Christmas Star Cookies Recipe

Nothing screams Christmas quite like a festive platter of cookies. ('Tis the season to be merry and of course, fill up on sweets, right?) Whether you're making these star cookies for a holiday get-together or for Santa to enjoy with a big glass of milk when he drops off gifts on Christmas Eve, it's always nice to have a variety of cookies to choose from. There's no doubt that chocolate chip and sugar cookies are among the most popular, but these star cookies not only look and taste great — they also feature a yummy icing that takes them to another level.

Recipe developer Catherine Brookes of Blue Sky Eating came up with this amazing recipe that is sure to please all. "I love the crunch and lightly spiced flavors of these festive cookies," Brookes raves. "It all goes perfectly with that sweet icing on top!" Is your mouth watering yet? It's okay, because we can seriously relate. Keep reading to find out how to make these beautiful holiday treats.

These festive treats only need a few ingredients, and it's worth reminding you to check at home before you head to the store in case you have some of the required ingredients! This will save time and money. 

When you do head to the grocery store, start with butter and add some brown sugar, an egg, and flour to your cart. Next, swing by the spice aisle, and get some cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. You will also need a pinch of salt, powdered sugar, and hot water. That's it!

Since you will need to use an oven, go ahead and preheat it. Simply set the temperature to 375 F, allowing it to get nice and hot as you do the rest of the prep work. Then, grab two baking sheets, and line them with parchment paper.

In the meantime, take out a large mixing bowl, and toss in the butter. (As a reminder, you should have left it out for a bit in advance, so it's at room temperature — making it easier to work with.) Then, add in the brown sugar, and mix with the butter until smooth.

Once you finish mixing the butter and brown sugar, add in the egg. Mix again until everything combines well. Then, use a sifter to sift in the flour, followed by the spices. Next, add your salt, and combine it with the other ingredients. Bring the batter together in a ball of dough using your hands. (If you want a little less mess, you could always wear a pair of gloves as opposed to bare hands.)

Then, use a roller to roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. You'll want to be about ¼ of an inch thick. "If the rolling pin is sticking to the dough at all, rub a little flour over that as well as the surface," Brookes notes.

While rolling out the dough is one of the most fun parts of this particular recipe, it's also really cool to cut out the shapes. Use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out your cookies, and then place them onto your prepared baking sheets. When asked about the possibility of using other cookie cutter shapes, Brookes notes, "snowmen, circles, [or] snowflakes [are great options] ... whatever you fancy."

Pop the cookies into the oven for 15 minutes, or until they begin to brown around the edges. When you take the cookies out of the oven, leave them on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Using a small bowl, mix together the powdered sugar and water to make your icing. If you want to add a pop of festive color to the icing, food coloring works great. "Just a few drops should be enough," Brookes says. Then, spread or pipe the icing all over the cooled star cookies. Leave them to set at room temperature.

Now, it's finally time to enjoy all your hard work! These cookies are wonderful on their own, but we love serving them with some cold milk. Brookes also says that this would be great with "tea/coffee/hot chocolate/milk/eggnog! Leftovers will keep well up to five days [at] room temp [in an] airtight container)."