Christmas Sugar Cookies

Nothing says Christmas like sugar cookies, right?  I've posted this sugar cookie recipe before, but I wanted to share these ones all decked out for Christmas.

It completely frustrates me when I see piped cookies online but there's no information on what tips were used.

I'm not a tip aficionado.  I can't just look at a design and know which tip created it.  So to be nice, all the tips and techniques I used are listed below so you don't have to get angry and eat a bag of mini Starbursts like me. 

I mean, hypothetically of course.

That's never happened.

I may not be a piping expert, but I love doing these buttercream-piped sugar cookies. They are so versatile and fun. You can change them for any season, holiday, or party.

Looking for a Halloween Version?  How about 4th of July?

Summer?

I even have a Baby Shower version.

Don't worry, a Valentine's Day version is totally coming.  

Happy Sunday!

Blue Tree: I used a shell tip (Wilton #18 works well), and piped on rows of shells.  (I turned my cookie upside down and started at the trunk and worked toward the tip of the tree.) Stagger shells after each row so that all the empty spaces get covered. I used a small round tip (Wilton #3) to pipe on the trunk, and purple swag.  I used a small star tip to pipe on the star, and decorated with silver dragees.

Green Tree: I used a medium round tip (Wilton #10 or #12) to swirl green frosting from the top of the tree to the bottom.  I threw on some white balls and used a tiny round tip (Wilton #3) to pipe on the trunk in an up-down-up-down motion.


Not Pictured: For some of the trees I used a grass tip (Wilton #233 or #234) to pipe on green frosting.  (Super cute if you sprinkle it with a little  powdered sugar "snow" at the end.)

Ornaments: I used a star tip (Wilton #16) to make ruffles across the middle. (Just pipe up and down in a tight squiggly motion for the duration of the line.)  I used a medium sized round tip (Wilton #10 or #12) for the straight line, and added some dots and stars with various small round/star tips.  Just experiment with this one! Lots of colors and textures is really pretty and fun.

I threaded a piece of Pull'n'Peel licorice through these (make the hole with a drinking straw-right after baking while still hot) to make a "ribbon" for the ornament to hang on.  I recommend doing this before decorating the cookie so you don't smear your frosting.

Candy Cane: I just used a small ruffle tip (Wilton #16) and a small round tip (Wilton #3) to make a repeating pattern all the way down.


Stocking: For the white part of the stocking you can pipe on frosting with any tip, just smear it around so it's even and fairly smooth.  A plain butter knife will even work.  While it's still wet, sprinkle it heavily with clear sanding sugar.  I used a medium-sized round tip (Wilton # 10) to pipe on red frosting for the body of the stocking, from the top to the bottom.

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