This year, I didn’t have plans to do any holiday baking. I just couldn’t find the time or motivation! This week, I made time. I had a pouch of sugar cookie mix in the cabinet, so I decided to make my husband sugar cookies. Well, it wasn’t that simple. I turned my sugar cookies into my own little holiday baking challenge (I have been watching far too much Food Network lately!). I initially wanted to make cut-out cookies, but I decided to dress up my holiday sugar cookies two different ways instead.
I love to stock up on pouches of cookie mix when they go on sale at the store. Sure, nothing really beats a homemade, made-from-scratch cookie, warm, straight from the oven. But these mixes work just as well when you’re in a pinch. Dressing them up is just as simple! With some food coloring, you can transform a regular sugar cookie into something magical! With a little imagination, you can wow your holiday guests when it comes to last minute baking.
For each of these sugar cookie ideas, you’ll be using the same base in three different cookie sizes. I don’t have an exact number of cookies that were made. Just be sure to cut out equal amounts of each shape until your dough is used up.
Holiday Sugar Cookie Trees
Ingredients
- Sugar cookie mix or prepared sugar cookie dough
- Green food coloring
- Star cookie cutters in three different shapes
- White icing tube
- Powdered sugar
Instructions
- Prepare cookie mix according to package. If using prepared sugar cookie dough, add a few drops of green food coloring at a time until you achieve the perfect "Grinch" color green.
- Use star cookie cutters to cut out three different cookie sizes. Make sure to cut out equal amounts in each size.
- Bake cookies according to package or until cookies become golden brown on the edges.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before assembling.
- Using the white icing tube, add a dot of icing to the center of the largest cookie.
- Next, stack a medium size cookie on top.
- Add a dot of icing to the medium size cookie, then stack a small cookie on top.
- Add a dot of icing to the small cookie and stack another small cookie on top.
- Cut the corners off of a small star cookie to create a "tree top." Use white icing to attach the top to the cookie stack.
- Add drops of white icing around the cookie tree to resemble snow. Sift powdered sugar on top of cookies and serve.
Jam-Filled Holiday Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- Sugar cookie mix or prepared sugar cookie dough
- Green food coloring
- Star cookie cutters
- Raspberry jam
- Powdered sugar
Instructions
- Prepare cookie mix according to package. If using prepared sugar cookie dough, add a few drops of green food coloring at a time until you achieve the perfect "Grinch" color green.
- Use star cookie cutters to cut out cookie shapes. Make sure to cut out equal amounts.
- Bake cookies according to package or until cookies become golden brown on the edges.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before assembling.
- Turn cookies over so the bottom is facing up. Add a small spoonful of jam in the middle of half of the cookies.
- Top the jam-filled cookies with another cookie, pressing down gently to distribute jam inside the cookie sandwich.
- Sift powdered sugar over the cookies and serve.
These cookies are the perfect, “Oh crap! I forgot to buy dessert!” solution to your upcoming holiday weekend. They’re so easy to make and the end result is pretty impressive! The trees would make an adorable, edible centerpiece on the dessert table. And if you’re like us and have jars of homemade jam from Summer berries, the jam-filled stars are a perfect way to use some of it up!
What kind of holiday cookies did you bake this year?
