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These adorable treats are giving Snoopy vibes, and we love them so much! My Christmas Lights Cookies are made with easy cut-out sugar cookies, a quick royal icing and mini M&Ms on their side to look like holiday lights!
Typically, I am not a very good cookie or cake decorator. My treats are absolutely delicious, but their appearance is usually mid. (All of my effort goes into perfecting the taste and for that, I will never apologize). However, I pushed through and made these adorable Snoopy-vibed Christmas Lights Cookies to impress the kids.
Another thing I do to impress my kids every year is host a cookie decorating party for their friends. I make all the cookies, bag up frosting in disposal bags, and set out sprinkles. (Itโs such a huge event, and I made a how to host a cookie decorating party post if you want to do it, too!).
Ingredients
- Flour. We need 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling the dough because this is a roll and cut-out sugar cookie recipe.
- Baking Powder. One-half teaspoon of baking powder.
- Salt. Just a pinch of salt.
- Butter. One-quarter cup of unsalted butter is equal to 4 tablespoons, or half of one stick. The butter should be softened a bit, not warm but soft enough to make a finger indent when pressed.
- Sugar. An equal amount of sugar to butter: 1/4 cup of granulated sugar.
- Egg. We just need the yolk of one egg. Weโll use the egg white for the royal icing.
- Vanilla Extract. One-half teaspoon of vanilla extract to make the classic sugar cookie flavor.
- Almond Extract. I like to add a small amount (1/4 teaspoon) of almond extract when Iโm making cut-out sugar cookies to distinguish them from regular sugar cookies.
- Tube of Black Icing. For the string part, I had visions of melting chocolate and squeezing it from a ziplock bag fitted with a small tip. But then, I grabbed a tube of black icing instead. The tube that specifically said it was for writing โhappy birthdayโ on cakes. Since the tip is very small, itโs much easier to work with than melting chocolate.
- Mini M&Ms. The blue bag of mini M&Ms are what youโre looking for here, because they look more like Christmas Lights.
For the small batch royal icing:
- Powdered Sugar. One and a half cups of powdered sugar.
- Lemon Juice. Two teaspoons of fresh lemon juice to โcookโ the egg white for our royal icing.
- Egg White. Use the leftover egg white from making the cookies here!
Make Ahead Tips
I suggest baking the cookies ahead of time and letting them cool completely before decorating them with kids. I think a dextrous toddler could help you frost them because it doesnโt require a piping bag. Use a spoon to scoop dollops of frosting on each cookie, and then ah an off-set spatula to spread it.
Let the cookie frosting set completely. Then, pipe two thin stripes of the black frosting on each cookie. Let the person with the smallest of fingers press the mini M&Ms in place.
Happy Christmas Lights Cookie decorating day to you! If youโre looking for another easy festive recipe, my Christmas Wreath Cupcakes are so cute, delicious and easy.
Christmas Light Cookies
Christmas Lights Cookies for Santa!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup flour, plus extra for rolling
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
For the small-batch royal icing:
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 large egg white
For decorating:
- 1 small tube of black icing for writing
- handful mini M&Ms
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a medium bowl, beat together with an electric mixer the butter and sugar. Once light and fluffy, add the egg yolk and vanilla and almond extracts.
- Once well incorporated, sprinkle over half the flour mixture and beat gently until combined, then sprinkle over the rest. Beat until no streaks of flour remain, but be careful not to over-mix.
- Dust a clean counter top with flour, and dump the dough out onto it. Gather it into a ball and press it into a 1/2" thick round disk. Flour your rolling pin, then roll out the dough out big enough to cut out about 8 shapes. Place the shapes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Gather the dough scraps and re-roll to cut out 4 more shapes and place them on the cookie sheet. You should get 12 cookies.
- Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for the minutes while you preheat the oven to 350.
- Once the oven is hot, bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, until the edges of the cookies just start to turn brown. Let them sit on the sheet a few minutes before moving them a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cookies are cooled completely, make the royal icing: in a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice.
- Beat the egg white in a small bowl to loosen them, and then measure out 2 tablespoons of egg whites and add them to the bowl with the sugar.
- Whisk together the icing, starting slowly, and trust that the sugar will melt and it will become liquid. Resist the urge to add any more liquid to the bowl, and instead just keep whisk slowly.
- When the icing comes together, spoon a small amount onto each cookie, and use an off-set spatula to spread it almost to the edges.
- Let the royal icing harden completely on the cookies before proceeding.
- Pipe two thin black lines onto each cookie, and then press mini M&Ms sideways (see photos for reference).
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 180Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 48mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 0gSugar: 23gProtein: 2g
Adorable! Iโll be doing these with my grandson this weekend. What size is the cookie cutter?
I made this recipe and there was too much Almond extract. Next time I make it I am going to add less almond
Would regular M and Ms be too big?
Yes, I think so, but it will still taste great :)
You could use chocolate covered colored sunflower seeds instead of M&Mโs. They are smaller and have multiple colors. They come in a tube. I bought mine at a gas station convenience store. You could check Amazon or a candy store.
Do these freeze well,or not at all? TY