I love making sugar cookies during the holidays. These Holiday Sugar Cookies combine the delicious taste of sugar cookies with fun seasonal frostings like hot chocolate frosting, eggnog frosting and peppermint frosting. Both the cookies, and the frostings, are incredibly easy to make!
While I enjoy cookies filled with a lot of “stuff”, there is something really irresistible about a big, buttery, sugar cookie. And these big, buttery, sugar cookies pair perfectly with frosting. I love to keep my frosting recipes simple, and that’s just what I’m doing with the eggnog frosting, hot chocolate frosting and peppermint frosting I used with these cookies.
Sugar Cookies
The great holiday flavors in these cookies come from eggnog, hot chocolate and candy canes. Those are some great Christmas flavors in my book!
Did you know that International Delight makes eggnog and an awesome heat and drink hot chocolate? You can find both of these in your dairy case. My husband is a huge eggnog fan, while my daughter is all about the hot chocolate. She was very excited to see that the International Delight Hot Chocolate comes in both Milk and Dark Chocolate, which is her favorite. Just pour it in your mug, warm it up and you are good to go! Needless to say I had some very happy family members when I brought these home! Thank you to ID for sponsoring this post.
Christmas Sugar Cookies
The eggnog and hot chocolate are perfect for whipping up quick and easy frostings for these cookies, or even for a cupcake recipe. The frosting contains powdered sugar, either eggnog, hot chocolate or milk (for the peppermint frosting), some butter and a pinch of salt if desired. For a little extra, you can add a sprinkle of nutmeg to the Egg Nog frosting or some dark cocoa powder to the Hot Chocolate Frosting, but you don’t have to! You don’t even have to use a mixer for these frostings, you can just stir them up in a bowl. By not using your mixer, you can more easily make a few different frosting flavors if you like for these holiday sugar cookies.
These holiday sugar cookies are inspired by the famous Swig Sugar Cookies. Truth be told I’ve never had a Swig cookie, but I love the shape and the fun indentation in them for the frosting. So I can’t promise these taste just like a Swig Cookie (they might, but I don’t know!), but they are delicious and perfect for these fun holiday flavored frostings.
These are BIG cookies. I scooped them onto my cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop, which works perfectly! After scooping them onto your cookie sheet, you press into each to make an indentation. I used a juice glass for mine.
When these cookies bake up, they may puff up and lose some of that indentation. If they do, just gently press into them again, with a larger glass, the moment that they come out of your oven. Once the cookies are completely cool, it’s time to whip up some frosting.
Sugar Cookie Frosting
This frosting is so easy to make, and the International Delights Hot Chocolate And Egg Nog pack it full of holiday flavors easily! For the peppermint frosting I used milk and a teaspoon of peppermint extract. These frosting recipes are so easy that you can make all three for one batch of cookies if you like! I love the seasonal flavors these bring to the cookies.
The important thing when making a frosting like this is to start with less liquid than you need, and slowly add more until you reach the desired consistency. For these cookies I wanted the frosting to be the consistency of honey, not super thin, but still liquid enough to spoon onto the cookies.
The frosting is then spooned onto the indentations in the cookies. Super simple!
Holiday Sugar Cookies
Holiday Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
TO MAKE COOKIES
- 1 cup butter softened
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup and 1/4 sugar
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 6 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp cream of tarter
- cup OPTIONAL - 1/3 sugar
TO MAKE FROSTINGS
- in The amounts listed make enough frosting to frost ALL the cookies this recipe it just gives you a choice of which frosting to make. If you want to make more than ONE type of frosting, you will want to cut these amounts in half or third.
EGGNOG FROSTING
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp melted and slightly cooled butter
- 6 tbsp International Delight Egg Nog
- Dash of nutmeg
HOT CHOCOLATE FROSTING
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp melted and slightly cooled butter
- 5 tbsp International Delight Hot Chocolate
- 1 tbsp dark cocoa powder
PEPPERMINT FROSTING
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp melted and slightly cooled butter
- 5 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, approximately two minutes. Turn mixer to low and VERY slowly pour in oil. Take care to do this very slowly or you will end up with oil all over! Once combined, add in water and vanilla. Once combined add in eggs.
- In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined, but do not over mix.
- Using a standard sized ice cream scoop, scoop dough onto a cookie sheet. Leave at least 3" between balls of dough. Using the back of a small cup (about 2" in diameter) dip the glass into sugar and than gently press into each ball of cookie dough, creating an indentation in the center. Repeat with remaining cookies.
- Bake cookies for approximately 8 minutes. Remove from oven and if indentions have risen too much, quickly press into them with the back of a larger glass, very gently, immediately after removing them from the oven (they still need to be hot). Allow cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet before transferring.
- FROSTING
- In a large bowl combine powdered sugar, butter, International Delight Egg Nog, Hot Chocolate or Milk, along with any other items called for in the recipe, such as nutmeg, cocoa powder or peppermint oil. Stir until smooth (you don't need a mixer, but can use one). If frosting is too runny, add more powdered sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time. If frosting is too thick, add more liquid, about 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Gently spoon icing onto indentation area of cooled cookies. If desired top with sprinkles, chocolate shavings, mini marshmallows, crushed candy canes or nutmeg. Allow frosting to set up for at least two hours (It will still be soft, this frosting does not dry hard to the touch).
- Store covered.
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Check out all of the recipes for Christmas Cookies here on Love From The Oven!
Make sure to check out International Delight to find out where you can pick up one of their Nogs or Hot Chocolates.
You can visit InternationalDelight.com and share how ID helps you capture the spirit of the season for chance to win a holiday brunch for friends and family hosted by International Delight. #ShareYourDelight
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.
L. DeMontfort says
Hi:
I’m just wondering why you need to add all that vegetable oil to this batter when you’re already using one cup of butter in these Holiday Sugar Cookies?
Thanks.
L. DeMontfort
Katie says
These are brilliant! Especially because they’re so easy to customise – perfect for Christmas evenings and gatherings. I will definitely be saving this recipe!
Roxana says
Oh my gosh, these look so yummy! I love how you scooped them so the glaze has a perfect place to nestle into. 🙂