Description
Celebrate the festive season with these charming Christmas Lights Royal Icing Sugar Cookies. Soft, buttery sugar cookies decorated with vibrant royal icing in holiday colors, these cookies are perfect for gifting, parties, or a delicious seasonal treat. Featuring a smooth royal icing that hardens beautifully, these cookies bring a classic holiday look with colorful ‘light bulbs’ and black icing strings, creating a fun and whimsical decoration that everyone will love.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Royal Icing
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 large egg whites (or 2 tablespoons meringue powder + 5 tablespoons water)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
Decorations
- Gel food coloring (red, green, blue, yellow, etc., for the “lights”)
- Piping bags with fine tips
- Black icing (for string)
- Toothpicks (optional, for detailing)
Instructions
- Prepare the Cookie Dough: In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract if using. In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined to form a smooth dough.
- Chill the Dough: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This helps the dough firm up, making it easier to roll and cut cookies without spreading during baking.
- Roll and Cut Cookies: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Using a cookie cutter of your choice, cut out cookie shapes and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the Royal Icing: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and egg whites (or meringue powder mixture). Add the vanilla or almond extract. Beat until the icing is smooth, shiny, and holds stiff peaks. If necessary, adjust consistency with small amounts of water or powdered sugar.
- Color the Icing: Divide the royal icing into several small bowls. Add gel food coloring to each bowl to create the desired colors for the Christmas light “bulbs.” Mix well until colors are vibrant and uniform.
- Decorate the Cookies: Using piping bags with fine tips, outline and fill the cookies with the colored icing to form the light bulbs. Allow the base layer to dry for a few minutes. With black icing, pipe thin lines to represent the string of holiday lights connecting the bulbs. For finer details, use toothpicks to adjust and shape the icing carefully.
- Let Icing Set: Allow the decorated cookies to dry completely at room temperature, ideally for several hours or overnight, so the royal icing hardens fully.
- Serve or Store: Once the icing is dry and firm, the Christmas Lights Royal Icing Sugar Cookies are ready to be enjoyed or packaged as festive gifts. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Notes
- Ensure the butter is at room temperature to make creaming easier.
- Chilling the dough is essential to prevent cookies from spreading too much during baking.
- Use gel food coloring for vibrant colors that won’t thin the icing.
- If using raw egg whites in royal icing, consider using pasteurized eggs or meringue powder for safety.
- Allow cookies to fully dry before stacking or packing to prevent smudging.
- To make meringue powder royal icing: 2 tablespoons meringue powder + 5 tablespoons water replacing the egg whites.
