Christmas Sugar Cookies - who bakes and decorates them?!

[cupcakechef]

One of my most loved Christmas traditions is baking sugar cookies and then decorating them. Our whole extended family enjoys it - from the little kids to the kids at heart (I definitely fit that category!)

We end up doing a whole bunch of colored icings in piping bags, and have fun little candy decorations. We usually cut shapes out with cookie cutters that are Christmas themed - a tree, a star, a Christmas stocking, things like that - and then just decorate them however we want. Some people in our family decorate theirs beautifully, others try to be humorous, and others just add as much icing/candy onto theirs as is humanly possible. Needless to say, we all have fun doing it, and that to me is what Christmas traditions should be about - enjoying family time!

Do you have a tradition of baking and decorating cookies at Christmas time?

 

[ChesterV]

My granny did that when I was little. She would make a ton of cookies and decorate them for my class when I was in school. We got cookies for C'mas and Valentines Day!

I'm going to make some amaretto sugar cookies with orange frosting on them for a friend this Cmas, as she claims she loves them!

 

[Trellum]

I have never baked those to be honest - my family doesn't celebrate Christmas We often eat Chinese food on that day, lol. I'm marrying a catholic man though, and he celebrates it, so I might have to learn how to bake sugar cookies. I love the decorating part the most though, I once tried it with my nieces (my sister also married a catholic person). I loved it! Perfect for kids!

 

[Tina Nord]

I actually just made Christmas sugar cookies yesterday and the kids and I will be decorating them today. It is one of the biggest joys I get out of the whole Christmas season. I love mixing the icing into fun colors and then piping and spreading it all over the cookies. I also get a lot of candy decorations and sprinkles for the kids to decorate with.

 

[mommy42]

My daughter and I make them usually every Christmas. I have a harder time decorating them than baking them as I am not very good at it or very creative either!! Lol! But I do love eating them!!

 

[ChesterV]

Sugar Cookies can be decorated very simply....

Or very fancy.....

either way, I love them!

 

[cupcakechef]

I have never baked those to be honest - my family doesn't celebrate Christmas We often eat Chinese food on that day, lol. I'm marrying a catholic man though, and he celebrates it, so I might have to learn how to bake sugar cookies. I love the decorating part the most though, I once tried it with my nieces (my sister also married a catholic person). I loved it! Perfect for kids!

Yum now you have me craving Chinese food! That's the neat thing about marrying someone from a different culture/country/background - extra celebrations! My husband is American and I'm not by birth, anyway, so I get to celebrate Thanksgiving, Fourth Of July, and all those fun events now!

 

[cupcakechef]

Sugar Cookies can be decorated very simply....

Or very fancy.....

either way, I love them!

Wow, I wish I could decorate them as nicely as the fancy versions! I think I could manage the Christmas trees, but the snowmen might be a little outside of my sugar cookie decorating ability level!

 

[ChesterV]

Wow, I wish I could decorate them as nicely as the fancy versions! I think I could manage the Christmas trees, but the snowmen might be a little outside of my sugar cookie decorating ability level!

LOL.

Well, you know you CAN cheat!

Just ice your shaped cookies with plain white Royal Icing.
Then you can "color" them with food coloring markers/pencils!!!

 

[cupcakechef]

LOL.

Well, you know you CAN cheat!

Just ice your shaped cookies with plain white Royal Icing.
Then you can "color" them with food coloring markers/pencils!!!

Why didn't I know these things existed?!? That's awesome! I haven't seen them before in my local baking stores, I might have to take a look at Amazon and see what I can find on there. My mind has seriously been blown - these will make life so much easier!

 

[ChesterV]

Why didn't I know these things existed?!? That's awesome! I haven't seen them before in my local baking stores, I might have to take a look at Amazon and see what I can find on there. My mind has seriously been blown - these will make life so much easier!

LOL. Well, glad to have "blown your mind" in a good way!!!

And if you ever have any little peopels' birthdays or parties coming up, you can make a batch of plain frosted cookies and they can decorate their own!!!!!

 

[cupcakechef]

LOL. Well, glad to have "blown your mind" in a good way!!!

And if you ever have any little peopels' birthdays or parties coming up, you can make a batch of plain frosted cookies and they can decorate their own!!!!!

Yes! My little one is only just approaching her first birthday but I do imagine when she's a few years older these would really be a hit with the kids!

 

[Trellum]

Yum now you have me craving Chinese food! That's the neat thing about marrying someone from a different culture/country/background - extra celebrations! My husband is American and I'm not by birth, anyway, so I get to celebrate Thanksgiving, Fourth Of July, and all those fun events now!

My husband is Dutch And I know what you mean, next year I will celebrate St. Marteen, Christmas and a lot other holidays I don't even know :O It's amazing! I guess he will be on the winning side though, because the Jewish year is filled with a lot celebrations! I'm not really religious though, but it's nice to do something special, perfect excuse Hanukkah is my favorite one... perfect excuse to eat a lot fried stuff

We might celebrate Thanksgiving as well Just the two of us A simple dinner and that's it, no stress from having to deal with his family like we did last Christmas Because nothing stresses me more than having to cook for several people.

 

[Trellum]

LOL.

Well, you know you CAN cheat!

Just ice your shaped cookies with plain white Royal Icing.
Then you can "color" them with food coloring markers/pencils!!!

oh my god... I had no idea those existed!!!! They look amazing! At first I thought they were the average markers, until I read on the packing that they are actually food coloring markers! Those can make a huge difference when decorating cookies with and for children :O

 

[myuen]

Sugar cookies are a great dessert to bring to parties over the holidays! Other than doing royal icing, some simple ones I've learned in baking school were doing fondant and modeling chocolate. Stick those onto the cookies with some piping jelly and you are good to go With the fondant and modeling chocolate, you can draw on them with food coloring markers as well or paint on them with food coloring.

 

[ChesterV]

Sugar cookies are a great dessert to bring to parties over the holidays! Other than doing royal icing, some simple ones I've learned in baking school were doing fondant and modeling chocolate. Stick those onto the cookies with some piping jelly and you are good to go With the fondant and modeling chocolate, you can draw on them with food coloring markers as well or paint on them with food coloring.

If you make the cookies in wafer form (thin, crispy cookies), you can melt different kinds of chocolate and stick two cookies together like that! Mmmmmm

You can also put some thick jam or jelly in the middle to stick two cookies together like that, which is supper yummie!

That also works with thick creams, custards, and marshmallow fluff.

 

[myuen]

If you make the cookies in wafer form (thin, crispy cookies), you can melt different kinds of chocolate and stick two cookies together like that! Mmmmmm

You can also put some thick jam or jelly in the middle to stick two cookies together like that, which is supper yummie!

That also works with thick creams, custards, and marshmallow fluff.

Yes! Cookie sandwiches are also a popular choice as well! Like buttercream in between two cookies or chocolate, caramel, etc. There are so many possibilities. Or ice cream sandwiches! Those were quite popular among my friends when I made them in the summer... not sure if Christmas is too cold though for some people..

 

[djordjem87]

I made this for a Christmas tree and it was mostly to entertain my nephew. I actually like the taste of these and even though my mother claims we will keep them for next year I think something will happen to them. By something I mean ME. I put some cinnamon for fun and they came out delicious.

 

[ChesterV]

I made this for a Christmas tree and it was mostly to entertain my nephew. I actually like the taste of these and even though my mother claims we will keep them for next year I think something will happen to them. By something I mean ME. I put some cinnamon for fun and they came out delicious.

People do make sugar cookie decorations for C'mas trees!

The only difference is, they either bake the cookie with a small hook on top for hanging, or a hole through the top of the cookie to place a ribbon through for hanging.....

But once the cookie is baked and decorated, it is completely left to dry for 48 hours, and then it is coated with a clear varnish...at least three coats of clear varnish.

That way, you have your sugar cookie decorations you can keep, but cannot eat!!!!

 

[djordjem87]

People do make sugar cookie decorations for C'mas trees!

The only difference is, they either bake the cookie with a small hook on top for hanging, or a hole through the top of the cookie to place a ribbon through for hanging.....

But once the cookie is baked and decorated, it is completely left to dry for 48 hours, and then it is coated with a clear varnish...at least three coats of clear varnish.

That way, you have your sugar cookie decorations you can keep, but cannot eat!!!!

I made these with frosting basically. I used egg whites, confectionery sugar, few drops of lemon and colours. It was nothing special because we made it as fast as we could but I ate the 'odd one out' and it was quite good. And I made the moulds myself, by the way.