Step-by-step decorating instructions to make Christmas present cookies

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Step-by-step cookie decorating instructions to make Christmas present cookies. A simple, cute holiday cookie.

Christmas present cookies

You may not be able to tell from the photograph, but these Christmas present cookies are small. A mere 1 1/2 inches square, to be precise. And they are easy to decorate, so you can make loads and loads of them for snacking, wrapping and giving, serving on a platter at your party, hiding in your stocking for yourself… whatever. I won’t judge.

I’m all about simplifying my life of late, and these are about the simplest little Christmas cookies you can decorate. Or, skip the bow and just make dots and stripes with the white icing. Or swirls. Or plaid. Or… I’ll just let you make what you like.

more Christmas cookie ideas

how to make mini Christmas present cookies

Sugar cookie dough and Royal icing
1 1/2-inch square cookie cutter
White, red and green food coloring
5 disposable decorating bags
3 couplers
2 size “3” decorating tips
1 size “2” decorating tip
Rubber bands
Toothpicks

Note: Use any size square cookie cutter you prefer. Shown 1 1/2 inches across. Find the cookie cutter, disposable decorating bags, coupler, and decorating tips in the craft store. For food coloring, I suggest Americolor Soft Gel Paste, Bright White, Electric Green and Red Red, available in specialty stores and online. For basic cookie decorating howtos click here.

Step 1: Roll out your cookie dough according to the recipe, about 1/4-inch thick. Cut out squares. Arrange on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake according to the recipe. Let cool completely.

Step 2: Prepare royal icing according to the recipe, divide and tint red, green and white. Prepare 3 decorating bags with couplers and tips. Fill two decorating bags fitted with size “4” tips with half of your red and green icings. Fill a decorating bag fitted with a size “2” tip with white icing. Close the bags tightly with rubber bands and cover the reserved red and green icing.

Step 3: Pipe a red or green outline on the cookies. Let set about 15 minutes. Thin both the red and green icings with water, a few drops at a time, stirring well, until the consistency is of thick glue. Fill two empty decorating bags with the thinned red and green icings. Close with rubber bands. Snip 1/4-inch from the tip of each bag and loosely pipe to fill the cookies with red or green icing. Let the icing flood to the outlines, encouraging as needed with a toothpick. Let set well, several hours or overnight.

Step 4: Pipe a white bow on the cookies and let dry.