7 Festive Decorated Christmas Cookies

These decorated Christmas cookie ideas will help you plan your Christmas cookies list, all with step-by-step tutorials and festive decorations.

From Christmas wreaths to winter mittens to candy canes, there’s something about decorated cookies and the holiday season that go hand-in-hand.

It’s when we pull out Grandma’s recipes, get to work on decorating, and have fun as friends and families making cookies together.

I’ve created these tutorials for different Christmas themed cookies so you can get ideas or follow along as you make this year’s Christmas presents – much better than a pair of socks!

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Must-Have Baking Tools (seriously)

Silicone baking mats – I use this brand and my cookies slide right off without burning!
a cookie scoop – get this one. It makes the perfect rounded cookies every time!
silicone spatula – try this set. It’s the best way to get the most out of your dough and batters
rolling pin guides – I use this one. Genius way to roll your dough out evenly!

How to Make the Dough for Decorated Christmas Cookies

I always use this cut-out sugar cookie recipe for my Christmas cookies, and they’re a huge hit.

The combination of powdered sugar and regular sugar make them chewy while still keeping their shape, and if you take them out of the oven just as they start to go golden on the edges, they are super soft to bite into while holding all of the icing like a champ.

You can use any cut-out cookie recipe you want, just make sure it’s formulated for using cookie cutters and holding its shape, as many cookie recipes are intended to spread and that won’t work for these.

How to Make Royal Icing

Royal icing is the icing of choice for these decorated Christmas cookies, so follow the royal icing recipe and check out my royal icing decorating tips to learn how to use this amazing type of icing.

Royal icing dries hard and smooth, which helps us create the wonderful designs and get creative with these cookies.

You might not have used it before, but a few minutes of practice and you’ll be ready to decorate with ease.

Must-Have Decorating Tools

Piping bags – I use and love these ones
Gel food coloring – much better than liquid food coloring
Meringue powder – I use this kind for my royal icing
Scribe – for awesome detail and clean up

How to Make Candy Cane Cookies

Candy cane cookies come in many different forms, but these are decorated candy cane cookies, which is perfect for letting the kids go crazy with their candy cane designs.

You can make them look like traditional candy canes, or you can use different designs or colors to really make them your own.

You want to be careful with these when moving them before they’re cool, as the hook at the end can snap or fall off easily if the cookie isn’t firm yet.

Check out the candy cane cookie tutorial for more ideas.

How to Make Snowflake Cookies

I’m obsessed with these gorgeous snowflake cookies.

I used blue and white icing for a winter wonderland feel, and I used the technique of decorating with the same color as I flooded the base with.

This gives a really subtle and sophisticated look.

You can also use sprinkles and edible pearls to create 3D designs.

Learn more about making decorated snowflake cookies.

How to Make Chistmas Wreath Cookies

Get your leaf piping tips ready for this one!

Using a leaf piping tip and stiff royal icing, you can create beautiful Christmas wreath cookies that are 3D with their design.

Add a bow and an edible pearl to top it all off, and you’ve got the most festive cookies on the block.

Read more about Christmas wreath cookies here.

How to Make Holiday Bell Cookies

You can adapt bell cookies to different times of year, but I like to make holiday bell cookies around Christmas using reds and greens or blues and whites for a wintery feel.

Bell cookies are some of the easiest decorated cookies to make, which make these one of the best decorated cookies to make with kids.

No intricate designs are needed, just some creativity and royal icing.

Learn how to make holiday bell cookies.

How to Make Mitten Cookies

These mitten cookies are absolutely adorable.

You can create as many different patterns as you want, and I love these for events that are winter or holiday themed rather than Christmas themed as they can suit a variety of winter and holiday events.

The delicate “stitching” effect is one of my favorites.

Check out how to make decorated mitten cookies.

How to Make Christmas Tree Cookies

You can’t have Christmas without a Christmas tree!

Christmas tree cookies are a wonderful part of the season, and these decorated Christmas tree cookies let your imagination run wild with how you’d like to string the lights on.

You can stick with the classic green and brown, or you can go a bit modern and try different colors for your tree – a little like a Charlie Brown Christmas!

Check out my Christmas tree cookie tutorial.

How to Make Christmas Ornament Cookies

These Christmas ornament cookies are elegant and fun to design, and the best part is that there are no rules.

With so many different Christmas ornaments out there, you can make one uniquely your own with no parameters to follow, and that means you can get creative with the colors, designs, or the extra additions like edible pearls and sprinkles.

Read more about decorated Christmas ornament cookies.