Description
These Twisted Christmas Cookies are a festive and delightful treat perfect for holiday celebrations. Featuring a buttery, crisp texture with hints of almond and orange zest, they’re beautifully decorated with colorful royal icing and festive toppings like edible glitter and crushed candy canes.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cookies:
- 1 cup white sugar
- 14 oz (400g) butter, softened
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract (for a festive flavor lift)
- Zest of 1 orange (optional, for brightness)
- 6 cups plain flour
For the Icing:
- 6 tbsp meringue powder
- 8 tbsp water
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 7 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- Extra water (for thinning)
- Gel food coloring (red, green, gold, white)
- Sprinkles, edible glitter, or crushed candy canes (for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare 2-3 baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Make the Cookie Dough: In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and white sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Then add the eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, and optional orange zest, mixing until the batter is smooth and well combined.
- Add Flour and Form Dough: Gradually incorporate the plain flour into the wet mixture, stirring continuously until a dough forms. If the dough feels too dry or crumbly, add a tablespoon of milk to bring it together into a workable consistency.
- Roll and Cut Shapes: Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about ¼-inch thickness. Use your choice of festive cookie cutters — such as trees, stars, or mittens — to cut out shapes from the rolled dough.
- Chill the Dough: Place the cut-out cookies on prepared baking sheets and chill them in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes. This helps the cookies retain their shape during baking.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are just starting to turn golden. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely on wire racks before decorating.
- Prepare the Icing: In a bowl, whisk together the meringue powder, lemon juice, and water until combined. Gradually beat in the sifted powdered sugar until the icing becomes glossy and thick. Adjust the consistency by adding more water if needed to make it easier to pipe or spread.
- Decorate the Cookies: Divide the icing into separate bowls and tint each one using gel food coloring to achieve festive shades like red, green, gold, and white. Decorate the cooled cookies with the colored icing and add sprinkles, edible glitter, or crushed candy canes as desired for extra holiday flair. Allow the icing to set completely before serving or storing.
Notes
- Chilling the dough before baking helps maintain the cookie shapes and prevents spreading.
- If you don’t have almond extract, you can omit it or substitute with additional vanilla extract, but almond adds a nice festive flavor.
- Use gel food coloring to avoid thinning the icing with added liquid.
- Store decorated cookies in an airtight container to keep them fresh.
- These cookies can be made a day ahead and decorated the next day to save time during the busy holiday season.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (based on 60 cookies)
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 45mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 14g
- Fiber: 0.3g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 20mg
