This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see our privacy policy.
Don't fancy yourself as a fancy cookie maker? Check out these Easy Decorated Christmas Cookies, they're one-bowl, no-mixer and simply delish!
Four years ago, Scott and I moved from Raleigh, NC to the mountains of North Carolina near Asheville. We'd lived in Raleigh for almost 40 years and, though we still miss our friends, it didn't take us long to adjust to this beautiful little corner of God's creation. In early December of that first year in the mountains, we got 18 inches of snow! We were socked in for 4 days before the snow plow came to rescue us but we didn't mind as we had heat and power. We pulled out the Christmas decorations and enjoyed making the house look like a magical snow globe. The inspiration for these Snowy Night in the Mountains, Easy Decorated Christmas cookies came in the midst of that first mountain snow adventure.
I wanted them to be a simple representation of an evergreen tree on a snowy night. It's an easy technique, as you will see from the step-by-step tutorial below. Stir together the buttery, delicious shortbread dough (one bowl, no mixer needed!) and roll it out. Cut the cookies, chill, and bake.
These Easy Decorated Christmas Cookies are a take-off on my Christmas Shortbread Cookies, another fun and easy shortbread holiday cookie. I was thrilled to come up with a pretty Christmas cookie that didn't require any decorating expertise. Apparently, they made other bakers happy too, as I've gotten lots of comments and emails about these festive cookies. They've been pinned over 1,000,000 times!
I love that you can make these Easy Decorated Christmas Cookies in steps. Make the dough and roll out the cookies. At this point, they'll need to chill a bit but you can also freeze them for a baking day in the future. Once they're baked you can either decorate them right away, store them in an airtight container or pop them in the freezer. When you're ready to decorate, they will be too!
Easy (and fun) decorating technique!
To decorate, make a simple two-ingredient icing in deep blue and dip the cookies to coat the top. I call this my Dip, Drip and Flip technique. After the top is dipped in the icing, let it drip back into the bowl for 20-30 seconds. When the dripping slows down, simply flip the cookies over and give it a gentle shake to even out the icing. It's an easy alternative to the more complicated, royal icing method of decorating cookies - and, unlike royal icing, this stuff actually tastes good!
These Easy Decorated Christmas cookies then get a sprinkle of "snow" (tiny white nonpareils). After the cookies are set squiggle on a simple white tree (no fancy decorating skills needed!), add more sprinkles to the tree and you've got a "snowy night in the mountains" cookie!
What do I mean by "squiggle on a simple white tree"? Don't be intimidated! You'll need a disposable pastry bag and a plain decorating tip (links below under Café Tips). Make the easy buttercream (again one bowl and no mixer needed!) and start squiggling! You can practice on a small plate until you're happy with your squiggling.
I have a hard time piping Christmas trees in consistent sizes so I came up with a little trick to help me. I cut out a small paper tree, lay it on each cookie before piping and lightly cut along the sides of the paper with a small sharp knife. Then, starting at the top, I pipe (squiggle) my trees to cover the cuts. Voila! All the trees are the same size.
We've created a video to demonstrate this fun, easy "Snowy Night in the Mountains" decorating technique:
[ad
I use this easy shortbread dough for so many of my cookies because it's a dream to work with. There's no chilling before rolling and it doesn't stick easily to the counter or rolling pin. A bit of cornstarch in the dough (and a stint in the fridge after being rolled) helps keep those nice, crisp edges in the oven.
How to roll dough to an even thickness
You might be a pro, but I have trouble rolling dough to a consistent thickness. There are several tricks to help remedial rollers like myself to achieve that even thickness. I've found that the easiest technique is to use a rolling pin with graduated rings on the ends. You simply choose the thickness you want (1/16, ⅛, ¼, or ⅜-inch) and roll away perfectly consistent cookies! The rings are removable, so you can use it as a conventional rolling pin as well.
We've added a video for this part too - so you can see exactly how this rolling pin makes things SO easy. Check it out:
A lovely gift idea!
We've created a free printable gift label for these cookies.
To receive the labels via email, simply leave a comment requesting them and we'll send the labels as well as instructions on how to use them.
So you can stop looking for your signature holiday cookie! Whip up a batch of these Easy Decorated Christmas Cookies; I think you'll be sure to hear lots of oohs and ahhs when you pull out the coffee and cookie platter or the gift bags/boxes
Café Tips for making these Easy Decorated Christmas Cookies
- Because there’s no mixer used, the butter needs to be very soft when mixing up these Christmas Shortbread Cookies. That can be difficult at this time of year, even if you let the butter sit out for hours. A short stint in the microwave on the very lowest power level (on mine, it's 10%, check to see what yours is) works like magic to soften butter. You’ll need to experiment a bit with your microwave though, as they’re all different. Start with 20 or 30-second increments at power level 10 until you learn how long your microwave will take to get the butter nice and soft, but not melted.
- If you prefer to use a mixer, by all means, go ahead. We love not having to drag out the mixer and the ease of mixing up this dough by hand but it will work fine with a mixer. Just don't overmix the dough or it will get tough.
- I used peppermint extract in my glaze and buttercream. Feel free to use other flavorings. Almond, vanilla, orange, lemon and coconut extracts are also delicious.
- Flavor extracts can vary in intensity. It's better to start with a small amount in the icing, then take a little taste. You can always add more, but you sure can't remove it! If you're looking for a good peppermint extract I love this LorAnn Peppermint Bakery Emulsion.
- The recipe calls for a one-hour (or longer) chill for the cutout cookies. If I'm in a big hurry, I just pop them into the freezer for 10-15 minutes (don't tell anyone I cheat!).
- A few tips on rolling and cutting out cookies:
- Keep your work surface and rolling pin lightly dusted with flour.
- I also like to rub the cutting edge of my cookie cutter in a little flour in between each cookie.
- Press fairly firmly when cutting out the cookies, but don’t twist the cookie cutter as the shape will get distorted.
- If you don’t have room in your refrigerator to chill the cookies on two sheet pans, just transfer all of them to one pan after cutting. Then later, once they’re chilled, you can divide them between the two pans for baking.
- When re-rolling the scraps, incorporate as little of the flour on the work surface as possible but enough so that the dough doesn't stick.
- The rolling pin mentioned above is WONDERFUL and makes rolling dough like this a breeze!
- Occasionally, some of the cookies will be slightly puffed on the top when removed from the oven. You can give them a nice flat top by pushing on the top gently with a flat metal spatula.
- Sometimes the glaze for these cookies will have lots of bubbles. These bubbles will cause imperfections in the surface of the glazed cookies. Simply stir the glaze very slowly to get rid of the bubbles.
- I love to have a supply of these super sturdy decorating bags. They’re not expensive, and a box will last forever. The bags come in a nice flat box, so they’re easy to store. I used to buy my bags at the local craft store and got about 10 bags for slightly less than this whole box of 100 bags! Definitely a wonderful deal.
- The tip that I use to pipe the Christmas Trees is a Wilton #3 Round Piping Tip.
- I love these pre-cut parchment paper sheets when making cookies. They are the perfect size for a cookie sheet pan and also come in a nice flat box for easy storing. This 100-pack will last forever - and save you some time and hassle.
- I used Wilton Delphinium Blue paste food coloring.
- I like to add a little star on the top of the tree. I used these mini pearlized snowflakes for mine.
- Don’t roll these cookies too thin, otherwise, they will be difficult to dip into the glaze when decorating. I roll mine to a ⅜-inch thickness and use an adjustable rolling pin. How do you roll them to the desired thickness? This reasonably priced rolling pin is a super-easy way to achieve the same perfect thickness for all your cookies. It has 1/16, ⅙, ¼, and ⅜-inch removable discs, making it easy to flatten your dough to a uniform thickness. Have a baker on your shopping list? This would make a lovely gift that can be used year-round. You might even be the lucky recipient of some perfect, even Easy Decorated Christmas Cookies!
Thought for the day:
For to us a child is born, to us, a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace, there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
Isaiah 9:6-7
What we're listening to for inspiration:
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear your results, adaptations and ideas for variations.
Don't fancy yourself as a fancy cookie maker? Check out these Easy Decorated Christmas Cookies, they're one-bowl, no-mixer and simply delish!
- 8 ounces very soft salted butter 2 sticks
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons half and half or milk, maybe more
- ¼-1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- blue paste food coloring I used Wilton Delphinium Blue
- 1 tablespoon very soft butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 ½-2 tablespoons half and half or milk
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- white nonpareils
- small white pearlized snowflakes for the tree topper optional
-
Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
-
Place soft butter in a medium-size mixing bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula until nice and smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix together by hand for about 30 seconds, until fluffy and well blended.
-
Sprinkle the flour and cornstarch evenly over the top. Stir until flour is incorporated and the dough is shaggy. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and press dough in a ball. Knead a few times until fairly smooth then form into a ball again and press with your hands into a flat disk.
-
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a ⅜-inch thickness. Keep work surface, dough and rolling pin lightly dusted with flour. Cut circles and place on prepared pans. Re-roll scraps as many times as needed to use up the dough.
-
Place cutouts in the refrigerator for at least one hour or up to 24 hours.
-
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350˚F. Remove cookies from refrigerator and bake for 12-16 minutes or until just beginning to turn golden at the edges. Rotate pans halfway through for even browning. Cool completely before icing.
-
Combine powdered sugar, half and half and ¼ teaspoon peppermint (or other flavored) extract in a medium-size bowl. Mix until smooth. The glaze should be thick but pourable. Add a little more half and half if too thick. Taste the glaze and add more peppermint extract, if needed (see the note above in the post).
-
Dip the tip of a small knife into the blue food coloring and swirl some of it into the icing. Stir well and add more food color until desired shade of blue is achieved. Transfer the glaze to a shallow bowl.
-
Holding onto the edges of a cookie, dip the top surface into the glaze, being sure all of the surfaces touch the glaze. Pull cookie up and out of the glaze. Allow excess glaze to drip back into a separate bowl.
-
When the glaze stops dripping, quickly flip the cookie right side up and give it a gentle jiggle to allow the glaze to flow evenly over the surface. Repeat with remaining cookies. Allow glaze to dry for 15-30 minutes.
-
Place butter in a medium-size bowl and stir until smooth. Add powdered sugar, 1½ tablespoons of half and half and the mint extract and stir vigorously until smooth, adding a bit more half and half, if needed to achieve a fairly thick but spoonable consistency.
-
Place buttercream in a pastry bag fitted with a small round icing tip (I used a Wilton #3 round tip). Starting at the upper edge of one cookie, pipe the Christmas trees by making increasingly wider lines, stopping about ¼-inch above the lower edge of the cookie (see pictures in the post). Immediately sprinkle trees with a few more white nonpareils. Set aside to dry.
See Café Tips above for lots of extra tips and instructions.
Half and half is an American convenience product often used in coffee as a creamer. If half and half is not available where you live, you can use a combination of half milk and half cream, just milk or just cream.
The recipe makes 16 large (3-inch) or two dozen smaller (2-inch) cookies.
Once cookies have been dried for 4-5 hours or overnight, they can be stacked in an airtight container.
The Café Sucre Farine is a participant in the Amazon Affiliate Program. The Amazon Affiliate Program is designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products on Amazon. The price you pay as a consumer does not change, but if you make a purchase through one of our links, we receive a small commission – and we continue delivering delicious recipes to you!
Deb says
The only thing I don't see is what size cookie cutter to use?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Deb, I use a 3-inch cutter but feel free to use whatever size you prefer.
Jennie says
I make all of your shortbread cookies with holiday designs and am gathering supplies for these. Where do you purchase your sprinkles?
I always notice how unique they are for each season . Thank you so much. I use so many of your recipes and ideas to share with others. I was in Micheals this week looking for the supplies for these decorations (did not find ) and a nice lady was shopping for food coloring in blue also. I was so happy to share your site with her. She put info in her phone as I showed her so many recipes of yours on my Pinterest” saves”.
I hope you have another avid fan now!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Jennie! We appreciate your kind words and sharing of the blog!
Regarding your question, I get most of my sprinkles from Amazon but I do often mix my own blend. For Christmas, I do like this blend: https://amzn.to/3EIJEnr
Marlene Wilkins says
Dear Scott and Chris
Thankyou very much for the recipes to make for Christmas. They will be enjoyed over the holiday. Wishing you a wonderful holiday too.
Marlene
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you, Marlene! Happy Holidays to you too!
Gayle Humann says
Hi Chris,
These cookies are beautiful and look very fun to make. Can’t wait to try. Where did you purchase the snowflakes for the top of the cookies?
Thank you,
Gayle
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Gayle, I used the larger white stars from this pack: https://amzn.to/3HWd97x
Gayle Humann says
Thanks Chris,
Just placed my order eith Amazon😊. The other day I made the French Apple Tart - Amazing! I have made the Lemon Mousse 4 times and it is a favorite with family and friends. Your recipes are amazing and so fun to make!!
Thank you!
Have a blessed and very merry holiday with family and friends!!
Gayle
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Gayle! Happy Holidays to you!
Cecile says
Can the icing recipe be used on a sugar cookie?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Cecile, I don't see why not.
Cecile says
Thanks!
Kristi Dillman says
The icing turned out thin and didn’t cover the cookies well. What did I do wrong?
Chris Scheuer says
It sounds like you need more powdered sugar. Brands can be different in consistency. Just add enough extra powdered sugar, a little at a time, until you get a fairly thick but pourable consistency.
Janet says
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ made them twice to practice for Christmas 🎄 .today I made them with lemon 🍋 extract and did yellow 🟡 icing .lemon shortbread cookies a keeper .
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Janet!
Rea hughes says
Can you use just vanilla for the glaze if you dont like pepperment?
Chris Scheuer says
Absolutely!
Lana says
Thank you!!!! Wooow, I used it to decorate my Xmas cookies and I find it as the best recipe online which I tried out.Its a minimum of mess with great result.I think we haven't half and half in my country (maybe is the cream for coffee I am not sure) but you can just mix equal ratio of light cream with milk.Beautiful blog and great tips also regarding the rolling pin with measures. where has this been all my life :)) thanks a lot ♡
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Lana, for your kind words! I'm so happy you had good results with these cookies! Yes, you're right, half and half is half milk and half cream.
Gretchen George says
Hello, I’m wondering if I can freeze these cookies after frosting, and for how long? Im sending them as Christmas gifts in the mail. I’ve made them twice now, they’re so yummy!
Chris Scheuer says
HI Gretchen, you can freeze them although they stay fresh in an airtight container for at least 10 days. So happy you've enjoyed them!
Victoria Rochford says
Chris, sorry, I can't see where to start a new question thread. Will the buttercream trees really dry enough that these can be stacked without damaging?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Victoria, they will! I ususally let them sit out overnight or for around 12 hours to harden. After that I have stacked them without a problem. If I'm stacking them in a storage container, I'll use parchment paper between the layers.
Tammy sowards says
Hello! These are beautiful and I’m going to attempt them. My food coloring is the liquid kind instead of the gel...it that ok for the glaze?
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, that will also work, Tammy!
Sarunrus Robinson says
Hi ! Can I make and cut out the dough ahead then freeze till I want to bake ? Or I should to bake and decorate before freeze ?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Sarunrus, I often make the dough, roll and cut the shapes, then freeze them on my sheet pan. You don't even have to thaw them before baking. Just give the cookies a few extra minutes in the oven.
Melissa says
I’m so excited to give this a try! Maybe I missed this answer when reading, but can you tell me why no mixer? Is it to simply it? If I use my mixer will I mess it up?
Tia!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Melissa, you definitely can use your mixer but it's so easy to do without and a lot of people don't have a mixer. Just don't overmix the dough or it will be tough.
Laura Cegelski says
Happy Halloween! I made these yesterday and they crumbled and tasted grainy. I followed the recipe, any ideas of what I may have done wrong?
Chris Scheuer says
Hmm... it's hard to say, Laura, without having been there in the kitchen with you. I've literally made dozens of batches of these cookies and they've never been grainy or crumbly. I suspect that you inadvertently measured something wrong but I can't say for sure. Did you use two sticks of butter?
Dawn says
I wonder, is it possible that you may have used regular sugar instead of the powdered sugar? That could be why they were grainy.
Kristine says
I was wondering if you have ever used a royal icing stencil on top of the hardened glaze? I love how it looks on the scalloped circles. I am doing pyo cookies for Easter and would love to try it on this glaze. Thank you...Kristine
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Kristine, I haven't tried a royal icing stencil. If you do, please share your results with us!
Becky says
I’ve made cookies similar to these but , no corn starch I add cream of tartar to help them have a good snap and crispness. Have you ever tried that.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Becky, I haven't tried that. It's good to know about that if I'm ever out of cornstarch.
Lauren says
Where's the milk at in the instructions for the cookies?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Lauren, not sure what you're asking. There isn't any milk in the cookies, just in the icing.
Katie says
How do u cook the cookies if u froze them? Do u let them sit out or do u cook from frozen? How long do u cook them? How do u store them? I
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Katie, I just pop them right in the oven frozen, then give them a few extra minutes of baking. They keep their shape really nicely.
Varsha says
I made these shortbread cookies and they come out delicious. I iced them too... though they are not as pretty as yours here, but they are decent! Thank you for great tips.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Varsha, I bet they're beautiful!
Chris Scheuer says
You're welcome, Varsha! The more you do them, the prettier they get!
Kelly says
This was a very easy recipe. The cookies turned out cute!
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome!
Liz says
Beautiful cookies! Maybe then this weekend. Do you use salted butter for the whole receipt?
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Liz! I use salted butter.
Ann says
Made these beautiful cookies for the first time this year. Delicious, easy and gorgeous. Just love them. Thank you.
Chris Scheuer says
You're welcome, Ann! I love that you love them!
Sharrimac says
Thanks for the info. This will be my first year to do Christmas cookies with my grandsons and I’ve NEVER done sugar cookies. Your info is a huge help. First thing I need is that roller!!!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Sharrimac, you will love that roller! Have fun! Baking with kids is wonderful, a little messy :), but wonderful! I've found it really helps to have all the ingredients measure ahead and in little bowls. That way they can add things without messing up the amounts.
Stephanie Jo says
Turned out perfect! Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! That's awesome, thanks for reporting back, Stephanie Jo!
Jennifer Smith says
How far ahead could you make these cookies prior to icing them and how should they be stored? Could they be made and frozen?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Jennifer,
I've made them up to a week ahead and they were perfect. Yes, they can also be made and frozen.
Judy Rotheram says
These are so beautiful !!! I can't wait to try and make them. Each snowy cookie reminds me of a beautiful winter nite spent eating cookies and drinnking hot cocoa in front of a fireplace!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Judy!
Elaina says
Hello. Does the butter cream harden as well? I like to travel with mine.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Elaina, the buttercream will harden. Just let the cookies sit out for a few hours.
Elaina says
Hello. Does the butter cream harden as well?