My family has made these cookies for as long as I can remember. They are LEGEND and the main topic of conversation at family holiday parties. They’re cakey and not super sweet, but they’re topped with a healthy smear of buttercream icing. They’re simple, yet decadent.
When I was growing up we would use red and green food coloring to make the icing “festive,” but it was just regular food coloring so the icing turned out pink and mint green. I still associate those colors with Christmas. I’ve used Wilton gel food coloring, but it’s too much. And it stains. Now I prefer just simple white icing and let Margaret and Niels go to town with sprinkles on “their cookies.” They can ice their cookies and lick their fingers as much as they want and have their own little cookie tin. (Henning and I refer to the kids’ cookies as cootie cookies because kid germs.)
The cookie dough is versatile. I’ve used just vanilla extract or just almond extract or half vanilla, half almond. My mom has used orange extract and added dried cranberries and drizzled the cookies with an orange glaze, instead of the tradition buttercream.
Confession: even though these cookies have been a permanent part of my holiday life, they’re not my favorite, but I can’t not make them. If I’m being completely honest, I prefer them un-iced. My mom sets aside some un-iced icing cookies for me when we visit for Christmas.
And in true family recipe tradition, I had to decode and rewrite this recipe so people who don’t share my DNA can duplicate it. Where did the recipe come from? Who wrote it initially? NO IDEA! These cookies just came into existence one holiday and have been around ever since.
Enjoy!
Holiday Icing Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie
- 5 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup butter, room temperature (salted is fine)
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla*
- 1 cup buttermilk**
- ½ tsp baking soda
Buttercream icing (3 cups of icing)
- 4 cups confectioner sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter (I've used salted butter and the world hasn't ended.)
- ~4 tbsp milk (I use 1% milk, but you could use a different percent fat milk.)
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract (If you're using almond extract, use 1 tsp since almond extract is a much stronger flavor.)
Instructions
Cookie Instruction
- Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking power, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or in a large bowl, using a hand mixer), cream the together butter and sugar. Add eggs to creamed mixture and mix together until eggs are fully incorporated and add vanilla.
- To the 1 cup of buttermilk,** add baking soda and stir to dissolve. Pour buttermilk-baking soda mixture into sugar mixture and mix.
- Gradually mix in dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
- Create round balls with either with teaspoons or a 1-inch cookie scoop, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
Buttercream Icing
- Cream together butter and confectioner sugar.
- Mix in milk teaspoon by teaspoon. (Depending on the fat content in the milk, you might need more or less milk.) Mix in vanilla.
- Add vanilla. Refrigerate until cookies are completely cooled and ready for icing.