Decorate Sugar Cookies ‐ from Plain to Perfect, Holiday Cookie Decorating

Decorating Christmas sugar cookies is one of the best parts of the holiday season. It's an activity that the adults enjoy almost as much as the children, and unlike other holiday crafts, you get to eat the finished product!

Some people decorate them and pass them out to friends and neighbors in decorative tins or brightly colored wrapping, while others take them to work.

Whatever you do with them, decorating cookies is a big part of sharing the cheer of the holiday season and there are many ways to decorate them that go beyond the traditional icing. Don't let these gorgeous little treats only come out as Christmas cookies either. They are ideal for use in bake sales, fundraisers and to serve to family and friends as a light dessert. Who doesn't love a great cookie?

To get started, bake a batch of our plain sugar cookies. You can slice the cookies or you may roll them and cut them once they are cold just as easily as you can lay the rolled piece down on the sheet and use them round.

You can find the recipe for here Make Easy, No Fuss Sugar Cookies in the VisiHow Cooking Category.

Create this lovely version of cookies very simply using just two or three ingredients. Whether you give them for Christmas or simply use them to serve to family and friends, they are elegant and easy.

You Will Need

• One batch of the No Fuss Sugar Cookies
• One cup of chocolate chips - melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in one minute intervals, stirring each time the microwave shuts off to ensure they do not burn.
• One cup of powdered/confectioner's sugar

To Decorate Your Sugar Cookies

1. 1
   Remove cookies from oven to a cooling rack and allow to cool at least 15 minutes.

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2. 2
   Dip one half the cookie into the melted chocolate.

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3. 3
   Dip one half the cookie into powdered sugar.

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4. 4
   If desired, drizzle chocolate with a toothpick onto the powdered sugar side of your cookie.

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5. 5
   Lay cookies on waxed paper or parchment to dry.

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Give your cookies a beautiful stained glass look with nothing more than a few pieces of hard candy. The look is fantastic and it works so easily that you really have nothing to add.

You Will Need

1. 1
   Lifesavers or other colored hard candy

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2. 2
   One recipe of cookie dough

   .

   Make Easy, No Fuss Sugar Cookies

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To Create Stained Glass Cookies

1. 1
   Simply buy some hard candy in an assortment of colors and crush them in a plastic bag.

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2. 2
   Roll out your sugar cookies (or make them into whatever shape you choose) #Cut out small areas and sprinkle the crushed candy into the hole.

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3. 3
   Bake as you normally would

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   The hard candy will melt and form a smooth pane of "stained glass" in your cookies.

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4. 4
   This is especially pretty with Christmas tree shaped cookies or those shaped like stars.

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5. 5
   Allow your cookies to cool completely before removing from the pan

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   This will give the candy time to harden.

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Sugar cookies can look just as festive if you tint your cookie dough before you bake them.

You Will Need

1. 1
   Food coloring in the colors of your choice.

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2. 2
   One batch of the No Fuss Cookie Dough.

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To Create Easy Colored Cookies

1. 1
   Rather than using frosting to make a cute candy cane, tint some cookie dough red

   .

   Take a piece of white dough and a piece of red dough and roll them into long, snake-like strands.

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2. 2
   After doing this, twist the two pieces together and shape a crook on the end

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   You will have a perfect candy cane that needs no extra decorations.

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3. 3
   The same thing applies to Christmas tree shaped cookies

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   If you color your dough green, all you need to do is add a few sprinkles or candies to look like lights and your cookie is done.

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Of course there are some cookies that you will want to frost, that's part of the fun after all. If you will be using the cookies at home, get creative and make them stand up and sparkle, but there are limits to that.

When you frost your cookies it is always better to keep it simple if they will be traveling. Let the shape of the cookie stand by itself and just add some colored icing and a few sprinkles as an accent.

1. 1
   In many cases a cookie looks more attractive when it is simply outlined in frosting rather than covered

   .

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2. 2
   If you accent a dark colored cookie or bar with white icing, it gives them a touch of elegance that needs no further decoration

   .

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3. 3
   Likewise, if you press a few colored candies into your cookies before baking, it takes away the need for layers of icing

   .

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4. 4
   Just a touch of colored frosting here and there will give them a finished look that speaks for itself.

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5. 5
   Keeping your decorations to a minimum also makes them easier to transport

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   If you are taking a tray of cookies to grandma's house or to a holiday party, you don't want to have to wrap everything in a layer of bubble wrap to get them there.

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You don't want to show up at a party or a dinner with a plate of cookies that looks like they've been through a war. Take some time and use decorations that don't require you to transport with huge care. Use simple decorations that give amazing results like the ones that we've found above. If you minimize the amount of extras that are involved with decorating, you can have picture perfect cookies that can stand a bit of traveling time.

If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

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