Pastel Christmas Sugar Cookies

Decorating sugar cookies puts me in my happy place.  There’s just something cathartic about making and decorating your own creations.  In my previous life, a.k.a. BC–before child, as my in-laws say, haha–I would spend hours with multiple colors and design combinations, spending up to a whole Saturday decorating cookies.  However, because I now have a newborn to add to my already rambunctious toddler, having a few hours to myself is such a rare thing.  My hubby gave me a wonderful gift of a few hours on a Saturday morning, and a friend came over to decorate with me.  (She is one of my few friends who completely understands sugar cookie decorating without giving me weird looks.)  In years past, I have made these and these, but this year, I wanted to go lighter.

A few of them are from stamps, and I used my Kopykake, (boy, do I love that thing!).  I consider myself a quazi-artist, because I can make something if I can copy it, even if just slightly, but I am not good at free-hand at all.  Whenever I draw something for my students, which is rare because I teach English, they always question my pictures–is that a dog or a horse, I can’t tell.

Originally, I was going to make them as ornaments and give as gifts, but I forgot to poke the hole for the ribbon before baking, so they were just simple cookies instead.  I found these neat boxes at Jo-Ann’s and decided they would be perfect to package my cookies.

To help keep the cookies fresh, I put them in cellophane bags and tied with a white ribbon.  Plus, they look cuter this way.

If you’d like to make these cookies, I used the sugar cookie recipe from this book and the royal icing is from here.  I hope you have a fabulous Christmas season and bake and share some goodies for friends and with friends.  Enjoy! xoxo