Decorated Iced Christmas Cookies: Cutout Shapes & Decorating Tips

Iced Christmas Biscuits – How to cut out shapes and decorate cookies

This easy vanilla biscuit dough is ideal for cookie cutters. Once baked and cooled, decorate with royal icing in your favourite colours. Makes about 35 biscuits.

Equipment

• Cookie cutters (Christmas shapes)
• Rolling pin
• Baking trays and parchment paper
• Stand mixer or hand mixer (optional)
• Piping bags and small nozzles

Ingredients

Christmas cookie cutter biscuits

• 200 g butter (room temperature)
• 200 g granulated sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 400 g plain flour (you may need a little more to reach a play-dough consistency)

Royal icing

• 350 g icing sugar
• 2 pasteurised egg whites (or powdered egg white / meringue powder)
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• Food colouring gel (your choice of colours)

To decorate

• Sprinkles, nonpareils or small chocolate pieces

Instructions

Make the biscuit dough

1. Bring the butter to room temperature. In a bowl, beat 200 g butter with 200 g granulated sugar for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy. If mixing by hand it will take longer.
2. Add the beaten egg and 2 tsp vanilla extract, mixing until combined (about 1–2 minutes).
3. Add 2 tsp baking powder and half of the 400 g flour. Stir with a spoon until incorporated.
4. Add the remaining flour a little at a time. The dough should reach a play-dough-like consistency. If it’s sticky, add a little more flour; if it’s too dry and cracks when rolled, add tiny splashes of cold water.
5. Divide the dough into three equal balls. Each ball makes roughly twelve 8 cm biscuits. Place balls in a zip-top bag and chill in the fridge for about 25 minutes (or the freezer for 10 minutes) to firm up.

Roll and cut

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan) / 180°C (conventional) / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
2. Roll chilled dough between sheets of parchment paper to about 1 cm (¼ inch) thick. This prevents sticking and makes it easy to transfer to a baking tray.
3. Cut shapes using your cookie cutters and transfer the parchment to baking sheets. Reroll scraps and continue until all dough is used.

Bake

1. Bake for 7–9 minutes. Watch carefully and remove before the biscuits change colour — they should remain pale. Look for tiny surface cracks as a sign they are ready.
2. Biscuits will be soft when removed; allow them to cool completely on a wire rack — they will firm up as they cool.

Make the royal icing

1. In a bowl, combine 350 g icing sugar, ½ tsp cream of tartar, ½ tsp vanilla extract and 2 pasteurised egg whites (or prepared egg white powder per packet instructions).
2. Mix on low until smooth. You want a thick piping consistency that won’t run when outlining. If needed, adjust with a teaspoon of water or a little more icing sugar to achieve the right thickness.
3. Divide the icing into separate bowls for each colour. Add food colouring gel to create your chosen shades.
4. Fill piping bags: keep one thicker consistency for outlines and make a thinner version (by adding a little water) for flooding larger areas. A small hole cut in the bag tip works well for these decorations.

Decorating

1. Ensure biscuits are fully cooled before piping.
2. Pipe outlines with the thicker icing. Use the thinner icing to flood the outlined areas. A toothpick helps spread and guide the thinner icing.
3. While the icing is still wet, add sprinkles or small decorations so they stick.
4. Royal icing will be touch dry in about 30 minutes but allow a couple of hours for full drying before stacking or storing.

Storage

Once fully dry, stack the biscuits in an airtight container or zip-lock bags. They keep at room temperature for up to one week. If you need to pause decorating, seal piping bags and refrigerate for up to three days to prevent hardening.

Tips and troubleshooting

• Do not use raw egg whites — use pasteurised egg whites, egg white powder or meringue powder for safety.
• Chilling the dough makes it easier to roll and helps the biscuits hold their shape while baking.
• Test royal icing consistency by running a knife through it: it should take around 10–15 seconds to level back. Add water a teaspoon at a time if too thick; add icing sugar to thicken if too thin.
• If biscuits brown, they are likely overbaked. Aim for pale biscuits with tiny surface cracks.

Variations

This plain vanilla biscuit recipe works for any cutout shapes, not just Christmas. Try seasonal cutters or themed shapes for birthdays and parties.