Santa Face Sugar Cookies

Transform a circle into these easy & adorable Santa face sugar cookies! No fancy piping needed; just a ziploc bag and some m&m’s. These make for a fun holiday baking activity with kids or just to leave out as cookies for Santa!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Keyword cut out sugar cookies, decorated christmas cookies, santa face sugar cookies

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Total Time 30

Servings cookies

Calories 234kcal

Author Melissa Rose

Ingredients

Sugar Cookie Dough

¾ cup unsalted butter softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract (nut allergy? you can substitute this with extra vanilla!)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

Buttercream Frosting

1 cup unsalted butter softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ teaspoons almond extract
¼ teaspoon salt
3 cups powdered sugar
Gel food coloring

Tools/Toppings:

M&M's candy (I used both mini & regular sized M&M's)
Circle cookie cutter 2.5-3" in diameter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, cream together unsalted butter (¾ cup, i.e. 1 ½ sticks) and granulated sugar (¾ cup) on medium speed for 20-30 seconds. Mix in egg (1 large), vanilla extract (2 teaspoons) and almond extract (1 teaspoon). Add in baking powder (1 teaspoon), salt (½ teaspoon), and all-purpose flour (2 cups) and mix until combined. Transfer to a flour-covered surface and use a rolling pin to roll dough ⅜" to ½" thick. Use a 2.5-3" circle cookie cutter or glass cup to cut out dough.
Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes. Depending on size of your cookie cutter and thickness of dough, you may need to bake for a few extra minutes. Allow to cool before decorating.
To make frosting: In a large mixing bowl, add softened unsalted butter (1 cup, i.e. 2 sticks), vanilla extract (2 teaspoons), almond extract (1 ½ teaspoons), and salt (¼ teaspoon). Cream together on medium speed for 30 seconds, or until blended together. Mix in powdered sugar ½ cup at a time (3 cups total) until all is incorporated. Turn mixer to high speed, and beat for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
To decorate: Reference the photos in the post above or print off my printable instruction PDF to decorate the santa faces.
1. Use a piping or ziploc bag to pipe red frosting on the top ⅓ of the cookie (this will be the hat on Santa’s head!).
2. With your white frosting, pipe dots along the bottom edge of the red and then one large dot on the end for Santa’s pom pom. If desired, top the pom pom with white nonpareil sprinkles.
3. Pipe 2 small dots for the eyes, 2 dots on the outsides for the cheeks, and 1 dot in the center for the nose; press on the M&M’s.
4. Pipe dots in the bottom ⅓ of the cookie to create the beard. If desired, press on a half M&M for the mouth (these are still cute without it though!).
Store in airtight container for 2-3 days or freeze for later.

Notes

Substitutions for M&M's: You can also use chocolate chips or eyeball sprinkles to create the eyes! If you don’t have either of those, you can also dye a little bit of frosting brown or black pipe on the details (although this is definitely messier & more effort!).

Storing: store in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

Freezing: you can freeze these santa face cookies for up to 1 month in an airtight container. I suggest freezing them in one layer before stacking. After they’re frozen, you can place parchment paper in between each later to prevent them from sticking together.

Make Ahead: freeze the unfrosted cookies and then let them thaw to room temperature before decorating. This is a great option if you want to make them ahead for a cookie decorating party!

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