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.
MY LATEST VIDEOSIngredients for Christmas Lights Cookies
- 2 cups 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 tsp 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 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.
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!
Save This Recipe
Don’t forget to save this craft on Pinterest for later! Be sure you are following along with Fireflies and Mud Pies here.
If You Like This Christmas Lights Cookie Recipe, Try These Other Festive Cookies:
Guaranteed to please kids of all ages, Christmas Lights Cookies are an easy and fun Christmas cookie to make for holiday gatherings. Perfect for cookie exchanges!
- 2 cups 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
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.
Thanks for sharing! I’m planning to make these today for a cookie exchange at work. Do they need to stay refrigerated? Also can you freeze with icing or should I just freeze baked cookie and then frost when I need them? Thx!