Christmas Lights Royal Icing Sugar Cookies: A Festive Decorating Guide
Buttery cut-out sugar cookies decorated with bright, festive royal-icing Christmas lights for a cheerful holiday treat.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
For the royal icing:
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons meringue powder
4–5 tablespoons warm water
Assorted gel food colors (red, green, blue, yellow)
Black food coloring or edible marker for the “light string”
Instructions
1. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, then beat in the egg, vanilla, and milk.
3. Gradually add dry ingredients and mix until a soft dough forms.
4. Divide dough in half, wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness and cut into oval or bulb-shaped cookies.
7. Bake 8–10 minutes or until edges are barely golden; cool completely.
8. To make royal icing, combine powdered sugar, meringue powder, and warm water until smooth; adjust with water or sugar for piping consistency.
9. Tint small bowls of icing with gel colors for light bulbs; leave some icing white if desired.
10. Pipe the outline of each bulb, flood with colored icing, and let dry.
11. Use black icing or an edible marker to draw the string connecting the bulbs.
12. Allow icing to fully set before stacking or packaging.
Notes
For crisp, clean edges, chill cut cookies for 10 minutes before baking.
Use thicker icing for outlining and thinner icing for flooding.
Royal icing colors deepen as they dry, so start with lighter tones.