Homemade Decorated Christmas Sugar Cookies Recipe

Every year when making Christmas sugar cookies for school parties, gifts for family and friends, and just to eat at home, I forgo the traditional Christmas cutout cookies with the colored traditional icing. I, personally, like the round shaped Christmas cookies with cake icing.

I use the following recipe to make my own homemade Christmas sugar cookies. This recipe is easy to make.

Sugar Cookie Recipe
A Family Recipe from an Aunt

1 cup shortening
2 cup sugar
2 eggs separated
4 cup sifted flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup walnuts (optional)
1 can drained crushed pineapple (optional)

NOTE: I never add the walnuts or pineapple to this recipe.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cream shortening, sugar, and egg yolks in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Sift flour, salt, and soda together. Add lemon juice to milk. Add the dry and liquid mixtures alternately to creamed mixture. Beat in vanilla. If using the walnuts and crushed drained pineapple, stir into mixture. Beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Fold into cookie batter. Drop batter by rounded tablespoons 3-inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Flatten each cookie with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle each cookie with a small amount of sugar. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until slightly brown around the edges.

Yield about 4 dozen cookies.

Decorating the Christmas Sugar Cookies

Items Needed for Decorating the Christmas Sugar Cookies from My Homemade Cookie Recipe

Cans of premade store-bought frosting (For example, chocolate, vanilla, lemon, cherry, strawberry)

Red-hots - Red-hots can be added in any order to the top of the frosted cookies.

Silver Edible bb Balls - The silver edible bb balls can be used to make faces on cookies or added randomly about.

Sprinkles and Colored Sugar - The assorted Christmas sprinkles and colored sugars can be added to the red-hots or silver edible bb balls.

After making, baking, and letting the Christmas sugar cookies cool from the recipe above, take your favorite store bought ready-made cake frosting and cover the cookies with the frosting. Just before the frosting hardens, add any of the combination of the red-hots, silver edible bb balls, sprinkles or sugars to the cookies. Once the toppers and frostings are set on the cookies, they are ready to eat or to package for gift giving.

Packaging the Christmas Sugar Cookies for Gifts

Plastic Tins (any size and shape) - These are used for packaging the homemade Christmas sugar cookies.

Tissue Paper - The tissue paper is used to decorate the inside of the tin.

Parchment or Wax Paper - This is used to keep the cookies from sticking together inside the tin.

Place a piece of tissue paper in the bottom of the tin. Place a layer of cookies on the tissue paper. Then place a piece of parchment or wax paper over the cookies. Continue the process until the tin is filled with the Christmas sugar cookies. For an added bonus, hand write or type out the recipe for the sugar cookies and place inside the tin.

Presentation of Christmas Sugar Cookies

On a platter or cookie plate, arrange the cookies, alternating the differently decorated cookies. This will provide a kaleidoscope of Christmas colors. Place in center of the dining room or kitchen table with mugs of hot apple cider or hot chocolate.

Happy Christmas sugar cooking making with this handed down recipe from me to you.