Christmas Cookies Decorating How-To

To make the holiday cookies featured in our Christmas Cookie Exchange Ideas and Recipes, start with your favorite sugar cookies recipe and decorate the baked cookies by following the instructions below.

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Decorating Snowman Cookies

Ingredients:

• Sugar cookies, your favorite recipe
• White royal icing, your favorite recipe
• Light corn syrup
• Black royal icing
• Red royal icing or red icing dye
• Yellow royal icing or yellow icing dye
• Christmas sprinkles

Supplies:

    __ Snowman cookie cutter     __ Decorating bag     __ Round tip     __ Tip coupler

Instructions:

1. Mix up a batch of roll-out sugar cookie dough and cut out cookies using the snowman cookie cutter. Bake and cool the cookies.

2. Using a decorating bag fitted with a round tip, outline each cookie with white royal icing.

3. Thin a separate batch of white icing with 1-2 teaspoons of corn syrup per cup of icing.

4. Fill a second decorating bag with the thinned icing and snip off the tip to fill the cookie with icing for a smooth, shiny surface. Let harden 8-12 hours.

5. Pipe on the snowman's scarf using red royal icing or white icing dyed red.

6. Sprinkle generously with your choice of Christmas sprinkles and shake off excess.

7. Pipe on the snowman's hat, eyes, mouth and buttons with black royal icing, and his nose with yellow royal icing.

8. Let dry completely before storing.

Decorating Candy Cane Cookies

Ingredients:

• Sugar cookies, your favorite recipe
• White royal icing, your favorite recipe
• Light corn syrup
• Green royal icing or green icing dye
• Red royal icing or red icing dye
• Red sugar sprinkles

Supplies:

    __ Candy cane cookie cutter     __ Decorating bag     __ Round tip     __ Tip coupler

Instructions:

1. Mix up a batch of roll-out sugar cookie dough and cut out cookies using the candy cane cookie cutter. Bake and cool the cookies.

2. Using a decorating bag fitted with a round tip, outline white stripes with white royal icing.

3. Thin a separate batch of white icing with 1-2 teaspoons of corn syrup per cup of icing.

4. Fill a second decorating bag with the thinned icing and snip off the tip to fill the cookie with icing for a smooth, shiny surface. Let harden 8-12 hours.

5. Pipe on the red stripes with red royal icing or white icing dyed red.

6. Sprinkle generously with red sugar sprinkles and shake off excess.

7. Pipe on the holly with three red dots and two green triangles of icing for leaves.

8. Let dry completely before storing.