Description
These Christmas Lights Royal Icing Sugar Cookies are a festive and delicious treat perfect for the holiday season. The buttery sugar cookie base is topped with vibrant royal icing in bright colors to resemble Christmas lights, making them a visually stunning addition to any cookie platter.
Ingredients
Scale
Sugar Cookies:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Royal Icing:
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons meringue powder
- 4–5 tablespoons water
Additional:
- Gel food coloring (white, black, red, green, blue, yellow)
- Small round piping tips
- Optional black edible marker
Instructions
- Sugar Cookies: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms. Divide the dough into two portions, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 1 hour.
- Baking: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired cookie shapes and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 8–10 minutes or until edges are lightly golden. Let cool completely.
- Royal Icing: To make the royal icing, mix powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Adjust water to reach flooding consistency. Divide and tint portions of the icing: keep most white, then color small amounts red, green, yellow, blue, and black for the lights and string. Outline and flood each cookie with white icing, let dry completely. Pipe a wavy black line across each cookie for the light string. Pipe small colored dots along the line for lights, or use a black edible marker for fine detail. Let dry before serving or packaging.
Notes
- For best results, let the base icing dry overnight before decorating with colored icing.
- Use gel food coloring to maintain icing consistency.
- Cookies stay fresh in an airtight container for up to 1 week or can be frozen undecorated for longer storage.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 17g
- Sodium: 45mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 20mg
