There’s just something charming about a batch of vibrantly decorated holiday cookies, don’t you think? The Colorful Wreath Butter Cookies Recipe is one of my favorite festive treats to make because it’s as joyful to look at as it is delicious to eat. Trust me, once you’ve tried these buttery, beautifully striped wreaths, you’ll want to bake them again and again.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
What I adore about this Colorful Wreath Butter Cookies Recipe is how it combines classic buttery cookie flavor with stunning visual flair. These cookies turn out festive, fun, and perfect for gifting or sharing this season. Plus, they’re surprisingly straightforward to make once you get the hang of the dough and piping.
- Beautiful Visual Impact: The contrasting red and natural dough colors swirl together in a stunning wreath shape that brightens up any cookie plate.
- Buttery, Tender Texture: These cookies are melt-in-your-mouth perfect without being too sweet or crumbly.
- Customizable Colors and Decorations: You can easily swap out food colors or sprinkles to match your event or mood.
- Perfect for Beginners and Seasoned Bakers: The process is fun and rewarding, with tips to avoid common mistakes.
Ingredients & Why They Work
Each ingredient in this Colorful Wreath Butter Cookies Recipe has a role in creating that delicate, melt-away texture and festive look. I always measure precisely with a kitchen scale because a little too much flour or butter changes the dough’s consistency and pipability.
- Unsalted Butter: Room temperature butter helps create a creamy base without overpowering the flavor with salt.
- Icing Sugar: Gives a smooth sweetness that dissolves seamlessly into the butter for tender cookies.
- Egg White: Adds structure and helps bind the dough without making it dense.
- Vanilla Extract: Brings warmth and depth to the simple buttery dough.
- Salt: Just a touch to balance sweetness and enhance flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: The main structure builder for the cookie dough.
- Cornstarch: Lightens the dough, ensuring it stays soft and tender, perfect for a butter cookie.
- Red Gel Food Coloring: Use gel-based colors to keep the dough from becoming too wet or sticky.
- Sprinkles: Add festive fun and texture on top—the more colorful, the better!
Make It Your Way
I enjoy playing around with the colors and decorations each year. This recipe is pretty versatile for tweaks, so feel free to make it truly yours by mixing up the color combos or even adding tiny bits of citrus zest into the dough for a festive zing.
- Variation: One year, I swapped the red dough for a bright green gel color and finished the wreaths with crushed pistachios instead of sprinkles—it was a huge hit and gave a lovely nutty crunch.
Step-by-Step: How I Make Colorful Wreath Butter Cookies Recipe
Step 1: Cream the Butter and Sugar
Start by whisking the room temperature unsalted butter with the icing sugar until the mixture is creamy and smooth. This step is key for creating those tender cookies that practically melt on your tongue. I use an electric mixer, but you can do it by hand if you don’t mind a workout!
Step 2: Add the Egg White and Vanilla
Next, add the egg white and whisk it into the buttery mix until it’s fully incorporated. Then splash in your vanilla extract and mix again. The egg white adds structure while keeping things light, and the vanilla boosts the flavor in a subtle, comforting way.
Step 3: Fold in Dry Ingredients
Gently add the salt, sieve in the all-purpose flour and cornstarch, then fold everything together with a spatula. Be careful not to overmix—just enough to combine will keep your cookies tender, not tough.
Step 4: Divide and Color the Dough
Weigh your dough and split it evenly. Add a few drops of red gel food coloring to one half, mixing gradually until you get that perfect festive red you want. I recommend staring with a tiny amount—you can always add more, but you can’t take it away!
Step 5: Pipe the Colorful Stripes
Place each colored dough half into separate piping bags. On a sheet of plastic wrap, pipe stripes of alternating colors to create those beautiful layers. I found that two layers per color work best to get a distinct color contrast without the colors blending too much.
Step 6: Roll into a Cylinder and Prepare for Piping
Wrap the piped stripes in the plastic wrap and roll them up to form a tight cylinder. Trim any excess plastic with scissors. Then place this cylinder inside a big piping bag fitted with a star nozzle about 1 cm (⅓ inch) wide. This size nozzle helps create that lovely textured wreath look.
Step 7: Pipe the Wreath Shapes
Pipe the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, forming circles that mimic wreaths. When you finish a circle and the edges look ragged, just gently tap with your finger to smooth things out. This little trick makes a big difference for a polished look.
Step 8: Add Sprinkles and Bake
Before baking, sprinkle colorful sprinkles on top. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 10–12 minutes. The goal is to have the cookies dry and set but not golden—they’ll be tender and light.
Top Tip
After making these cookies several times, I learned a few key tricks that really made my Colorful Wreath Butter Cookies Recipe shine. Little tweaks in technique can mean the difference between a good cookie and a spectacular one.
- Dough Temperature: Always work with room temperature butter and dough because cold dough is tough to pipe and warm dough too soft to hold shape.
- Uniform Portions: Use a scale to divide the dough evenly—this keeps your colorful stripes balanced.
- Pipe Slowly: When creating the wreath shape, keep a steady hand and pipe slowly for even, smooth circles.
- Watch the Bake Time: Don’t wait for browning; pull the cookies out when they’re just dry on top to keep them tender.
How to Serve Colorful Wreath Butter Cookies Recipe
Garnishes
I’m a sucker for red and green sprinkles on these cookies—it keeps that classic Christmas vibe alive. Sometimes I’ll swap for tiny edible pearls or crushed peppermint bits for extra crunch and holiday cheer.
Side Dishes
These butter cookies pair beautifully with a rich hot chocolate or a warm cup of spiced chai tea. For parties, I like to put out a platter of fresh fruit, like sliced pears and apples, which contrast nicely with the buttery sweetness.
Creative Ways to Present
I’ve wrapped small batches in clear cellophane tied with festive ribbons as cute edible gifts. Another fun idea: arrange several wreath cookies on a cake stand with pine branches and berries for a stunning holiday centerpiece.
Make Ahead and Storage
Storing Leftovers
I store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature, layering parchment paper between them. They usually stay fresh and soft for up to a week, which is perfect for nibbling through the holidays.
Freezing
These cookies freeze really well! I freeze them in airtight containers with parchment layers. When I’m ready to enjoy, I let them thaw overnight at room temp — they’re just as good as freshly baked.
Reheating
If your cookies ever feel a bit soft after storage, a quick 3–4 minute warm-up in a 160°C (320°F) oven brings back that perfect slight crispness on the outside while keeping the inside tender.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Gel food coloring works best since it doesn’t add too much liquid to the dough, which can affect texture. Liquid food coloring is possible, but use sparingly to avoid a runny dough.
Cornstarch helps keep the cookie texture soft and tender by reducing gluten formation. You can substitute with potato starch or tapioca starch if needed, but I wouldn’t skip it entirely.
Pipe thicker stripes of dough when layering your colors and avoid making too many layers. Roll the dough firmly, and chill briefly if it becomes too soft before piping for better separation.
Absolutely! The dough can be piped and shaped ahead, then refrigerated for a few hours or overnight before baking. The baked cookies also store well for several days, making them an ideal make-ahead treat.
Final Thoughts
These Colorful Wreath Butter Cookies are such a joy to bake and share. I love how they brighten up my kitchen with their vibrant hues before they even hit the oven. They remind me of cozy holiday afternoons spent with family, laughing and nibbling warm cookies fresh from the tray. I truly hope you find as much delight in making them as I do—and surprise your loved ones with these charming festive treats!
Print
Colorful Wreath Butter Cookies Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 30 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Delightful wreath-shaped butter cookies featuring a festive swirl of colored dough and topped with sprinkles. Perfect for holiday celebrations, these buttery treats have a tender texture and are easy to pipe onto baking sheets for charming presentation.
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 100 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 50 g icing sugar
- 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 100 g all-purpose flour
- 60 g cornstarch
Decorations
- Red gel food colouring
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Whisk Butter and Sugar: Whisk together the unsalted butter and icing sugar until the mixture becomes creamy and smooth.
- Add Egg White: Incorporate the egg white by whisking again until fully combined.
- Add Vanilla: Mix in the vanilla extract or essence thoroughly.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Add salt, all-purpose flour, and cornstarch, then fold the mixture using a spatula until a smooth dough is formed.
- Divide and Color Dough: Weigh the dough and split it into two equal portions. Gradually add red or green gel food coloring to one half until the desired intensity is reached.
- Pipe Dough in Layers: Place each colored dough portion into separate piping bags. Pipe alternating layers of each color onto a piece of plastic wrap, making about two layers of each color for a vibrant swirl effect.
- Shape Dough Cylinder: Roll the layered dough using the plastic wrap into a tight cylinder. Trim any excess plastic wrap with scissors. Insert this cylinder into a piping bag fitted with a large (1 cm or ⅓-inch diameter) star nozzle.
- Pipe Wreath Shapes: Pipe the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet forming circular wreath shapes. Smooth any imperfect joins by gently tapping the dough with a finger.
- Add Sprinkles: Decorate the piped wreath cookies by sprinkling sprinkles over them evenly.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 12 minutes or until the cookies feel dry but are not browned.
Notes
- Use grams for the most accurate measuring as this recipe is sensitive to small changes.
- Ensure the butter is at room temperature for easier whisking and creamy texture.
- Avoid small piping nozzles; use one about 1 cm in diameter to maintain cookie shape and swirl detail.
- If the pieced wreath circle end looks uneven, gently smooth it with your finger before baking.
- Gel food coloring gives vibrant colors without altering dough consistency.
- Store cookies in an airtight container to maintain freshness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 90 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 45 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg
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