Winter/Holiday Inspired Treats - Sugar Cookies, Coffee, And Decorating, Oh My!

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Winter/Holiday Inspired Treats - Sugar Cookies, Coffee, And Decorating, Oh My!

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Winter/Holiday Inspired Treats - Sugar Cookies, Coffee, And Decorating, Oh My!

13 min read DEC 24, 2025

Quick Answer

Enjoy a few ways to make classic sugar cookies as well as sugar cookie inspired coffee. Then channel your creativity as we look at a few methods, tips, and tricks for icing cookies, including ideas for royal icing and buttercream frosting, perfect for adults and children alike.

Key Takeaways

Instructions for making round, soft, classic sugar cookies (not cut-outs), including a perfectly paired, decadent sugar cookie coffee recipe
Instructions for traditional cut-out sugar cookies, including a simple cookie coffee recipe pairing
How to make royal icing, including methods for traditional and flooding techniques as well as winter/holiday themed decorating ideas.
How to make buttercream frosting, including tips for winter/holiday themed decorating fun.

The holiday season and following winter months present the perfect opportunity for tasty creativity.

Cookie baking…and cookie tasting.
Cookie decorating…and cookie tasting.
Cookie icing…and cookie tasting.

Okay, you get it, we’re all about sampling a few cookies this time of year.

Of course, the perfect sugar cookie pairing is undoubtedly a cup of piping hot (or iced) Lifeboost coffee!

In fact, coffee even serves as a tasty treat to provide needed fuel for your baking adventures.

And after a cup or two, we’re ready to bake today, crafting tasty sugar cookies, looking at a few decorating tips, and enjoying decadent sips of sugar cookie inspired coffee along the way.

Sugar Cookie AND Coffee Recipes

When it comes to sugar cookies, are you team soft and simple or team cut-out?
While both are tasty, some folks prefer a simpler cookie, a traditional round, soft sugar cookie, perfect for dipping in sugar, sans any rolling, cutting, or frosting/icing, while others enjoy the entire rolling/cutting/decorating process, honing their holiday craft.
So today, we’ll provide recipes for both types of cookies, each with a perfectly paired coffee recipe to enjoy both while you bake and alongside a cookie or two.

Then, be sure to stick around for some cut-out cookie tips and tricks to take your decorating game to the next level!

Let’s get started…

1- Soft And Simple

This sugar cookie recipe isn’t for cut outs, but it’s gonna be your go-to for those who love a simple, round (or drop) cookie that’s soft, buttery, and sweet, bringing that classic sugar cookie flavor without all the fuss.

This type of cookie recipe has more leavening and sugar than a cut out cookie, differentiating it from its decorated cousin.

As for the coffee, where the cookie lacks added flare, you’ll certainly find it in this cup, complete with a decadent sugar cookie syrup, tasty topping, and of course a bold brew base that’s out of this world!

But first, the cookie…

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 sticks (1 ½ cups) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
½ - 1 cup coarse sugar (for rolling or dipping cookies)
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, and set aside.
Add softened butter and sugar to a mixing bowl and mix on high for 3-5 minutes, creaming until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and vanilla, mix on low speed until well incorporated, scraping the bowl to ensure everything mixes well.
Slowly add the flour mixture, beating on low speed for roughly 30 seconds. Be careful not to overmix here.
Add about a ½ cup or a little more of granulated sugar or coarse sugar (colored sugars give a nice touch of added flare here too) to a bowl for coating the cookies.
Scoop out the dough and roll into 1-inch balls. Be careful not to ‘over handle’ during this step.
Roll or shake each cookie ball into the sugar to coat, then place on a parchment lined cookie sheet roughly 2 inches apart. Using the bottom of a drinking glass, press down on each ball until it’s about a ½ inch thick.
Bake for 9-11 minutes until the edges are slightly golden and the centers are nearly set.
Cool completely on the cookie sheet. Enjoy!

Now for the coffee…

Ingredients

8 ounces freshly brewed Lifeboost Frosted Sugar Cookie Coffee or Lifeboost Medium Roast Coffee
1-2 teaspoons sugar cookie coffee syrup (see recipe below)
¼-⅓ cup sugar cookie foam base (see recipe below)
Sprinkles or colored coarse sugar, optional for topping

Instructions

Add freshly brewed coffee to a large mug, then stir in a desired amount of sugar cookie syrup.
Add ¼-⅓ cup of the sugar cookie foam base to an electric frother and froth on the heated setting.
Top sugar cookie coffee with warmed foam, top with a sprinkle of sugar (if desired), and enjoy!

Homemade Sugar Cookie Coffee Syrup

1 cup water
1 cup cane sugar
¼ cup brown sugar (packed)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon butter extract
½ teaspoon almond extract

Add water and sugars to a small saucepan and whisk to combine.

Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Allow the mixture to simmer for approximately 5 minutes.

Remove from heat, whisk in the extracts, then allow to cool at room temperature for about 15 minutes.

Transfer to an airtight jar and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Sugar Cookie Foam Base

1 14 ounce can sweeten condensed milk
1 cup milk
¾ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon butter extract
½-1 teaspoon almond extract

Add all ingredients to a jar and shake vigorously to combine. Seal and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

**This could also be used as a stand-alone simple creamer to add both texture and sweetness to your brew.

2- Contest-Winning Cut-Outs

Here’s where your creativity shines for the holidays and beyond.

With a higher flour to fat ratio, less leavening, some time to chill, and a little more effort, you’ll be wowing kids and crowds in no time with these classic, but simple, roll out sugar cookies.

As for the coffee companion, this time we’ll keep things simple, dialing back the added sweetness as the cookies will take care of this craving with added icing/frosting and flare.

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium sized bowl, and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (roughly 2 minutes).
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing between each addition.
Scrape the sides of the bowl, then beat in vanilla.
While continuing to mix, gradually add in the flour mixture.
Mix well until everything is fully incorporated.
Divide the dough in half, shaping each half into a disc shape.
Wrap each dough disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to two days. **If you refrigerate the dough for more than 2 hours, allow the dough to rest at room temperature for roughly 15-30 minutes prior to rolling/cutting/baking.
Once the dough is chilled and you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.
Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to ¼ inch thickness. Cut out shapes with 2 ½ inch cookie cutters, and re-roll as needed for more cookies/shapes.
Place the cut-outs on parchment lined baking sheets at least 1 inch apart.
Bake one sheet of cookies at a time for 10-12 minutes or until the bottom edges begin to turn brown.
Cool the cookies for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Decorate with your personal tried and true method or check out the icing/frosting/decorating tips and tricks in the section below. Enjoy!

Now for the coffee…

Ingredients

8 ounces freshly brewed Lifeboost Frosted Sugar Cookie Coffee or Lifeboost Dark Roast Coffee
1 teaspoon cane sugar
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon almond extract
½ cup milk (vanilla almond milk is great in this)

Instructions

Add freshly brewed coffee to a large mug, then stir in sugar, vanilla, and almond extract.
Add milk to an electric frother and froth on the heated setting.
Top sugar cookie coffee with frothed milk and enjoy!

**To make this iced -

Add ice to a tall glass, then top with 8 ounces cold brewed Lifeboost Frosted Sugar Cookie Coffee (or Lifeboost Dark Roast Coffee).

Stir in ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon almond extract, 1 teaspoon simple syrup, and a desired amount of milk. Enjoy!

Sugar Cookie Decorating Tips And Tricks

Now that your cookies are baked and you’re happily sipping on some yummy sugar cookie coffee, let’s close out with a few icing recipes and some winter/holiday themed decorating tips to take your cookies to the next level.

In other words, you’ll be crowned the cookie exchange king/queen this year for sure!

Royal Icing

When it comes to sleek and smooth designs that allow for intricate details, layering, etc. royal icing is the way to go.

The addition of egg whites to this type of icing allows for fast drying times, creating a durable, aesthetic finish which many enjoy as a sugar cooking topping.

Tip #1: You must make sure your mixing bowl and tools are completely grease/fat free as any residue present will prevent the icing from properly setting.

Tip #2: If you’re using food coloring, high quality gel food coloring is best for this type of icing and for creating highly aesthetic cookies.

Tip #3: Practice is key, especially if you’re an icing beginner.

Ingredients

3 ½ cups powdered sugar
4 large, pasteurized egg whites
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Food coloring (optional)
Water, as needed

Instructions

Sift powdered sugar through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl, breaking up any remaining clumps with your fingertips. Set aside.
Add egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whip on medium-high speed until foamy, doubled in volume, and opaque in color (roughly 2 minutes).
Turn off the mixer and add half of the powdered sugar, then mix on low speed until the powdered sugar is completely dissolved and no clumps remain (roughly 1-2 minutes).
Add remaining powdered sugar and mix for 1-2 more minutes or until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Increase the speed of your mixer to high and whip the icing until completely smooth, glossy, and slightly thickened (approximately 4-5 minutes). **The icing should hold a soft peak and slowly run off the whisk attachment. Tip: If your icing is too loose, add extra powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time, mixing until fully incorporated.
Decrease the mixer speed to low, add vanilla extract and a few drops of food coloring (if using), mixing for 1-2 minutes until the desired color is reached.

Another Tip: You can use this icing as-is, or if you want to try a flooding technique, add room temperature or slightly warm filtered water in 1 teaspoon increments to create a pourable consistency.

1- As-is

To use the royal icing as-is, you can add it to an icing bag and ice the cookies using #2 or #3 tips.

Of course, you can vary the look of your cookies by alternating with various colors (separate the royal icing base and add different colors to each base for more options).

2- Flooding

This technique creates a smooth, flat base coat for further decorating your cookie. This will be looser than piping icing, and it requires a piped icing border to contain the flooded icing.
To use this technique, add the flooded icing (slightly thinned royal icing) to a piping bag and cut only a very thin/tiny opening at the bottom.

Begin by piping a border, following near the edge of the cookie shape. Then, continue piping along the shape, moving inward with each complete shape rotation until the entire cookie is topped with icing.

For instance, if you were working with a circle shape, you’d pipe a circular border, following inward with each circular completion (thinking close-edged spiral here) until the cookie was completely topped.

Then, to create a smooth finish, use a toothpick to make small, swirled motions in the icing, very gently, across the surface of the cookie/icing. Be sure to do this even if there aren’t gaps in the icing as it creates an even layer across the surface.

*If you want to build upon this base, adding only dots of additional colors, you can add these details immediately after the flooding layer.

**If you wish to add writing, designs, etc. to the cookies, you must allow time for the base layer of flooded icing to dry. This can take anywhere from 6-8 hours or even overnight.

Check out the following winter/holiday decorating ideas for use with royal icing…

Snowglobe Scenes: Use the flooding technique, with white icing on the lower half of a round cookie, and blue icing on the top half. Once dry, pipe on scenes of snowmen or green trees and falling snow to give the look of a snowglobe scene.
Plaid Patterns: While the royal icing is still wet, use varying colors dragged in lines through a solid-colored base, to create holiday-hued plaid patterns.
Halfway Holiday: For a unique twist, try coating only half of your cookie cut-outs (perfect for stars, snowflakes, etc) in icing, then adding edible sprinkles, glitter, or shapes for a unique offering.
Lovely Laces: Carefully place holes in your mitten-shaped cookie cut-outs, and after decorating, string single licorice ropes through the holes to give the appearance of yarn tied mittens.

Buttercream Frosting

Buttercream frosting is a classic, old-school, sugar cookie frosting, the kind you likely remember from your childhood, where the whole family gathered in the kitchen to customize cookies.

With this type of frosting, you can color, spread, or pipe to create decorations or a base for sprinkles, sugars, edible add-ons, and more.

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ - 1 ½ teaspoons almond extract (your preference for how rich of a flavor you’d like here)
¼ teaspoon salt
3 cups powdered sugar
Food coloring

Instructions

Whip butter in a large bowl for 3-4 minutes at high speed.
Add extracts and salt and whip until combined.
Reduce speed to medium-low and begin gradually adding powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, until fully incorporated.
Mix at high speed for 2-3 minutes.
Add food coloring, if desired, prior to icing.
Spread the frosting using a knife or add to piping bags for cookie decorating. Enjoy!

Tip #1: Thin buttercream frosting by adding 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until you’ve reached your personally desired consistency.

Tip #2: Since buttercream has a fluffy consistency, it doesn’t completely dry or solidify, meaning you’ll need to plan for delicate packaging in single layers to avoid ruining your created designs.

Tip #3: There are plenty of ways to decorate for winter/holiday themes when using buttercream as well. Here, piping bags and edible additions such as glitter, small candies, sugar pearls, even marshmallows, and crushed candy canes are a must when seeking to elevate your cookie masterpieces.

Check out the following winter/holiday decorating ideas for a few buttercream frosting specifics…

Use white buttercream frosting to decorate the round, simple and soft cookies from the first recipe we shared today. Then create snowmen faces using mini chocolate chips or colored candies.
Using the idea from above, prior to adding a snowman face, cut a large marshmallow in half and decorate its face using gel dyes, then add pretzel stick arms on each side to give the illusion of a melting snowman.
Coconut flakes are great for creating textures on top of buttercream, perfect for snowflake and snowman shapes. You can also use green food coloring to transform the coconut into the perfect buttercream frosting topping for creating beautiful evergreen trees.
Use a variety of piping tips to create textures, designs, and more for wreaths, evergreens, candy canes, etc. then taking your masterpiece one step further with edible pearls, sprinkles, and other topping decor.

FAQ

1- Why are my sugar cookies tough or dry?

Overmixing once the flour is added to the cookie dough is a common culprit of tough/dry cookies.

Be sure to only mix the flour just until well combined.

2- Why are my cookies too cakey?

Creaming the butter and sugar is an important step, but it also adds air to the mixture, and too much air can make your cut-out cookies too cakey.

3- Do I really have to chill the dough for cut out cookies?

Yes.

Chilling prevents the cookies from spreading and helps to keep their shape.

Check out Lifeboost Coffee Frosted Sugar Cookie.

Becky Livingston Vance Content writer

Becky is a mother, educator, and content writer for Lifeboost Coffee. She has had three years’ experience as a writer, and in that time she has enjoyed creatively composing articles and ebooks covering the topics of coffee, health and fitness, education, recipes, and relationships.

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