
