How to Make Connecting Christmas Light Cookies
Nothing gets me more in the holiday spirit than decking the halls with strings of Christmas lights. Nothing gets me more in the "Bah-Humbug" spirit than having a string of lights go out after everything's decorated. This time of year, you just gotta learn to roll with the punches. Frustration over a bad strand of lights is a Christmas tradition for many.
With Christmas just 3 weeks away, the big day will be here quicker than you know it! I know that December can leave most people short on free time to make holiday treats, however, I think I got you covered.
I have a fun, easy, and quick idea that I'm will impress all your guests-- Christmas light cookies that actually "connect." The design idea consists of mini cookies that utilize new mini cookie bags I just added to the shop. When bagged together, or laid closely on a plate, these Christmas light cookies appear to be a continuous strand of string lights. The design is simple and very quick to whip up! Here's how you can make them yourself.
Christmas Light Cookies Cookie Cutter
These Christmas light cookies use a simple square cookie cutter. If you don't already own one yourself, you can find the one I used in my shop.
This square cookie cutter is 1.75" in size and will fit perfectly in these mini bags. These make great parting gifts for guests and great stocking stuffers for family.
The bags themselves are 2.5" wide, and 12" tall. I could easily fit five of these Christmas light cookies in one bag, but I went with 4 cookies for each bulb color I used.
Template for the Christmas Light Cookies
I provided a downloadable PDF template file for the two cookie designs for the Christmas light cookies shown in this tutorial. The two designs are mirror images of each other. However, don't confuse them as the same design. You will need to make both design orientations for this idea to work.
You can download the Christmas light cookie template HERE.
If you have a Kopykake or Pico projector, just print it out (or pull it up on your mobile device) and you are good to go. For those without a projector, follow the suggested steps below by cutting out the template and tracing the design onto the cookie with an edible food marker.
Christmas Light Cookies Decorating Process
The color of the bulbs for these Christmas light cookies can be customized to your liking. I went with a multi-colored strand of lights, but I think just red and green bulbs would look awesome and very Christmas-y, as well.
Step 1
Begin by flooding all the square cookies with white royal icing. This will be your background color. Feel free to change up the color to your liking. Let these cookies dry completely before moving on (about 2 to 4 hours).
Step 2
Next, for those without a projector, mark guidelines where the bulb and the wire should be. I made a template with template plastic from the PDF file above and used a food marker to draw the guideline on the cookie. Be sure to flip the template over and do the mirror image design on half of the cookies.
Step 3
Fill in the bulb areas with the colors of your choosing. Then immediately add a white shiny accent, as shown. Let these cookies dry for about 15 minutes.
Step 4
Once the bulbs had time to set, using dark green icing, add a collar and pipe over the wire guideline. Let that set for about 15 minutes, then add the bulb stems.
It's that simple! Honestly, after getting into a decorating rhythm, I was able to finish 4 dozen in no time ("no time" = approximately 2 hours).
The finished Christmas light cookies look great lined up on a platter, or bagged up as gifts. The "wires" should line up close enough to give the illusion that they are connected. I'm sure your guests will love it!
