Christmas Lights Cookies
A classic sugar cookie with candy decorations that look just like festive light strands, these gorgeous Christmas light cookies will be the star of any holiday cookie spread!
Christmas Light Cookies โ 2 Designs
As a kid, Christmas lights were one of my favorite things about the holiday season. To be honest, they still are!
These festive sugar cookies are decorated to look like they are covered in strands of colorful Christmas lights. There are two different designs that you can make with one batch of dough!
For the cookies, this is a simple sugar cookie dough. M&Ms are used to make the colored lights. So simple, but the end result is absolutely stunning!
This is a Christmas cookie that is sure to stand out on any party table! They’d also make wonderful gift ideas for friends, family, teachers, neighbors…anyone who would love a sweet treat that’s both beautiful and delicious!
Here are the two cookie designs:
First is a round cookie, each with 2 strands of Christmas lights:
We also cut out cookies in the shape of Christmas trees and used the same technique to make them look like they are decorated trees:
Let’s get baking!
Ingredients
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For the Cookies:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
- 1 Tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Black/green (or desired color) decorating icing or piping gel
- Mini M&M Candies
Helpful Kitchen Tools
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paperย orย Non-stick silicone baking mat
- Stand mixerย or electric mixer with large mixing bowl
- Rolling Pin
- Wire rack
- Pastry Bag with small tip
Instructions
To Prep: Preheat oven to 350ยบ
To Make the Cookies:
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg and vanilla.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the bowl of wet ingredients, stirring as you add, until the cookie dough comes together.
- Roll dough out on a floured surface to ยผ-โ inch thick, sprinkling a little flour on top as needed to keep dough from sticking to your rolling pin.
- Cut out your cookies and arrange them on the prepared cookie sheet so that no cookies are touching.
- Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 4-6 minutes.
- Bake in center of oven for 10 minutes, until cookies no longer look wet on top, but arenโt yet brown.ย Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting.
To Make the Icing:
- While the cookies cool, make the icing by whisking together all icing ingredients until smooth.
- When cookies are cool, scoop a spoonful of icing on top of each cookie, spreading out the icing in a circular motion toward the edge.
- Lay each cookie on a flat surface to allow the white frosting to set for about 10 minutes. You’ll want a crust on top of the icing before you decorate, but the icing doesn’t need to be fully hardened.
To Decorate:
- For the round cookies, pipe a couple strands of black icing from one side of the cookie to the other, with a slight “droop” like you’d see on a strand of real Christmas lights.
- For tree-shaped cookies, pipe diagonal lines from one side to the other to mimic light strands wrapping around a Christmas tree.
- Gently press miniature M&Ms into the icing along the piped lines, to make the colorful light bulbs.
Prep Tips
- For the round cookies, I recommend using a 2.5 inch or 3 inch circular cookie cutter. Any smaller and you won’t have a lot of room for the decorations.
- Freezing the cookies immediately prior to baking helps cookies keep their shape. Don’t skip this step!
- When making the glaze, it should be stiff enough that when you drizzle a spoonful back into the bowl, it takes several seconds for the trace to disappear fully, but still thin enough to drizzle slowly off your spoon. This way the icing will be smooth when you glaze your cookies, but not run off the edges. If the glaze is too runny, stir in more powdered sugar. If it is too thick, add another spoonful of milk until you have the right consistency.
- To make the light strands, you can either use pre-made black frosting and/or green frosting, such as cookie icing or gel icing. You can also use melted white chocolate mixed with black food coloring, black candy melts, etc. There are a lot of options so you can use what you have on hand or what is easily accessible at the store.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Cookies Does This Recipe Yield?
This recipe makes about 15 round cookies, using a 3-inch cookie cutter.
Can You Use Full Sized M&Ms?
We used mini M&Ms for our “lights” because they are just the right size to look like a light bulb. Regular M&Ms would stick out too far and not look quite right. If all you have on hand is full size M&Ms you can cut them in half and press them into the icing cut-side down.
Do These Cookies Need To Be Refrigerated?
These cookies do not require refrigeration. I recommend storing in an airtight container at room temperature, in a single layer. If you need to stack the cookies, place a sheet of parchment paper between the layers to protect the icing decorations.
More Christmas Cookie Recipes To Try:
- Grinch Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies
- Mini Iced Gingerbread Cookies
- Hot Chocolate Cookies
- Christmas Oreos
Christmas Light Cookies Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)
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Christmas Light Cookies (2 Ways)
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Stand mixer
- Mixing bowl
- Wire Rack
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
- 1 Tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Black/green or desired color decorating icing or piping gel
- Mini M&Ms
Instructions
- To Prep: Preheat oven to 350ยบ
To Make the Cookies:
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg and vanilla.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the bowl of wet ingredients, stirring as you add, until the cookie dough comes together.
- Roll dough out on a floured surface to ยผ-โ inch thick, sprinkling a little flour on top as needed to keep dough from sticking to your rolling pin.
- Cut out your cookies and arrange them on the prepared cookie sheet so that no cookies are touching.
- Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 4-6 minutes.
- Bake in center of oven for 10 minutes, until cookies no longer look wet on top, but arenโt yet brown.ย Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting.
To Make the Icing:
- While the cookies cool, make the icing by whisking together all icing ingredients until smooth.
- When cookies are cool, scoop a spoonful of icing on top of each cookie, spreading out the icing in a circular motion toward the edge.
- Lay each cookie on a flat surface to allow the icing to set for about 10 minutes. You'll want a crust on top of the icing before you decorate, but the icing doesn't need to be fully hardened.
To Decorate:
- For the round cookies, pipe a couple strands of black icing from one side of the cookie to the other, with a slight "droop" like you'd see on a strand of real Christmas lights.
- For tree-shaped cookies, pipe diagonal lines from one side to the other to mimic strands of Christmas lights wrapping around a tree.
- Gently press miniature M&Ms into the icing along the piped lines.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin our Christmas Lights Cookies on Pinterest:
You might also like these Christmas light craft ideas:
- Reese’s Cup Reindeer Treats - November 2, 2024
- Classic Snickerdoodles Recipe - November 1, 2024
- “Tipsy Elf” Peppermint Mocha Cocktail - November 1, 2024