Description
Delight in the festive charm of these Christmas Light Cookies—soft, buttery sugar cookies topped with colorful mini M&M’s to resemble Christmas lights. Perfect for holiday gatherings, these cookies combine a tender crumb with a sweet glaze decorated to brighten any cookie tray.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 2 sticks of Butter, softened
- 1 cup of Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract
- 1 Egg
- 3 cups of Flour
- 1 Tablespoon of Baking Powder
Frosting & Decoration
- 2 cups of Powdered Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon of Milk, plus more if needed
- Black Food Coloring Gel, for outlining (optional)
- Mini M&M’s, for decorating
Instructions
- Prepare the cookie dough: In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine softened butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and egg. Whisk until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder until thoroughly combined.
- Combine dry and wet ingredients: Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients using the mixer on low speed. Switch to the paddle attachment once flour is mostly incorporated, and continue mixing until a smooth, cohesive dough ball forms. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary to ensure even mixing.
- Shape the cookies: Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into small 1-inch balls and place them evenly spaced on the sheets.
- Bake the cookies: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake cookies for about 15 minutes. Halfway through baking, check for cracks on the cookie tops.
- Flatten the cookies: Remove the cookies briefly from the oven halfway through baking. Dip the bottom of a flat glass in sugar and gently press it onto each cookie to slightly flatten and give a delicate crinkled texture. Return cookies to bake until edges turn light golden brown.
- Cool the cookies: Once baked, transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Make the frosting: In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon milk, adding more milk if necessary to reach a smooth, spreadable consistency.
- Decorate the cookies: Spread or pipe frosting on cooled cookies. Optional: use black food coloring gel to outline shapes to resemble Christmas light bulbs. Press mini M&M’s onto the frosting to simulate colorful bulbs.
- Set and serve: Allow frosting to set for several minutes before serving or packaging the cookies.
Notes
- Use room temperature butter to ensure a smooth and creamy dough texture.
- Pressing the cookies with a sugar-dipped glass while baking creates a charming crinkled surface and helps cookies spread more evenly.
- Adjust milk in frosting gradually to achieve desired thickness; too thin frosting will run off the cookies.
- The black food coloring gel outlining is optional but adds a fun, festive look resembling Christmas bulbs wrapped in wire.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days to maintain freshness.
