Are you looking for an easy decorated Christmas cookie recipe to make with your kids? Look no further! These homemade Christmas Lights Cookies are the best! They are fun to bring to cookie exchanges, so bake and freeze extra cookies to share with friends and family.
How to Make Christmas Lights Cookies
Every holiday season, I decorate soft sour cream cookies for my kids. This Christmas, I pulled inspiration from these adorable Christmas Lights Cupcakes. My excited boys “oohed” and “aahed” at the sight of the cookies and couldn’t wait to share them with Santa!
Our Christmas Lights Cookies are the perfect Christmas cookie recipe for the holidays. Guaranteed to please kids of all ages, they are an easy and fun cookie to make for Christmas parties, cookie exchanges, or relaxing afternoons at home.
Ingredients for Christmas Lights Cookies
- 2 cups of sugar
- 2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 5 1/3 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cups sour cream
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons milk
- Black food coloring
- Mini M&Ms (10.8 oz bag)
Helpful Baking Supplies
- Round cookie cutter
- Rolling pin
- Cookie sheets
- Cooling racks
- Wilton #1 tip
- Frosting bag
- Parchment paper
- Mixer
Directions for Christmas Lights Cookies
1. Cream the butter, shortening, sugar, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and 2 eggs in a large bowl. Mix in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sour cream, and salt.
The dough will feel soft and sticky, so chill the dough directly in the bowl until it’s firm.
Related: How to Make Homemade Vanilla Bean Extract
2. Roll the dough onto a well-floured surface, then cut it into circles with a cookie cutter. Place the cutouts on a parchment-lined pan and bake at 350° for 8–9 minutes.
3. While the cookies are cooling, prepare the frosting by mixing 1 stick of unsalted butter with 3 cups of powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 3 tablespoons of milk.
Divide the frosting into 2 small bowls. Stir black food coloring into 1 bowl and leave the second bowl uncolored.
4. Spoon the black frosting into a bag fitted with a #1 tip.
5. Use a round, flat knife to spread white frosting onto each cookie.
6. Then pipe the black frosting along the outside, creating loops and curves to emulate tangled holiday lights.
7. Last, invite kids to press mini M&Ms into the black frosting to create a complete strand of lights.
Tip: Dye-free kids? Try these dye-free chocolate coated candies.
They are just as delicious as they look!
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If You Like This Christmas Lights Cookie Recipe, Try These Other Festive Christmas Cookies:
Christmas Lights Cookies
These homemade Christmas Lights Cookies are the best! They are fun to bring to cookie exchanges, so bake and freeze extra cookies to share with friends and family.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of sugar
- 2/3 cups unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 5 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/3 cups sour cream
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter softened
- 3 tbsp milk
- black food coloring
- 10.8 ounces mini M&Ms
Instructions
- Cream the butter, shortening, sugar, 2 tsp vanilla extract, and 2 eggs in a large bowl.
- Mix in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sour cream, and salt. The dough will feel soft and sticky, so chill the dough directly in the bowl until firm.
- Roll the dough onto a well-floured surface, then cut into circles with a cookie cutter. Place the cutouts on a parchment-lined pan and bake at 350° for 8–9 minutes.
- While the cookies are cooling, prepare the frosting by mixing 1 stick of unsalted butter with 3 cups of powdered sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, and 3 tbsp of milk.
- Divide the frosting into 2 small bowls. Stir black food coloring into 1 bowl and leave the second bowl uncolored.
- Spoon the black frosting into a bag fitted with a #1 tip.
- Use a round, flat knife to spread white frosting onto each cookie.
- Pipe the black frosting along the outside, creating loops and curves to emulate tangled holiday lights.
- Last, invite kids to press mini M&Ms into the black frosting to create a complete strand of lights.
Mary Blevins says
How many cookies does this make?
Melissa Lennig says
I’m sorry, I’m not really sure. My family always sneaks in and steals dough and cookies while I’m baking, so I never can seem to get a final count.
Sally Lynch says
I need 100 cookies for a sway.
Mary Blevins says
Does anyone who has made these know how many cookies it makes?
Nina says
I made these for a cookie exchange yesterday and got between 7 and 8 dozen. I used store bought black frosting and ran out of that with about 10 cookies left. I used this frosting recipe for the white frosting part and used it all and could’ve used a little bit more. So if making your own black frosting, you might need more than this recipe makes.
Laura Beach says
Did you get 7-8 dozen using a 3 inch round cookie cutter?
Gail says
Will the icing set and dry so that the cookies can be stacked?
Melissa Lennig says
This is not royal icing. It sets like buttercream.
Michele says
The recipe calls for 4 tsp. of vanilla, yet the directions say to put 2 tsp.in the cookie dough, and use 1 tsp. for the icing. What happened to the 4th tsp?
I used a 2 1/2″ cookie cutter, and made 88 cookies. Left all the icing white, and used every bit to frost the cookies, then used a tube of black for the ‘wires.’ Also experimented on some with tubes of green and red gel, swirling random designs. My stores only had red/green mini M&M’s, so the strands of lights aren’t as colorful as the picture.
Thank you, Melissa, for sharing this recipe.
Tiff says
How long did you let chill. Mine is still so sticky.
Melissa Lennig says
Sour cream cookies do not have the same texture as regular sugar cookie dough. It defintely is going to feel a little stickier, but your cookies will be so soft and delicious. I work in small batches (unlike sugar cookie dough which I tend to roll out all at once) and chill the dough until it’s firm.
Joanne Guy says
can these cookies be frozen
Melissa Lennig says
Yes.
Liv says
How long do the cookies last for? If I make them today will they last until Christmas Eve? If I freeze them do I frost them first?
Melissa Lennig says
You will need to freeze them. Cookies don’t take very long to thaw out. Just take them out a few hours before you need them.
Gisella says
Can you store this dough in fridge to use a few days later?
Melissa Lennig says
Yes, I have done that.
Leslie says
Made these this weekend for my work cookie exchange. Made 90 cookies…Used a wine glass to cut out. Yes the dough is sticky but like you said, they will be soft. I rolled with a little floor on each side between two pieces of parchment paper. Worked like a charm. Kept the rest of dough chilled while rolling then chilled unbaked cookies right on cookie sheet in freezer before putting in oven. Kept their shape almost perfectly. I used a different icing because I wanted to make sure it would set since I had to stack. Recipe is in link below. But I live how your tougher icing looks like snow. I have only ever made drop cookies. This was the first time I ever took on a project like this. Took a long time lol. But enjoyed every minute and they look and taste great. Thank you!