Description
Delight in these festive Iced Sugar Holiday Lights Cookies, perfect for celebrating the season with colorful, sweet treats. These classic sugar cookies are soft and lightly golden, topped with vibrant, hand-piped icing resembling holiday lights, and optionally decorated with sprinkles or edible glitter for extra sparkle.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Icing
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
- Food coloring (red, green, yellow, blue, etc.)
- Sprinkles or edible decorative glitter (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line several baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent cookies from sticking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and white sugar until smooth and fluffy using an electric mixer. This should take about 2-3 minutes.
- Add Egg and Extracts: Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract until well combined.
- Combine Mixtures: Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Avoid overmixing to keep cookies tender.
- Shape Cookies: Roll the dough into small balls and place them on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Flatten each ball slightly with the bottom of a glass or the palm of your hand.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are lightly golden at the edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare Icing: While cookies cool, mix powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of milk until smooth. Adjust consistency with additional milk, one teaspoon at a time, to achieve a pourable texture.
- Color the Icing: Divide the icing into small bowls and add a few drops of food coloring to each, creating your desired colors for decorating holiday lights.
- Decorate Cookies: Once cookies are fully cooled, use a piping bag or small spatula to decorate them with colored icing, shaping designs that resemble holiday lights.
- Add Decorations: Optionally sprinkle edible glitter or colored sprinkles on top of the icing for extra sparkle and festive flair.
- Dry and Store: Allow decorated cookies to dry completely before storing in an airtight container to keep fresh.
Notes
- Do not overmix the dough to ensure a tender texture.
- Use parchment paper to prevent cookies from sticking and simplify cleanup.
- Adjust icing consistency carefully for smooth piping or spreading.
- Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to one week.
- For stronger almond flavor, a few additional drops of almond extract can be added cautiously.
- Let cookies cool completely before icing to prevent melting or bleeding colors.
