Festive Wreath Sugar Cookies
Cut-out sugar cookies are a holiday season staple, but Festive Wreath Sugar Cookies take them to the next level with an easy wreath design made with cookie decorating gel and a toothpick. Don’t have cookie cutters at home? Simply use the rim of a glass and a bottle cap to cut the dough into wreath shapes.
Makes: 18 cookies
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Recipe Created By: Mary Carter
Featured In: Tennessee Home & Farm
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Recipe Created By: Mary Carter
Featured In: Tennessee Home & Farm
Ingredients
Cookies:
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Icing:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- Red and green cookie-decorating gel
Other Supplies:
- 3- to 4-inch round or fluted cookie cutter (or rim of a glass)
- 1- to 2-inch round or fluted cookie cutter (or bottle cap)
- Toothpick
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a hand or stand mixer to cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla and salt and continue mixing to combine.
- Add the flour ½ cup at a time, mixing after each addition, until just combined. Mixture will yield a stiff dough.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to about ¼-inch thick.
- Using the larger round cookie cutter (or the edge of a glass), cut dough into about 18 cookies. Using the smaller round cookie cutter or a bottle cap, cut holes into the center of each cookie to make a wreath shape. This should yield 18 cookie “wreaths.”
- Place cookies on prepared baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
- While cookies are cooling, prepare the icing. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and almond extract (if using). Mixture will be very thick. Add more sugar if icing is too runny.
- Once cookies are completely cool, work with one cookie at a time to decorate. Dip the top and sides of the cookie into the icing. Allow excess to drip off, then return cookie to parchment paper. Pipe a circle of about 8 evenly spaced drops of green decorating gel around the top of the cookie, then drag a toothpick through the gel to create a leaf pattern. Dot the “wreath” with small drops of red gel. Decorate each cookie completely, one cookie at a time, to prevent icing from hardening before you can finish the design.
- Allowing icing to harden completely before serving or storing in an airtight container.
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One Comment
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I made these and they’re good but I couldn’t get the leaves to cooperate. What a mess. The gel just wouldn’t pull to create the leaf. Maybe a different brand of decorator gel would work. I bought mine at Walmart.