Description
These festive Christmas Lights Royal Icing Sugar Cookies are a delightful holiday treat featuring soft sugar cookies decorated with colorful royal icing to resemble glowing Christmas lights. Perfect for holiday parties, gifting, or adding a merry touch to your cookie tray.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Sugar Cookies:
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Royal Icing:
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons meringue powder
- 5–6 tablespoons warm water
- Gel food coloring (black, red, green, blue, yellow, etc.)
For Decorating:
- Small round piping tips or squeeze bottles
- Toothpicks or scribe tool
Instructions
- Make the Cookies: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients until a smooth dough forms.
- Shape and Bake: Roll out the dough on a floured surface to about ¼-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes, such as rectangles or bulb shapes, ideal for creating Christmas light strand designs. Place the cutouts onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 8–10 minutes until the edges are just lightly golden. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.
- Prepare the Royal Icing: In a large bowl, combine powdered sugar, meringue powder, and 5 tablespoons of warm water. Using an electric mixer on medium-high, beat the mixture for 7–10 minutes until stiff peaks form. Add additional water a few drops at a time to reach desired flooding consistency or keep thicker for outlining. Divide the icing into separate bowls and color with gel food coloring as desired. Transfer the colored icings to piping bags or squeeze bottles for decorating.
- Decorate the Cookies: Begin by outlining and flooding each cookie with white icing to create a smooth base. Allow the cookies to dry for 1–2 hours or until the surface sets. Using black icing, pipe a string line across each cookie to mimic the light wire. Then, add small dots or teardrop shapes in bright colors along the string to represent Christmas lights. Use toothpicks or a scribe tool to shape the bulbs precisely. Let the decorated cookies dry completely, preferably overnight, before stacking or packaging them.
Notes
- Royal icing consistency is crucial: use thicker icing for outlines and thinner icing for flooding.
- Allow each layer of icing to dry completely before adding more colors or details to prevent bleeding.
- Store decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
- If you want a quicker setup, use a fan or low heat to speed royal icing drying time, but be careful not to melt or blur the colors.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
