Description
Iced Sugar Holiday Lights Cookies are festive, buttery sugar cookies decorated with colorful icing to resemble holiday lights. These soft, sweet treats are perfect for holiday celebrations and gift-giving, featuring a tender crumb and vibrant, customizable decorations.
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 Ingredients
- 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 Flour Mixture: Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Avoid overmixing to maintain tender cookies.
- 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 them from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare Icing: While the cookies are cooling, in a medium bowl, mix the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk until smooth. Adjust consistency with additional milk, a teaspoon at a time, to make the icing pourable.
- Color Icing: Divide the icing into small bowls and add a few drops of food coloring to each bowl to create your desired colors for decorating holiday lights.
- Decorate Cookies: Once the cookies have cooled completely, use a piping bag or small spatula to decorate the cookies with the colored icing, creating shapes that resemble holiday lights.
- Add Sprinkles: If desired, sprinkle edible glitter or colored sprinkles on top of the icing for extra sparkle.
- Dry and Store: Allow the decorated cookies to dry completely before storing them in an airtight container to keep them fresh.
Notes
- Ensure the butter is softened to room temperature for easy creaming and a tender cookie texture.
- Do not overmix the dough once the flour is added to avoid tough cookies.
- Use parchment paper or silicone baking mats to prevent sticking and ease cleanup.
- Adjust the thickness of the icing with milk carefully to make piping easier.
- These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free baking blend.
