How cute are these cookies? I think they were my favorite Christmas cookie that I made this year. They taste amazing and they are SO cute! They look much harder than they actually are- really it’s just a sugar cookie dough, spiced lightly with some orange zest, cut into a Santa face and then painted with food coloring and sprinkled with sugar.
You can find a similar cookie cutter on Amazon.
For the hat, I used undiluted red food color (I don’t worry about red dye #40 when I’m in the Christmas spirit.) I painted it on with a paint brush. For the eyes, nose, and mouth, I used a Wilton edible marker (which is also just food coloring) . You could also just use a paintbrush and red and black food coloring. For the pink cheeks, I used a paint brush and red food coloring diluted with water to make it pink.
For the white parts, I brushed them lightly with egg wash and I sprinkled them with sanding sugar. And that was that!
These are so yummy and festive. Give them a try!
- 1 1/3 cups Butter
- 1 1/2 cups Sugar
- 1teaspoon Grated Orange Or Lemon Zest
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 2 Eggs
- 3 Tablespoons Milk
- 4 cups Flour
- 3 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- red food coloring, and small paint brush
- red and black edible markers or food coloring
- egg wash (1 egg + 3 tablespoons water, whisked together)
- sanding sugar
- Cream butter, sugar, orange peel, and vanilla thoroughly. Add in egg and beat until light and fluffy.
- Sift dry ingredients together, then blend into cream mixture, alternating with the milk. Divide dough in half and place each half in a plastic bag to chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
- Roll out dough into a 1/3 inch sheet. Cut out shapes and place onto a parchment lined cookie sheets.
- Paint and decorate your Santa faces as described above.
- Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 6-8 minutes. Do not allow the cookies to brown.
Rumbly in my Tumbly 