Best 7 Holiday Swirled Sugar Cookies Recipes

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Indulge in the festive spirit with Holiday Swirled Sugar Cookies, a delightful treat that combines classic sugar cookies with a vibrant twist. These cookies are not just any ordinary cookies; they are swirled with colorful sprinkles, creating a mesmerizing visual appeal that is sure to impress your loved ones. This recipe provides step-by-step instructions for creating these delectable cookies, along with variations for different colored sprinkles and additional flavorings. Whether you're a seasoned baker or a beginner looking to impress, this comprehensive guide will lead you through the process of creating these stunning and delicious holiday treats. Get ready to fill your kitchen with the sweet aroma of freshly baked cookies and create lasting memories with your loved ones.

Here are our top 7 tried and tested recipes!

SUGAR SWIRL COOKIES RECIPE BY TASTY



Sugar Swirl Cookies Recipe by Tasty image

Here's what you need: butter, sugar, egg, vanilla extract, salt, flour, red food coloring, sprinkles

Provided by Katie Aubin

Categories     Snacks

Yield 12 servings

Number Of Ingredients 8

8 tablespoons butter, soft
1 cup sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon red food coloring, (or customize it with other colors)
sprinkles, to taste

Steps:

  • In a large bowl, mix together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  • Mix in egg, vanilla, and salt.
  • Mix in flour.
  • Make the dough into a ball and cut into two halves.
  • Add food coloring to one half of the dough, working it in until evenly mixed.
  • On a large cutting board covered in plastic wrap, use a rolling pin to roll out each piece of dough to make two 12x9-inch (30x22-cm) rectangles. Tip: Place wax paper over the dough while rolling to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin.
  • Take the colored dough rectangle and place it over the other regular dough rectangle.
  • Use the plastic wrap under the regular dough rectangle to help you roll the two rectangles up.
  • Fill a flat dish or baking pan with sprinkles. Roll the dough around it until the outside is completely coated.
  • Chill for at least 4 hours.
  • Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
  • Cut the dough into ¼-inch (6-mm) slices and place them on a cookie sheet.
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes, until blonde.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts : Calories 164 calories, Carbohydrate 20 grams, Fat 8 grams, Fiber 0 grams, Protein 1 gram, Sugar 11 grams

HOLIDAY SUGAR COOKIES



Holiday Sugar Cookies image

I add a hint of lemon to these delightful sugar cookies. For make-ahead convenience, freeze the dough up to three months, then thaw in the fridge before baking and decorating them. -Katie Koziolek, Hartland, Minnesota

Provided by Taste of Home

Categories     Desserts

Time 35m

Yield about 9-1/2 dozen.

Number Of Ingredients 13

2 cups butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
FROSTING:
3 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
Green food coloring
Red Hot candies

Steps:

  • In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon peel and vanilla. Combine flour and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Shape into three 10-in. rolls; wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm., Unwrap and cut into 1/4-in. slices. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks., In a large bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, milk and food coloring until smooth; transfer to a resealable plastic bag; drizzle over cookies in the shape of a Christmas tree. Place one Red Hot at the top of each tree.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 169 calories, Fat 7g fat (4g saturated fat), Cholesterol 30mg cholesterol, Sodium 97mg sodium, Carbohydrate 24g carbohydrate (13g sugars, Fiber 0 fiber), Protein 2g protein.

HOLIDAY SWIRL SHORTBREAD COOKIES



Holiday Swirl Shortbread Cookies image

Get ahead of the holidays with this make-ahead recipe that's easy enough for a novice baker! It all starts with the tried-and-true shortbread formula: sugar, butter and flour. These three basic ingredients-plus a dash of vanilla-are all that's needed to make a dough that bakes up into almost inexplicably buttery and tender cookies, so they've got substance, as well as style. Their swirled look is the result of a little bit of food color and Betty's clever technique. Dough gets divided into three parts, dyed and recombined. A little bit of gentle kneading is all it takes to add the holly-jolly swirled effect!

Provided by By Betty Crocker Kitchens

Categories     Dessert

Time 2h55m

Yield 24

Number Of Ingredients 7

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon Betty Crocker™ green gel food color
1/2 teaspoon Betty Crocker™ red gel food color
2 tablespoons coarse sparkling white sugar

Steps:

  • In large bowl, beat softened butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and the vanilla with spoon until well mixed. Stir in flour until blended. Knead 5 to 10 times or until dough is smooth.
  • Divide dough into 3 pieces. Place 2 pieces of dough into 2 small bowls. To one bowl, add green food color; stir or knead to mix color thoroughly into dough. Repeat with red food color and second piece of dough.
  • Cut each of the 3 doughs in half. Take one half of each of the doughs, and press together into a ball. Gently knead to mix colors (don't overwork dough or it will lose marbling). Shape into a roll, 6 inches long by 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Spread 1 tablespoon sparkling sugar on plastic wrap; roll log to cover. Wrap dough log tightly with plastic wrap. Repeat forming, shaping and rolling with remaining dough pieces. Refrigerate about 1 hour 30 minutes or until firm.
  • Heat oven to 350°F. Unwrap 1 of the dough logs; cut into 1/2-inch slices. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet, reshaping if necessary.
  • Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are set. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Unwrap remaining dough log, and repeat slicing and baking. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Store covered in airtight container.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 130, Carbohydrate 13 g, Cholesterol 20 mg, Fat 1 1/2, Fiber 0 g, Protein 1 g, SaturatedFat 5 g, ServingSize 1 Cookie, Sodium 60 mg, Sugar 5 g, TransFat 0 g

SPICED HOLIDAY SUGAR COOKIES



Spiced Holiday Sugar Cookies image

A twist on traditional sugar cookies, this recipe offers a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg for holiday inspired flavor that kids and adults alike will enjoy!

Provided by Food Network

Categories     dessert

Time 28m

Yield Makes 6 dozen or 24 (3 cookie) servings

Number Of Ingredients 15

Cookies:
2 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon McCormick® Cinnamon, Ground
1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Nutmeg, Ground
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 egg
2 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
Colorful Cookie Icing:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3 to 4 teaspoons milk
1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
3 to 4 drops McCormick® Assorted Food Colors & Egg Dye

Steps:

  • 1. Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. Set aside. Beat granulated sugar and butter in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Refrigerate dough 2 hours or overnight until firm.
  • 2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface* to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into shapes with favorite cookie cutters. Place on greased baking sheets.
  • 3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
  • 4. For the Icing, mix all ingredients except food colors. (Stir in additional milk to thin icing or more confectioners' sugar to thicken, if needed). Place small amount of icing into small shallow bowls, using one bowl for each color desired. Stir drops of food color into icing until desired shade is reached.
  • 5. To ice cookies, hold cookie by its edge and dip top of cookie into icing. (Or spoon the icing onto cookie using a teaspoon.) Place iced cookies on wire rack set over foil-covered baking sheet to dry. (The foil-covered baking sheet will catch drips.) To add decorative details to cookies, spoon tinted icing into resealable plastic bag. Snip off a tiny piece of the corner. Squeeze icing through hole in plastic bag to decorate cookies. If desired, Colored Sugar may be sprinkled onto freshly iced cookies.
  • For the variations below, omit the cinnamon and the nutmeg. Use the following extract in place of the vanilla extract in the cookies:
  • Almond Holiday Sugar Cookies: Use 1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Almond Extract.
  • Orange Holiday Sugar Cookies: Use 1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Orange Extract.
  • Lemon Holiday Sugar Cookies: Use 1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Lemon Extract.

RITA'S HOLIDAY SUGAR COOKIES



Rita's Holiday Sugar Cookies image

My family has used this recipe since I was a small child. I've reduced the amount of sugar that the original recipe called for. The cookie gets plenty of sweetness from the frosting. For the swap, I decorated some of the cookies and then I made packs of plain cookies, icing and sprinkles so that each family can have fun decorating at home. I also used the colored dough in the middle of the plain dough to make two-toned cookies, and I think this makes them adorable.

Provided by Food Network

Categories     dessert

Time 1h18m

Yield 30

Number Of Ingredients 13

3/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Food coloring
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 2/3 cups confectioners' sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Food coloring

Steps:

  • For cookies:
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • In a mixer, beat shortening until soft. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Gradually mix in the flour. Remove half of the dough, leaving the remaining in the mixer. Add a couple of drops of food coloring to the dough in the mixer, until the desired color is achieved and beat until combined. Form each half of the dough into disks and wrap in plastic film. Chill in the refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour.
  • Roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness and cut out cookies with cookie cutters. Transfer to an ungreased cookie sheet and bake until firm, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
  • For frosting:
  • In a mixer, beat butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. If frosting is too thick, add more milk, a very small amount at a time. Divide frosting into several small bowls. Add a different color of food coloring to the frosting in each bowl. Glaze each cookie with a different color frosting.

HOLIDAY SUGAR COOKIES



Holiday Sugar Cookies image

Provided by Kelsey Nixon

Categories     dessert

Time 55m

Yield 2 dozen cookies

Number Of Ingredients 8

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs

Steps:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate large bowl using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar, mixing until pale yellow and fluffy, 3 minutes. Add in the vanilla and eggs and mix well. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.
  • Using slightly wet hands, roll the dough into heaping tablespoon-size balls (or use a small cookie scoop) and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake just until the edges start to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. (Bake one sheet at a time for even cooking and browning.) Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool.
  • The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

HOLIDAY SWIRL COOKIES (GIFT MIX IN A JAR)



Holiday Swirl Cookies (Gift Mix in a Jar) image

Gift jar directions at bottom of the recipe - add onto a recipe card and attach to the gift! Or skip the gift making and indulge yourself with this treat!! NOTE: This recipe is to be prepared one QUART size wide mouth canning jar and will yield 4 dozen cookies.

Provided by Mom2Rose

Categories     Dessert

Time 55m

Yield 48 cookies, 24 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 10

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup Nestle swirled holiday morsels
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Steps:

  • Creating the Gift in a Jar:
  • Wash and thoroughly dry a 1-quart wide-mouth canning jar.
  • Layer the ingredients in the jar as listed above starting with the flour mixture, brown sugar, sugar and the morsels - make sure to press firmly with a flat bottomed object after each addition; make the layers as level as possible.
  • Secure the lid and decorate as desired; attach the instructions for making these cookies found below.
  • HOLIDAY SWIRL COOKIES GIFT TAG:
  • Additional ingredients to be added by the recipient: 1/2 cup butter, softened, 1/2 cup shortening, 1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla extract.
  • COOKIE INSTRUCTIONS:
  • Preheat oven to 375°F
  • Remove morsels from jar and set aside.
  • Beat butter and shortening until creamy in a medium mixing bowl.
  • Add dry ingredients from jar; mix until well blended.
  • In a small bowl, beat egg with vanilla extract using a fork; add to flour mixture.
  • Gently stir in morsels.
  • Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet.
  • Bake at 375°F for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 163.8, Fat 8.4, SaturatedFat 3.6, Cholesterol 19, Sodium 183.3, Carbohydrate 21.1, Fiber 0.3, Sugar 13.1, Protein 1.4

Tips:

  • Use quality ingredients. This will make a big difference in the taste of your cookies.
  • Make sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature before you start. This will help them to cream together more easily.
  • Don't overmix the dough. Overmixing will make the cookies tough.
  • Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before you bake it. This will help the cookies to hold their shape.
  • Bake the cookies until they are just set. Overbaking will make them dry and crumbly.

Conclusion:

These holiday swirled sugar cookies are a delicious and festive treat that are perfect for any occasion. They are easy to make and can be decorated in a variety of ways. So get creative and have fun!

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