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Essential Tips & Tricks for Perfect Santa Cookies

Decorating Santa sugar cookies doesn’t have to be a daunting task. In fact, these easy Santa cookies are among my absolute favorites when it comes to creative and simple round Christmas cookie ideas. Let’s make your holiday baking experience as smooth and enjoyable as possible!

1. No Santa Cookie Cutter Required! One of the best things about these festive treats is their simplicity. You don’t need to hunt for a specific Santa face cookie cutter. Any circular object will do the trick! You can easily cut out these charming Santa face cookies using a standard round cookie cutter, the rim of a drinking glass, or even the top of an empty aluminum soup can. This versatility makes them accessible for everyone, regardless of their baking tool collection.
2. Effortless Decorating for All Ages: These delightful decorated Santa cookies can be brought to life with just two colors of frosting and a handful of M&M candies. While they do involve a touch of piping, using a simple Ziploc bag with a snipped corner works perfectly as an alternative to a traditional piping bag. This makes them an excellent activity for children aged 10 and up who are developing their fine motor skills. For younger bakers who might need even simpler options, don’t forget to check out my guide on 5 EASY Christmas Cookies for Kids!
3. Feel Free to Use Premade Dough! While I adore my recipe for thick and tender cut-out sugar cookies (which you’ll find below), there’s absolutely no shame in taking a shortcut, especially during the busy holiday season. You can easily make these charming Santa cookies with premade sugar cookie dough from the grocery store, like Pillsbury. For those who prefer a softer, fluffier, lofthouse-style cookie, my fluffy sugar cookie recipe is another fantastic option. The key is a round base!
4. Includes a Free Printable Guide: To further simplify the decorating process and help young bakers visualize each step, I’ve created a handy free cookie instruction sheet. This printable includes clear, step-by-step illustrations, making it a perfect companion for a fun and engaging family baking session.

Gather Your Supplies: What You Need for Santa Claus Cookies

You’ll be delighted to know that you don’t need an extensive list of specialized equipment or ingredients to create and decorate these festive round Santa sugar cookies. This is what makes them such a fantastic and easy holiday baking activity for kids – imagine making them together on Christmas Eve and setting them out with milk for Santa!

• Cut-out sugar cookie dough (you’ll find my favorite recipe below, but store-bought works too!) – A sturdy, delicious base for your Santa faces.
• White buttercream frosting (the recipe and color formula for the vibrant red are included below) – Creamy frosting is key for easy piping and a delightful taste.
• M&M candies (both mini and regular sized work wonderfully for different facial features) – These add a pop of color and an edible, easy way to create eyes, cheeks, and noses.
• Circle cookie cutter or a glass cup (approximately 2.5-3″ in diameter) – No need for a special Santa cutter, any round shape will do!
• Bonus: Our Free Printable Instruction Guide for Kids! – A visual aid that makes decorating even more straightforward and fun for little hands.

Expert Tip: When choosing your frosting, I generally don’t recommend using “wet” icings like royal icing or glaze icing for the main decorated areas. The moisture in these icings can sometimes cause the colors from the M&M’s to bleed, especially if the cookies are stored for a while. However, since the M&M’s for the eyes and nose sit primarily on the unfrosted part or are quickly set, it wouldn’t be a huge issue if you prefer those icing types. For ease and best results with M&M’s, a classic buttercream is usually the safest bet.

Step 1: Prepare Your Perfect Circle Cookie Bases

First things first, you’ll need your cookies! Roll out your prepared sugar cookie dough to an even thickness, ideally about ⅜” to ½” thick, to ensure a soft and substantial bite. Then, use your chosen round cutter to cut out cookies of approximately 2.5″ to 3″ in diameter. Bake them according to the recipe instructions until the edges are lightly golden, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. A fully cooled cookie is crucial for frosting success! My go-to sugar cookie recipe is designed to be super soft and thick, holding its shape beautifully, but as mentioned, store-bought dough is a perfectly acceptable and convenient alternative. This recipe typically yields about 12 circle cookies, but you can easily double or triple it if you’re baking for a larger crowd or want more Santa faces!

Smart Tip: No circle cookie cutter in sight? No problem at all! You can absolutely make these delightful round Santa cookies without a dedicated cutter. Simply grab a sturdy glass cup – wine tumblers or even regular drinking glasses work wonderfully – or even the top rim of an empty aluminum soup can. Just press down firmly and twist slightly to create a clean circle. That’s the beauty and charm of making holiday circle cookies; there are so many creative options to achieve a perfect round cookie base!

Step 2: Prepare and Color Your Festive Frosting

Once your cookies are cool, it’s time to prepare the frosting! After mixing your delicious white buttercream frosting (recipe included in the card below), scoop out about ½ cup into a separate bowl. This portion will become Santa’s iconic red hat. To achieve that perfect, vibrant red, I recommend adding 2 drops of Wilton Crimson gel food coloring along with 1 drop of Wilton Red gel food coloring to the ½ cup of frosting. Gel colors provide a richer, more concentrated hue without thinning your frosting. Mix thoroughly until the color is even and deep red. Then, spoon both your bright red frosting and your remaining pure white frosting into separate piping bags. If you don’t have piping bags, a simple Ziploc bag with a tiny corner snipped off will work just as well for controlled piping.

Step 3: Bringing Santa to Life! Decorating Your Cookies

Now for the most exciting part – decorating! Follow the simple steps outlined below, or for even clearer visual guidance, feel free to download my free printable instruction guide which offers step-by-step illustrations to help you transform your round cookies into charming Santa Christmas cookies!

1. Pipe Santa’s Hat: Take your piping bag filled with red frosting. Carefully pipe a curved line across the top ⅓ of each cookie, then fill in that section with red frosting. This vibrant red area will form Santa’s iconic hat. Aim for a smooth, even layer.
2. Add the White Trim & Pom Pom: Switch to your white frosting bag. Pipe small, neat dots along the bottom edge of the red hat, creating a fluffy white trim. Extend this trim to include one larger dot at the very end of the hat for Santa’s classic pom-pom. For an extra touch of sparkle, you can gently press a few white nonpareil sprinkles onto the pom-pom while the frosting is still wet.
3. Create Santa’s Face Details with M&M’s: This is where Santa truly comes to life! Using your white frosting, pipe two small dots for the eyes, two slightly larger dots on the outsides for rosy cheeks, and one dot in the center for his nose. While the frosting dots are still fresh, carefully press your M&M’s onto them – brown or black M&M’s for the eyes, red for the nose, and perhaps pink or red M&M’s for cheerful cheeks. The frosting will act as a natural adhesive.
4. Shape the Beard & Optional Mouth: With your white frosting, pipe small, overlapping dots in the bottom ⅓ of the cookie. Continue piping until you’ve created a full, fluffy beard for Santa. This technique gives the beard a wonderful textured appearance. If you want to add a mouth, carefully press a half M&M into the beard area. However, please note that these Santa cookies are absolutely adorable even without a mouth, so don’t feel obligated if you want to keep it simple!

Handy Tip for M&M Mouths: If you decide to add a mouth, having an adult carefully cut brown M&M’s in half can be a bit tricky, but it’s manageable. The best method is to use a small, sharp paring knife and quickly press down firmly into the candy, rather than trying to saw back and forth. You might break a few in the process, but with a little practice, you’ll get the hang of it. Remember, leaving off the mouth entirely is a perfectly cute alternative that saves time and effort!

What can I use instead of M&M’s for decorating Santa’s face?

While M&M’s are fantastic for their vibrant colors and ease of use, you have several other excellent options for creating Santa’s facial features! You can use small chocolate chips (upside down for a smoother look) or even specialized eyeball sprinkles for the eyes. If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous and don’t have candies on hand, you can also tint a tiny amount of your white frosting black or brown for the eyes and a small bit red for the nose, and then pipe on the details using a very fine tip or a toothpick. This method requires a bit more precision and effort but offers a fully frosted look. These alternatives provide great flexibility for your Santa cookie decorations! If you’re looking for more round Christmas cookie decorating ideas that cleverly incorporate M&M’s, make sure to check out my popular post on 5 EASY Christmas Cookies for Kids. You can literally create a whole festive family of M&M sugar cookies! I’m already working on some fun concepts for Mrs. Claus cookies and perhaps an elf design to perfectly pair with these charming Santa Christmas cookies.

How do I achieve that perfect, vibrant red frosting?

Achieving a deep, rich red frosting is key for Santa’s hat! My preferred method is using gel food coloring, as it provides a much more concentrated color without significantly altering the frosting’s consistency compared to liquid food coloring. For a standard cup of frosting, I recommend adding about 4 drops of Wilton Crimson and 2 drops of Wilton Red. Since we only need about ½ cup of red frosting for these specific Santa cookies, we adjust the ratio to 2 drops of Crimson plus 1 drop of Red. Don’t worry if you only have liquid food coloring from your local grocery store – you can certainly use that too, though you might need a few more drops to achieve the desired intensity. A little secret: red frosting tends to deepen in color over time, so if you make it slightly in advance, it will often become even more vibrant as it sits. As an alternative to buttercream, you could also make these as royal icing Santa cookies. Just be mindful that the colors of M&M’s can sometimes bleed on wetter frostings like royal icing, which might affect the pristine appearance after a day or two, though they’ll still taste delicious!

Can I make these Santa cookies without a circular cookie cutter?

Absolutely, yes! One of the beautiful aspects of this Santa cookie design is its adaptability. You absolutely can make these charming Santa cookies without needing a specialized round cookie cutter. Simply grab any common household item with a circular rim, like a regular drinking glass, a wine tumbler, or even the top of an empty aluminum soup can. Press the rim firmly into your rolled-out dough and twist gently to cut out perfect circles. This method makes these circle Santa cookies incredibly accessible for anyone, eliminating the need to buy a specific Santa face cookie cutter. It’s a fantastic way to get creative and resourceful in the kitchen during the holidays!

Is it possible to freeze these Santa sugar cookies for later?

Yes, you can certainly freeze these frosted Santa cookies, making them an excellent make-ahead option for the busy holiday season! To ensure they freeze well, I recommend first freezing them in a single layer on a baking sheet until solid. Once frozen, you can transfer them to an airtight container, placing a sheet of parchment paper between each layer to prevent sticking. They will keep beautifully in the freezer for up to 1 month. When you’re ready to enjoy them, simply thaw them at room temperature. This is a wonderful strategy if you want to prepare your cookies well in advance and then pull them out the night before Christmas to serve on your special “cookies for Santa” plate!

Can I prepare these Santa cookies ahead of time?

Yes, absolutely! Making these cookies ahead of time is a brilliant way to reduce holiday stress. You have a couple of options: you can freeze the unfrosted cookies after baking them. Once you’re ready to decorate, simply let them thaw completely to room temperature before applying the frosting and M&M’s. This method is particularly fantastic if you’re planning a cookie decorating party, as you can have all the bases ready to go, allowing everyone to dive straight into the fun part of decorating. Alternatively, as mentioned in the previous FAQ, you can also freeze the fully frosted cookies, carefully stacked with parchment paper, for up to a month. Both methods offer great flexibility for your holiday baking schedule!

Looking for More Easy Christmas Cookie Decorating Ideas Using M&M’s?

You bet I do! If you’ve enjoyed the simplicity and charm of these round Santa cookies, you’ll love exploring even more creative possibilities for easy round cookies. My guide to 5 EASY Christmas Cookies for Kids is packed with delightful ideas that utilize simple shapes and M&M’s. I’m a huge fan of making and shaping cookies without needing specific cutters, because there are so many inventive ways you can transform basic round cookies into something truly magical and festive for the holidays!

Making circular cookies for Christmas has become my secret weapon for adorable and accessible holiday baking. Think about it: easy round snowman cookies, charming gingerbread faces, and cheerful Rudolph cookies are all just a circle away! These designs are perfect for involving the whole family and creating a beautiful, diverse cookie platter.