Christmas Wreath Cookies
Soft, buttery, and lemony, these Christmas wreath cookies are very easy to make! Serve them with hot cocoa, pack them as homemade holiday gifts, or keep them for late-night cravings!
If you’re hunting for a quick, festive recipe that actually tastes as pretty as it looks, these cream cheese sugar cookies are the ones! They’re soft and topped with a lemony glaze that makes every bite pop. They’re so good, you’ll be breaking out a gallon of milk for them!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
✨ Charming, cheerful, and unbelievably easy, these are classic sugar cookies that get a festive glow-up with a lemon glaze and Christmas sprinkles!
✨ These wreath sugar cookies are foolproof. The dough comes together quickly, rolls out easily, and bakes like a dream!
✨ Cream cheese in the dough makes the sugar cookies richer, smoother, with a wonderful melt-in-your-mouth texture. It also adds a little tang! Use this cream cheese sugar cookie dough as a base for making cut-out cookies like my gluten-free Linzer cookies or drop cookies like my butter cookies.
✨ The cookies hold their shape beautifully. So you can cut and decorate them easily, which makes them perfect for decorating with kids (much like chocolate gingerbread cookies), holiday parties, or cookie-swap boxes, along with Christmas spritz cookies.
✨Wreath sugar cookies recipe is make-ahead friendly. Prep the dough a day earlier, chill it, and bake fresh cookies whenever you want.
Recipe Ingredients
Flour: All-purpose flour is the best for a soft, tender crumb.
Butter for flavor and crisp texture. Use softened butter.
Sugar: Use caster sugar in the dough as it dissolves easily and bakes the cookies evenly. Use icing sugar for the lemon glaze for a smooth, glossy finish.
Cream cheese: Use room temperature, full-fat cream cheese. It makes the wreath sugar cookies creamier, softer, tangier, and richer. Both store-bought and homemade cream cheese can be used.
Egg helps bind the cookie dough and adds structure.
Vanilla extract: Use store-bought or homemade vanilla extract to balance and enhance all the flavors.
Lemon juice to make a bright lemon glaze and balance the sweetness.
Sprinkles are a must! Use any kind you like - All of them add crunch, color, and instant holiday cheer!
See the recipe card below for full information about the ingredients and quantities.
Variations
Flavors: Brighten up the sugar Christmas cookies with lemon or orange zest in the dough.
Make them warmly spiced - Add cinnamon powder, ginger powder, and nutmeg.
Add cocoa powder to make these chocolate-flavored!
Eggless: You can either add another one-fourth cup of cream cheese. Or substitute the egg for a flax egg by mixing 1 tablespoon of flaxseed powder with 3 tablespoons of water, as I did in my double chocolate chip cookies.
Vegan: Use plant-based butter and cream cheese to make vegan Christmas wreath cookies.
How To Make Christmas Wreath Cookies
Step 1: Beat softened butter, caster sugar, cream cheese, egg, and homemade vanilla extract together until smooth and creamy.
Step 2: Add all-purpose flour to the mixture to make a soft, pliable dough. I prefer to use a spatula first and then finish with my hands. You just need to bring everything together in a ball.
Step 3: Cling wrap the dough and refrigerate for at least an hour, or until the dough is firm enough to handle.
Step 4: Set your oven to preheat, and then on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8" thickness.
Step 5: Cut out large rounds using a fluted cookie cutter. Then cut smaller circles inside to form Christmas wreath cookies.
Step 6: Place the cookies on a lined tray and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until pale gold.
Step 7: While the cookies cool, make the lemon glaze by mixing lemon juice and icing sugar till smooth and thick with a pourable consistency.
Step 8: Working with one sugar cookie at a time, drizzle the glaze on top and immediately decorate each with sprinkles.
Final step: Let the cookies sit for 10 to 15 minutes till the glaze sets, and then serve.
Pro Tips
- The perfect size for Christmas wreath sugar cookies is 1/8th to 1/4th of an inch. Thinner cookies will break. Thicker cookies will be too dense.
- Refrigerating the sugar cookie dough is crucial, similar to pumpkin snickerdoodle cookie dough or cranberry almond shortbread cookies. It keeps the cookies from spreading and makes rolling/cutting easier.
- To avoid dry cookies, bake only until pale gold.
- Work quickly when decorating the cookies. The glaze sets fast. I like to work with 2 cookies at a time.
How To Store Christmas Wreath Sugar Cookies
You can store glazed sugar cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Add wax paper or parchment paper between the cookie layers.
You can also store them unglazed for 2 weeks. Ice them before serving.
You can make the cream cheese sugar cookie dough one day before. When you’re ready to bake, leave the dough on the countertop till it softens. Then roll, cut, and bake.
This dough can also be frozen for up to 1 month. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or baking paper, and place in a freezer-friendly container. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
More Christmas Cookies
Recipe
Christmas Wreath Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Butter, softened
- 1/3 cup Caster sugar
- 1.5 ounces Cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1.5 cups All-purpose flour
Lemon glaze
- 1/3 cup Icing sugar
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
- Christmas sprinkles
Instructions
- Add the softened butter, cream cheese, caster sugar, egg, and vanilla extract to a large bowl and beat well, using an electric beater, until light and fluffy.1/2 cup Butter, softened, 1/3 cup Caster sugar, 1.5 ounces Cream cheese, at room temperature, 1 Egg, 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- Add all-purpose flour to this mixture and mix until all flour is well incorporated.1.5 cups All-purpose flour
- Flatten the dough into a disc and wrap it in cling film. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 180 C / 350 F . Line a baking tray with parchment paper or Silpat.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1/4" thickness. Cut with a 2.5" fluted round cookie cutter. Use a small 1/2" cutter to cut out the center of each cookie.
- Carefully place on the prepared baking tray and bake at 180 C / 350 F for 10-12 minutes until pale golden in color.
- Let the cookies cool completely, then spoon the glaze over the cookies and decorate with the sprinkles.
- Let the cookies set for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Lemon Glaze
- Combine the icing sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until a thick, smooth glaze is formed.1/3 cup Icing sugar, 2 tbsp Lemon juice
Video
Notes
- The perfect size for Christmas wreath sugar cookies is 1/4 of an inch. Thinner cookies will break. Thicker cookies will be too dense.
- Refrigerating the sugar cookie dough is crucial, similar to pumpkin snickerdoodle cookie dough or cranberry almond shortbread cookies. It keeps the cookies from spreading and makes rolling/cutting easier.
- To avoid dry cookies, bake only until pale gold.
- Work quickly when decorating the cookies. The glaze sets fast. I like to work with 2 cookies at a time.
- This dough can also be frozen for up to 1 month. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or baking paper, and place in a freezer-friendly container. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Delicious
Natasha Author
Thank you!xx
these are soo cute and fun! huge hit at my cookie exchange ☺️
Natasha Author
So happy to hear that, Jenny! Happy Holidays! xx