These Christmas wreath cookies are made from vanilla sugar cookie dough that’s colored green, coated in sparkling sugar and decorated with red chocolate candy bows. This is a fun and easy Christmas cookie recipe that looks beautiful added to a Christmas cookie box.
You might also love these Christmas star cookies, snowflake cookies and old fashioned candy cane cookies.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Buttery and Crunchy. This recipe is based on my soft vanilla sugar cookies, but the sugary coating will give them a crunchy finish.
Bake Now, Freeze for Later. If you want to make the cookies in advance, you can freeze them until you’re ready to put together your Christmas cookie boxes.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude. Today’s Christmas wreath cookies will work at any altitude without adjustments, though.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Vanilla Sugar Cookie Dough. The cookie dough comes together easily in your food processor, and you can use it for virtually any type of cutout Christmas cookie you want to make.
- Food Coloring. For the deep green color, I added 1 teaspoon “forest green” gel food coloring and a few drops of “super black” gel food coloring.
- Egg White. The egg white helps the sugar stick to the dough for a crunchy, sparkly finish.
- Granulated Sugar + Coarse Sparkling Sugar. For sprinkling onto the cookies before they bake, giving them a beautiful sparkly finish. You can use just granulated sugar, but combining it with coarse sparkling sugar, or decorator’s sugar, adds extra crunch and sparkle.
- Red Chocolate Candy Melts. You’ll need these if you want to make the chocolate bows for decorating the cookies. You can make the mini bows using a silicone bow mold.
Instructions
Getting Ready
- Prepare the Vanilla Sugar Cookie Dough as instructed, adding the green and black gel food coloring with the milk. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes.
- Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Lightly beat the egg white in a small bowl and set aside. In another small bowl, combine the granulated sugar and coarse sparkling sugar.
Making the Cookies
- Wreath Style 1: Roll the dough out to just under 1/4 inch thick. Cut cookies with a 2 1/2 inch scalloped cookie cutter, then cut out the centers with another smaller cutter. Lightly brush the cut cookies with the egg white and sprinkle with the sugar.
- Wreath Style 2: Roll the dough out to just under 1/4 inch thick. Use a 1-inch leaf cutter to cut a bunch of leaves. Lightly brush the leaves with the egg white, and arrange the leaves in an overlapping pattern to form a wreath. The egg white will help them stick together. Sprinkle with the sugar.
- Wreath Style 3. Use a small cookie scoop to scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough. Roll the balls smooth between your hands, then roll the balls on the counter with your hand to shape them into ropes, measuring about 8 inches long. Brush the ropes lightly with the egg white, then coat the in the sugar. Twist two ropes together, then shape them into a wreath, pressing the ends together to seal them. If you like, use a sharp pair of scissors to carefully snip the dough (without cutting through the ropes) to add more texture.
- Chill the cookies in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Bake and Decorate
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Bake the cookies for about 11-12 minutes, until there’s no appearance of raw or wet dough on the bottoms of the cookies when you gently turn one over. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for several minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- For the red chocolate bows, melt some red chocolate candy melts, and pour the melted chocolate into a small bow mold. Let harden, then attach the bows to the wreaths with melted chocolate.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I store these cookies?
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3-6 months.
How do you make the red bows?
You need to melt red chocolate candy melts and mold the chocolate in a silicone bow mold.
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Christmas Wreath Sugar Cookies
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Vanilla Sugar Cookie Dough
- 1 tsp "forest green" gel food coloring
- 4 small drops "super black" gel food coloring
- 1 egg white
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup coarse sparkling "decorator's" sugar
- red chocolate candy melts
Instructions
Getting Ready
- Prepare the Vanilla Sugar Cookie Dough as instructed, adding the green and black gel food coloring with the milk. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes.
- Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Lightly beat the egg white in a small bowl and set aside. In another small bowl, combine the granulated sugar and coarse sparkling sugar.
Making the Cookies
- Wreath Style 1: Roll the dough out to just under 1/4 inch thick. Cut cookies with a 2 1/2 inch scalloped cookie cutter, then cut out the centers with another smaller cutter. Lightly brush the cut cookies with the egg white and sprinkle with the sugar.
- Wreath Style 2: Roll the dough out to just under 1/4 inch thick. Use a 1-inch leaf cutter to cut a bunch of leaves. Lightly brush the leaves with the egg white, and arrange the leaves in an overlapping pattern to form a wreath. The egg white will help them stick together. Sprinkle with the sugar.
- Wreath Style 3. Use a small cookie scoop to scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough. Roll the balls smooth between your hands, then roll the balls on the counter with your hand to shape them into ropes, measuring about 8 inches long. Brush the ropes lightly with the egg white, then coat the in the sugar. Twist two ropes together, then shape them into a wreath, pressing the ends together to seal them. If you like, use a sharp pair of scissors to carefully snip the dough (without cutting through the ropes) to add more texture.
- Chill the cookies in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Bake and Decorate
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Bake the cookies for about 11-12 minutes, until there's no appearance of raw or wet dough on the bottoms of the cookies when you gently turn one over. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for several minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- For the red chocolate bows, melt some red chocolate candy melts, and pour the melted chocolate into a small bow mold. Let harden, then attach the bows to the wreaths with melted chocolate.
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