Aside from our Grinch Cookies, I can’t think of a better holiday cookie to serve up than these Christmas Lights Cookies! They are festive, colorful and totally easy to make.
Christmas Lights Cookies
The holidays are made for baking or maybe baking was made for the holidays?
Nonetheless, if you are looking for a fun and easy Christmas cookie to make, let it be this.
The kids will love to help make and decorate them too and you can even gift these to friends, co-workers and neighbors.
Oh and if you ever find yourself throwing a Stranger Things party, these will go perfect (remember the episode with all the Christmas lights?).
Want some other fun Christmas cookie recipes? Check out:
Christmas Lights Cookies Ingredients:
For The Cookies:
- 2 Sticks of Butter – softened
- 1 cup of Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla
- 1 Egg
- 3 cups of Flour
- 1 Tablespoon of Baking Powder
For The Frosting:
- 2 cups of Powdered Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon of Milk – and more if needed
- Black Food Coloring Gel
- Mini M&M’s
Tools Needed:
- Small Pastry Bag
- Small Frosting Tip
How to Make Christmas Lights Cookies:
In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, using the Whisk attachment, add the Butter, Sugar, Vanilla, and Egg, and blend until light and fluffy.
In a separate bowl, add the Flour, and Baking Powder, and stir well to blend. Add the Flour a little at a time and mix on low to blend, until all the Flour is added. Remove the Whisk attachment, and use the paddle.
Continue to blend the Cookie dough until it’s completely blended and a smooth ball starts to form. Scrape down the mixing bowl as needed.
Line two cookie sheets with Parchment paper, and roll the cookie dough into small balls, about 1 inch balls, and place the balls on the Parchment paper.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, or just until the cookies start to turn a light golden brown around the edges. About half way through baking the cookies, check the oven, and the cookies may have started to crack a little. Take a flat bottom glass, dip it in Sugar before lightly applying to each cookie – smash the cookies very gently, and slightly, making them a little flatter, and spread out a little more. This will give the cookies the crinkle look.
When the cookies are done, remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool completely.
While cookies are cooling, make the Frosting.
Add the Powdered Sugar to a bowl, and add the Milk a little at a time. Stir well while adding the Milk, until the Frosting is smooth, and no lumps are visible. If the Frosting is thin, add a little more Powdered Sugar until it’s thick enough to ice the Cookies.
When you have the right consistency, place a couple of Tablespoonfuls in a separate bowl, and add a drop or two of the Black Food Coloring Gel. Stir well to blend, and if the Black Frosting thinned a little, add a little Powdered Sugar to achieve a thicker consistency.
Frost the Cookies with the White Frosting, and allow them to sit for about 45 minutes until the Frosting is set on the Cookies. Place the Black Frosting in a pastry bag with the small tip, and pipe the Black Frosting onto the White Frosting, using a back and Forth motion, to resemble a string or strand for the Lights.
Place the mini M&M’s along the Black Frosting, so it appears as a strand of Colored Lights on the Cookies.
Serve, and Enjoy!
Things To Note:
- These cookies can be made ahead of time but will need to be stored in an airtight container at room temperature to avoid sweating.
- This recipe makes about 40 cookies depending on the size you make each cookie.
- Use gel food coloring as it makes a black color rather than a gray color for the string part of the lights.
Christmas Lights Cookies
Ingredients
For The Cookies
- 2 Sticks of Butter – softened
- 1 cup of Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla
- 1 Egg
- 3 cups of Flour
- 1 Tablespoon of Baking Powder
For The Frosting
- 2 cups of Powdered Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon of Milk – and more if needed
- Black Food Coloring Gel
- Mini M&M’s
Instructions
- In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, using the Whisk attachment, add the Butter, Sugar, Vanilla, and Egg, and blend until light and fluffy.
- In a separate bowl, add the Flour, and Baking Powder, and stir well to blend. Add the Flour a little at a time and mix on low to blend, until all the Flour is added. Remove the Whisk attachment, and use the paddle.
- Continue to blend the Cookie dough until it's completely blended and a smooth ball starts to form. Scrape down the mixing bowl as needed.
- Line two cookie sheets with Parchment paper, and roll the cookie dough into small balls, about 1 inch balls, and place the balls on the Parchment paper.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, or just until the cookies start to turn a light golden brown around the edges. About half way through baking the cookies, check the oven, and the cookies may have started to crack a little. Take a flat bottom glass, dip it in Sugar before lightly applying to each cookie – smash the cookies very gently, and slightly, making them a little flatter, and spread out a little more. This will give the cookies the crinkle look.
- When the cookies are done, remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While cookies are cooling, make the Frosting.
- Add the Powdered Sugar to a bowl, and add the Milk a little at a time. Stir well while adding the Milk, until the Frosting is smooth, and no lumps are visible. If the Frosting is thin, add a little more Powdered Sugar until it's thick enough to ice the Cookies.
- When you have the right consistency, place a couple of Tablespoonfuls in a separate bowl, and add a drop or two of the Black Food Coloring Gel. Stir well to blend, and if the Black Frosting thinned a little, add a little Powdered Sugar to achieve a thicker consistency.
- Frost the Cookies with the White Frosting, and allow them to sit for about 45 minutes until the Frosting is set on the Cookies. Place the Black Frosting in a pastry bag with the small tip, and pipe the Black Frosting onto the White Frosting, using a back and Forth motion, to resemble a string or strand for the Lights.
- Place the mini M&M's along the Black Frosting, so it appears as a strand of Colored Lights on the Cookies.
- Serve, and Enjoy!
Nutrition information is a rough estimate only; actual values will vary based on the exact ingredients used and amount of recipe prepared.