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Christmas Lights Sugar Cookies

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Buttery, tender sugar cookies decorated with vibrant royal icing, perfect for a festive holiday treat.

Ingredients

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  • 6 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 16 ounces powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon meringue powder
  • 1/3 cup water, plus more if too thick
  • food coloring

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Use a whisk to stir them together until well combined and lump-free. Set this dry mixture aside.
  3. In a large bowl, add the room temperature butter and granulated sugar. Beat them together with an electric mixer for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
  4. Add the large eggs and pure vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Beat for another minute until well incorporated.
  5. With the electric mixer on low speed, gradually add the reserved flour mixture to the wet ingredients.
  6. Blend until the dough just begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
  7. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it onto a large piece of parchment paper.
  8. Use your hands to gently knead the dough for a few minutes until it comes together smoothly.
  9. Divide the dough into two equal sections.
  10. Wrap each section of dough tightly with parchment paper.
  11. Place the wrapped dough sections in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes.
  12. Once chilled, take one section of dough and place another piece of parchment paper on top.
  13. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough until it is between 1/8 inch and 1/4 inch thick.
  14. Cut the dough into desired shapes using cookie cutters. Do not move the cut shapes from the parchment paper.
  15. Carefully remove the excess dough from around the cut shapes.
  16. Slide the parchment paper with the cut cookie shapes onto a cookie sheet.
  17. Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden brown.
  18. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the cookie sheet.
  19. Repeat the rolling, cutting, and baking process with the remaining dough.
  20. To make the royal icing, place the powdered sugar, meringue powder, and 1/3 cup water in a large bowl.
  21. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 6 minutes. The icing will be very thick and fluffy.
  22. Add 4-5 tablespoons of additional water to the icing and mix to combine. This is your medium consistency icing (like toothpaste).
  23. Take half of the medium consistency icing and transfer it to a separate bowl.
  24. Add 1-2 tablespoons of additional water to this second bowl of icing to create a thinner consistency. This is your flood consistency (should run off a spoon like Elmer's glue).
  25. Divide and color the icing as desired using food coloring.
  26. Transfer the medium consistency icing into a piping bag and cut a tiny tip off the end.
  27. Pipe an outline around the outer edge of each cooled cookie.
  28. Fill in the outlined area with the flood icing. You can pour it from a plastic squeeze bottle or use another piping bag.
  29. Let the flooded icing dry for about 1 hour.
  30. Once the flood icing is dry, use the medium consistency icing to add decorations and details.

Notes

Ensure all cold ingredients like butter and eggs are at room temperature for the best dough consistency.
Do not overwork the dough; mix just until combined to keep cookies tender.
Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes to prevent spreading during baking.
Do not overbake the cookies; they should be pale with only slightly golden edges.
Allow cookies to cool completely before decorating to prevent icing from melting or running.

Find it online: https://sweetcraftrecipes.com/christmas-lights-sugar-cookies/