This Christmas wreath cookies recipe makes perfect festive treats with pretty chocolate wreaths, fondant poinsettia and holly.
The sugar cookies are deliciously buttery and soft and hold their shape so perfectly well after baking. Paired with the pretty fondant handmade decorations, this wreath cookies make perfect addition for Christmas holiday cookie tray. The cookie wreaths also make great options for Christmas cookie exchanges and simply the perfect cookie for holiday parties.
The best part about these cookies is that they are baked using my no spread sugar cookies recipe and require only a handful of ingredients (5 simple ingredients). And just like the name suggests, these holly wreath cookies make the most perfect cut out cookies, perfect for decorating.
Table of contents
How to Make
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- All purpose flour (plain flour)
- Granulated sugar (castor sugar)
- Butter (salted)
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
Decoration
- Fondant - I used Satin Ice in dark chocolate for the twigs, and red and yellow for the poinsettia and holly berries. I also used white fondant which I tinted in green color for the leaves.
- Green food coloring - I used Americolor Olive green to tint my white fondant green for the leaves on the wreath.
- Star shaped sprinkles - These are tiny star-shaped, gold sprinkles that I used randomly on the wreath.
- Fondant glue - This was the gluing agent for this cookie decorating project.
Tools
- Teardrop plunger cutter set - I used 2 cutters from this set, the smaller ones for the poinsettia, and the larger one for the green leaves.
- Round scalloped cutter set - I used 2 cutters from this set to make the wreath shape for these Christmas cookies. A larger one for the outer diameter and a smaller one to cut out the hole in the center.
- Star fondant tool - I used this tool to shape the poinsettia flower centers before adding the yellow centers.
- Scriber needle tool - I used this tool to mark the lines for the leaves as well as to attach the star sprinkles onto the wreath. You will see in the tutorial below how to use the needle tool to effectively attach the tiny star sprinkles onto the decorated Christmas cookies.
Baking the cookies
- Pre heat the oven to 170 °Celsius. Line your baking tray with parchment paper.
- In a medium or large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture turns light and creamy. Do not over mix.
- Next, add the egg and beat until it is well incorporated. Add vanilla extract and mix again.
- Finally, add the flour and mix on low speed until the dough comes together. Place the dough in a covered bowl (or wrap it in plastic wrap) and refrigerate until it is firm (but not too hard).
- Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and roll it between parchment paper (wax paper) or plastic sheets. Use dowel rods on either side of your cookie dough as a guide for even thickness for your cookies. If not using the parchment sheets, roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to avoid the dough from sticking.
- Cut the dough with a round scalloped cookie cutter. Use a smaller scalloped cutter to cut out the center.
- Place the cut out round cookies on prepared baking sheet or cookie sheet. Refrigerate until they are firm.
- Bake Christmas wreath cookies for about 10 to 15 minutes (depending on the size of your cookies) until they turn golden brown on the sides.
- Remove cookies from the oven and cool them on a wire rack to room temperature. Keep cookies in an airtight container until ready to decorate.
- For the recipe amount on my sugar cookie recipe card below, I was able to make 44 Christmas wreath cookies measuring 6.5 cm in diameter and with the hole in the center measuring 2.5 cm in diameter.
Tips for rolling and cutting the cookies
- To make sure all your cookies are of a standard height, place 2 dowel rods on either side of your cookie dough when rolling it. The rods will make sure you do not roll your dough too thin or too thick and the thickness will follow the diameter of your rods.
- Also, when rolling the dough, do it between 2 parchment sheets. That helps prevent the dough from sticking to your workspace and rolling pin, and it also helps to release the cookies better after cutting.
Flavor and color option for the cookies
- Lemon - add 1 tablespoon of freshly grated lemon rind to the creamed mixture, before adding flour.
- Almond - omit vanilla essence and replace with almond extract.
- Coconut - omit vanilla essence and replace with coconut extract.
- Cocoa - reduce the flour by 50 grams and add 50 grams of cocoa powder. Sift the cocoa powder with flour before adding into the creamed cookie dough.
- Peppermint - add half a teaspoon of peppermint extract to the cookie dough, together with the vanilla extract.
- Green wreaths cookies- add some green color (a little food color at a time) to the cookie dough and mix well. Cut and bake the cookies as usual.
Making the fondant poinsettia
- Knead and roll some red fondant thin. Cut out 12 teardrop petals for each poinsettia.
- It is faster to make the flowers all at once, so you can actually cut out all the petals at once and keep them covered as you form the flowers.
- Pinch the pointed ends to make them slightly more pointy.
- Start by placing 3 petals as shown below.
- Apply some glue at the rounded ends of each petal.
- Arrange another 3 petals on top of the first set of petals, making sure these are placed right in between each of the petals in the earlier set.
- Repeat the process with another set of 3 petals, making sure the petals are placed in between the earlier set of petals.
- Finish off the petals with a final set of 3 petals.
- This is how the flower should look like with all the 12 petals on. Notice how the petals are all well distributed and the pointy ends of all the petals are visible from the top.
- Next, lift the flower, put it onto a flower former (or any container that is rounded to help the flower set in a rounded form) that has been well dusted with cornstarch. Use a star tool to press in the center of the flower.
- For the yellow centers, use some yellow fondant to form 3 tiny balls. Apply glue to the center of the flower and place them in the center of each flower.
- Complete all the flowers and leave them aside to set while you complete the rest of the cookies deco. If you wish, you can even make these in advance.
Making the chocolate fondant twigs
- Next is the twigs for the Christmas wreath cookies. Roll some dark chocolate fondant into a long thin strip or a few shorter strips.
- Gather 4 layers of the strips together and twist them gently to form a twisted rope. The twisting does not have to be perfect nor does it have to be closely formed.
- Brush your cookie with some glue and attach the twisted brown twigs as shown. Place it towards the outer circumference of the wreath and cut off the excess.
- Repeat the process for another layer of twisted brown twigs, this time with only 3 strips of the fondant. Attach the strip below the earlier one and trim off the excess. In deciding on the length of the twigs on the cookie, place 3 of your poinsettia on the cookies and trim off the brown twigs right where the flowers row starts and ends.
Assembling the cookies
- To make the leaves, tint some white fondant with Americolor Olive green food color. Roll it thin and use a slightly larger teardrop cutter than the one used for the petals to cut out the leaves. You will need 6 leaves for each cookie. Keep the leaves covered as you work on them.
- For each leaf, use a needle tool (or a toothpick or skewer) to imprint a line in the middle. Start from the round end to the pointy end of each cutout. Next, pinch the pointy ends slightly to make them look like leaves.
- Attach the first 4 leaves to the Christmas wreath cookies (with some glue) in the order below:
- Next, add 2 flowers on either side of the twigs' ends (with a light brush of glue). Place another 2 leaves after the flowers.
- And complete the circle with the final poinsettia in the center. Adjust the flowers and leaves as necessary.
- Once the poinsettias and the leaves are all in place, make the holly berries. Pinch tiny bits of red and form them into smooth balls.
- Group them into 3s and attach 3 sets onto each cookie. Start with the first set directly opposite the centermost poinsettia. Apply a light brush of glue so that the berries stay in place. Attach another 2 sets of the berries on either side of the wreath as shown.
Adding the sprinkles
- Once the berries are done, it's time to add on the star sprinkles. Since these are so thin and tiny, attaching them with fingers can be quite hard.
- The best way is to dip your needle tool in fondant glue, touch the star sprinkle with the tip (the stars will stick to the needle tool tip easily) and press it gently onto the wreath where you want to position the star (make sure to apply some glue to the wreath before placing the stars on).
- Attach the stars randomly on the Christmas wreath, making sure they are well distributed on the wreath. After that, brush off any excess cornstarch on the decorated cookies with a soft brush.
And with that, the Christmas wreath cookies are complete.
Like these pretty decorated cookies recipe and tutorial? Here are my other posts you might want to check out
- Easy Christmas Cake Decorating Tutorial
- Cupcakes for Christmas - Easy Idea
- Christmas Sprinkle Cookies - Delicious Little Cornflake Cookies
- Christmas Tree Cupcakes
- Snowflake Cookies
- Chocolate Heart Cookies for Valentine's Day
- Butterfly Cookies
- Daisy Cookies - Pretty Flower Cookies with Royal Icing
- Heart Sugar Cookies with Fondant
Recipe (Printable)
Here is the full printable version of my Christmas wreath cookies recipe and decorating guide.
📖Recipe
Christmas Wreath Cookies with Fondant Holly and Poinsettia
This Christmas wreath cookies recipe makes perfect holiday cookies with pretty chocolate wreaths, fondant poinsettia and holly.
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Yield: 44 cookies
Equipment
- Teardrop plunger cutter set
- Round scalloped cutter set
- Star fondant tool
- Scriber needle tool
For best results, use the metrics measurements. US customary measurements have not been tested and are only meant for guide.
Ingredients
- 400 g All purpose flour
- 180 g Granulated sugar
- 200 g Butter salted
- 1 Egg
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
Decoration
- Fondant
- Food coloring
- Star shaped sprinkles
- Fondant glue
Instructions
Baking the cookies
- Line baking tray with parchment paper and pre-heat oven to 170 °Celsius.
- Place butter in a clean bowl. Add the caster sugar and cream both until the mixture turns light and creamy. Do not over mix.
- Next, add the egg and continue beating until it is well incorporated into the creamed mixture. Add vanilla extract and mix again.
- Finally, add the flour in batches and mix until the dough comes together. Place the dough in a covered bowl and refrigerate until it is firm.
- Remove dough from the fridge and roll it between parchment paper or plastic sheets. Use dowel rods as a guide for the thickness of your cookies. Cut the dough with a round scalloped cookie cutter. Use a smaller cutter for the center.
- Place the cut out round cookies on prepared parchment paper or cookie sheet. Refrigerate until they are firm.
- Bake cookies for about 10 to 15 minutes (depending on the size of your cookies) until they turn golden brown on the sides.
- Remove cookies from the oven and cool them on a wire rack to room temperature. Keep cookies in an airtight container until ready to decorate.
Making the fondant poinsettia
- Knead and roll some red fondant thin. Cut out 12 teardrop petals for each poinsettia. Keep them covered as you form the flowers.
- Once the petals are all cut, pinch the pointed ends to make them slightly more pointy.
- Start by placing 3 petals in a circle with the pointed ends pointing outwards. Apply some glue at the rounded ends of each petal.
- Arrange another 3 petals on top of the first set of petals, making sure these are placed right in between each of the petals set earlier. .
- Repeat the process with another 2 sets of 3 petals, making sure the petals are placed in between each of the petal set before. Each flower should have 12 petals.
- Next, lift the flowers and put them into a flower former (or any container that is rounded to help the flower set in a rounded form) that has been well dusted with cornstarch. Use a star tool to press in the center of the flower.
- For the yellow centers, make 3 tiny balls with yellow fondant. Apply glue to the center of the flower and place the yellow centers right in the center of each flower.
- Complete all the flowers and leave them aside to set while you complete the rest of the cookies deco.
Making the chocolate fondant twigs
- Roll some dark chocolate fondant into a long thin strip or a few shorter strips.
- Gather 4 layers of the strips together and twist them gently to form a twisted rope. The twisting does not have to be perfect nor does it have to be closely formed.
- Brush your cookie with some glue and attach the twisted brown twigs onto it. Place it towards the outer circumference of the wreath and cut off the excess.
- Repeat the process for another layer of twisted brown twigs, this time with only 3 strips of the fondant. Attach the strip below the earlier one and trim off the excess. In deciding on the length of the twigs on the cookie, place 3 of your poinsettia on the cookies and trim off the brown twigs right where the flowers row starts and ends.
Assembling the cookies
- Once all the twigs are done, it's time to attach the leaves and flowers. To make the leaves, tint some white fondant with Americolor Olive food color until you achieve the desired depth of color. Roll it thin and use a slightly larger teardrop cutter than the one used for the petals to cut out the leaves. You will need 6 leaves for each cookie.
- For each leaf, use a needle tool (or a toothpick or skewer) to imprint a line in the middle. Start from the round end to the pointy end of each cutout. Next, pinch the pointy ends slightly to make them look like leaves.
- Attach the first 4 leaves to the Christmas cookies (with some glue), close to the chocolate twigs earlier.
- Next, add 2 poinsettia flowers on either side of the twigs' ends (with a light brush of glue). Place another 2 leaves after the flowers.
- And complete the circle with the final poinsettia in the center. Adjust the flowers and leaves as necessary.
Adding the holly berries
- Once the poinsettias and the leaves are all in place, make the holly berries. Pinch tiny bits of red fondant and form them into smooth balls.
- Group them into 3s and attach 3 sets of holly berries onto each cookie. Start with the first set directly opposite the centermost poinsettia. Apply a light brush of glue so that the berries stay in place. Attach another 2 sets of the berries on either side of the wreath.
Attaching the star sprinkles
- Once the berries are done, it's time to add on the star sprinkles. Since these are so thin and tiny, attaching them with fingers can be quite hard. The best way is to dip your needle tool in fondant glue, touch the star sprinkle with the tip (the stars will stick to the needle tool tip easily) and press it gently onto the wreath where you want to position the stars (make sure to apply some glue to the wreath before placing the star on).
- Attach the stars randomly on the Christmas wreath, making sure they are well distributed on the wreath.
- Brush off any excess cornstarch on the decorated cookies with a soft brush to complete the cookie decorating.
Nutrition
Calories: 83kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1.1g | Fat: 3.9g | Saturated Fat: 2.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 13.5mg | Sodium: 30.9mg | Potassium: 12.3mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 4.1g | Vitamin A: 119IU | Calcium: 3.1mg | Iron: 0.4mg
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And that's pretty much how to make the Christmas wreath cookies.
Hope this tutorial was useful. Happy decorating 🙂
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