Well, I finally got invited to a cookie exchange last year at Christmas time! I have only ever been to one that my book club, that I once belonged to, had years ago. I can’t even remember what cookies I took. Needless to say, I had to do some research for a new recipe, in typical Anna fashion. I get picked on for trying new stuff all the time, but I am usually spot on.
These cookies look pretty similar to a recipe that I found on the Food Network site, and were a big hit at the Cookie Exchange/Swap. It was my first time using Royal icing, but I thought I did pretty well for a beginner, don’t you?
I really want to get some more practice in. Some of the iced sugar cookies out there look so cute and yummy. My friend has a great recipe, but it’s a family secret, so I continue to look for one.
My friends were quite impressed with these Holiday Swirled Cookies, and asked how I did the cool swirl on top. We all agreed they were quite tasty. I squirreled away more of these cookies than any other on the table. I can be selfish, right? Everyone was so full from the dinner we had that I don’t think they noticed. LOL!! And don’t even ask me how many I ate at home before I even got to the party.
One of the reasons the cookies were so good was that I used this Vanilla Sugar Cookie Mix . What a time saver on a busy day! If you have a great iced sugar cookie recipe you could share with, let me know in the comments. Please include tips for icing the cookies.
Holiday Swirled Cookies
- December 2, 2021
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Ingredients
- Thrive Vanilla Sugar Cookie Mix, pantry can size
- 2 T. flour
- 3/4 c. butter
- 1 egg
- 2 T. water
- ROYAL ICING:
- 1 lb. powdered sugar
- 2 T. meringue powder
- Red and Green gel food coloring
- White sugar sprinkles
Directions
- Step 1
- Follow the directions on the can of cookie mix, adding the 2 T. of flour to the dry cookie mix (for rolled and cut cookies).
- Step 2
- Shape the dough into a disk, wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour*.
- Step 3
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Step 4
- Generously dust your work surface with powdered sugar and roll out the dough to 1/2 inch thick.
- Step 5
- Cut cookie dough with a 2-inch round cookie cutter, re-rolling scraps and cutting more cookies.
- Step 6
- Place cookies about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Step 7
- Refrigerate cookies until firm, about 1 hour.
- Step 8
- Place oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 325° F. on Convection bake (350° for regular oven).
- Step 9
- Bake the cookies, rotating the pans halfway through, until lightly browned around the edges, 9-11 minutes. Cool completely on cookie sheets.
- Step 10
- For the Royal Icing, combine the powdered sugar and meringue powder in a large bowl. Add 7 T. water and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until soft glossy peaks form, adding up to 8 T. of water if necessary to make a smooth icing that thickly coats the back of a spoon.
- Step 11
- Line a baking sheet with parchment and set a cooling rack on top.
- Step 12
- Put 1/4 c. icing into each of 2 small bowls. Add 9 drops red food coloring to one bowl, stirring until evenly combined. Add 2 drops of green food coloring to the second bowl and stir until evenly combined.
- Step 13
- Pour the remaining white icing into a clean, rimmed baking sheet and spread or shake evenly to coat it. Drizzle the red icing over the white, then the green icing.
- Step 14
- One at a time, put the cookies face-down into the icing, taking the cookies out one at a time, shaking gently to let excess icing drip off.
- Step 15
- Place cookies right side up on the prepared cooling rack. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired.
- Step 16
- Let icing harden completely before serving, about an hour.
