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Dec 6, 2018

Christmas Ornament Cookies

These Christmas ornament cookies are a fun treat to make with kids.


Christmas Ornament Cookies


These Christmas ornament cookies are big, sparkly, and delicious.

I'm not very good at intricate dessert decorating. The most ambitious cookie recipe I've ever tried was this one for Valentine cookies with royal icing. While I vowed to get better at using royal icing, I have totally procrastinated.

Instead, I turned my attention back to sprinkles! They make everyone smile, including my grandsons.

Christmas Ornament Cookies with sprinkles


My grandsons are now 15 (aaack!) and 11. We spend less time in the kitchen because they don't require as much "babysitting," but we have wonderful memories of baking together.

Pretty much all of the projects involved sprinkles. In fact, the youngest one once tried "drinking" sprinkles from the bottle when I turned my back.

One of my favorite projects with them was making their dad an Anaheim Ducks birthday cake.

Kids decorating a cake


In fact, I just browsed through my photos and came across so many pics of the boys making and presenting cakes for their dad's birthday.

Check out the tiny chocolate balls on this one.

Mini cake


I adore this one with the disk sprinkles on top.

Kid with a cake

I love this mini cake with the yellow swath of sprinkles in the middle. I think it was supposed to be a Ducks logo too.

Birthday cake

We also made little mini baked donuts a few times .... with sprinkles of course!

baked donuts

And cookies with sprinkles! (P.S. Sorry about all of the photos but I could not possible choose a favorite!)

Sprinkling cookies with sprinkles

If you consider royal icing a royal pain, try sprinkles. They make everything pretty!

Christmas Ornament Cookies with sprinkles baked with kids


After you bake the ornament cookies (or any cutout cookie), let the kids drizzle some powdered sugar and vanilla icing over the ornaments and go to town with the sprinkles. They will have so much fun.


Christmas Ornament Cookies with sprinkle pop sprinkles



Cut out Christmas Ornament Cookies with sprinkles

#ChristmasCookiesWeek Friday Recipes


cookies, christmas cookies, sugar cookies, sprinkles
Dessert
American
Yield: Varies depending on the size of the cookie cutter

Christmas Ornament Cookies

ingredients

Cookie Dough
  • 3 cups (12 3/4 ounces) unbleached all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup salted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Icing
  • 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted through a mesh sieve
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or clear vanilla flavoring
  • Water, milk, or cream to thin the icing (add by teaspoon until the glaze has reached a thick syrupy  consistency)
  • Sprinkles!!

instructions

To Make the Cookies
  1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
  2. Whisk together the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. 
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and the sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg and the extracts. Gradually add in the flour and beat until just combined. 
  4. Knead the dough by hand for about 30 seconds and then roll it out to 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick. Cut with the cookie cutter of your choice, gather up the scraps and re-roll to cut more cookies. 
  5. Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake, one sheet at a time, for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the cookies. Cool the cookies on the pan. 
To Decorate the Cookies
  1. Mix the powdered sugar, vanilla, and just enough water, milk, or cream to create a thick but syrupy glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the cookies and add sprinkles. 
  2. Let the cookies dry. Once the glaze has hardened, store them in an airtight container. 

Would you like to comment?

  1. I look baking with my kids and love to see all of the things you've baked with your grandsons.

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  2. That's some great family baking going on! Such a wonderful tradition! I cherish those memories with my mom and grandmothers, and am loving building them with my own kids.

    Beautiful cookies - decorated just lovely with the prettiest of sprinkles!

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  3. These cookies are beautiful and pictures of your grandchildren precious. That's why I love doing my Holiday Cookie Baking class each year...just to have the experience of baking with the kid.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Patricia! It's the best experience, isn't it?

      Delete
  4. I love all those photos!! Reminds me of all my efforts at decorating baked goods. Those sprinkles are so fun! I might have to get that mix next time.

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  5. You have wonderful helpers :) I love the colors of the sprinkles and you have just the right decoration to cookie ratio for me!

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  6. So fun to see what the kids come up with for decorations!

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  7. I love the garland design. It makes them pretty without adding too much icing.

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  8. What a wonderful celebration. Great use of the sprinkles for those ornaments.

    ReplyDelete

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