Create these cute and easy Santa cookies during the holiday season and celebrate the jolly Christmas time! Made with buttery shortbread cookies and marshmallows, they will make perfect Christmas cookies that everyone will love.
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Easy Santa Cookies
Happy Holidays! The Christmas season is here, and today I am excited to share my favorite Christmas cookies - Shortbread Santa cookies.
There are many ways to make Santa cookies, such as Santa sugar cookies, slice-and-bake Santa cookies, and teddy bear Santa cookies in my Christmas cookie box recipe, but this is the easiest Santa cookie recipe I've ever made.
- Use easy shortbread dough.
No royal icing is needed to frost it. - No sprinkles or special decorations are required.
- Just use marshmallows and some food coloring.
They were a huge hit for my family last year. The buttery cookies and chewy marshmallows taste like Holidays!
Share the cute Santa cookies and celebrate the most wonderful time of the year. They'll surely be a hit for family, kids, and friends!
7 Success Tips For Santa Cookies
Roll out the dough thinly enough.
Roll it out to slightly less than ¼ inch (0.15 inches or 4mm) to prevent the dough from spreading too much in the oven. The thicker the dough is, the wider it spreads!
Do not bake them too long to show the bright red color.
Pay close attention near the end of the baking time to check the color. Take them out of the oven once you see that the edges are slightly darker.
Cut marshmallows thinly.
Thin marshmallow sticks better on hot cookies. The cookie also looks better with it!
Use cornstarch to prevent the marshmallows from sticking.
When you feel the marshmallows are too sticky to cut with a knife, apply some cornstarch on the surface. Dust off the excess cornstarch after slicing so that the marshmallow sticks better to the cookie.
Attach marshmallows to hot cookies.
Attach them to hot cookies immediately after they are out of the oven. We bake the cookies again after attaching the marshmallows, but the cookies will look better at the end when the marshmallows are glued before the final baking.
Adjust the shapes of the marshmallows after the 2nd bake.
Do not worry, even if the shapes of marshmallows on the cookies are a little bit odd after the first bake. You can press the marshmallows and adjust the shapes after the 2nd bake. If the marshmallows feel too sticky while they are warm, set them aside and let them cool. You can still adjust the shapes after they cool down.
Bake smaller amounts in the beginning.
I recommend not baking many cookies at once, since the marshmallows do not stick after the cookies cool down. I recommend baking 5 - 7 cookies first to get used to the step, and bake more when you are ready!
Tips For Santa Cookies Ingredients
- Unsalted butter - It's important to use room-temperature butter for all the ingredients to incorporate well.
- Powdered sugar - The super-fine sugar creates a crumbly cookie texture.
- Vanilla extract - Use regular vanilla extract. You can omit it if you like.
- All-purpose flour - Use regular all-purpose flour.
- Cornstarch - The cookie feels more lightly crispy when a little bit of cornstarch is mixed in. Alternate it with all-purpose flour when you don't want to use it. You can also use rice flour or almond flour instead.
- Salt - The little bit of saltiness goes well with the buttery cookies.
- Black and red food coloring - I recommend using gel food coloring to get the best results. With gel food coloring, the consistency of the buttercream does not get affected as much as liquid food coloring.
- Marshmallows - I used typical, regular-size marshmallows from grocery stores.
How To Make Santa Cookies
Step 1. Make the cookie dough.
Make one batch of shortbread cookie dough. Follow the steps in the tutorial.
Step 2. Color the dough.
Take about ¼ of the dough for Santa's face and wrap it with plastic wrap. Set it aside. Color the remaining dough with red food coloring.
Step 3. Roll out the red dough.
Sandwich the red dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll it out to a thickness of slightly less than ¼ inch using a rolling pin. Transfer it to a baking sheet and chill it in the refrigerator until firm.
Step 4. Assemble the Santa shapes.
Peel off both sides of the parchment paper. Cut the red dough into 2 (width) by 3-inch (height) triangles. Cut the triangle in half to divide it into the top of Santa's hat and the body.
Place them on a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing out the hat and body parts. Press the plain dough between them.
Drop a few drops of black coloring on parchment paper and attach it to the back of a toothpick. Stamp it on each cookie to create Santa's eyes. Make tiny dots with the remaining red dough and attach one on each Santa's face as his nose.
Set the baking sheet aside in the fridge while cutting marshmallows. Also, start preheating the oven. (350ºF or 176ºC)
Step 5. Cut marshmallows.
Slice marshmallows for Santa's beard, pompom & fluffs on Santa's hat. Apply some cornstarch if necessary to prevent them from sticking to the knife and chopping board.
Step 6. Bake cookies and attach marshmallows.
Bake the cookies at 350ºF (176ºC) for 10 - 15 minutes until the edges get slightly darker.
Attach the sliced marshmallow pieces to the hot cookies as soon as they are out of the oven. Press the marshmallows firmly to ensure they stick to the cookies. (If the cookies cool down and the marshmallows do not stick, just place the marshmallows on top of them.)
Step 7. Bake the cookies again. (The 2nd bake)
Bake the cookies again at 350ºF (176ºC) for 30 seconds to 1 minute, depending on how warm the cookies are. Be careful not to bake them too long to prevent the marshmallows from spreading too much and getting messy!
Press the marshmallows and adjust their shapes. Do this after they cool down if they feel too sticky.
Now, it is done!
Share them with your families at Holiday gatherings, gift them to your friends in cookie boxes, or serve them as Santa's favorite cookies on Christmas Eve with a glass of milk! Enjoy them anyway you like.
I hope you'll create a wonderful Christmas memory with these Jolly Santa cookies.🎅🏼
Happy Baking,
Aya xx
How To Store The Cookies
Store the cookies in an airtight container. I recommend placing parchment paper on each layer just in case, to prevent the marshmallows from sticking to the cookies. Add silica gel to an airtight container if you need to keep the cookies crispy even in a humid environment.
You can store them for about a week at room temperature or about 10 days in the fridge. I usually store them in the fridge if we are not consuming them within 1 - 2 days.
FAQ
You can make 36 - 40 cookies from one batch of the recipe when cutting the red dough into 2 (width) by 3-inch (height) triangles. In the printable recipe at the end of the post, I am also listing the half-batch, just in case you want to make fewer cookies.
Yes! You can change the size as you like. Adjust the baking time accordingly.
Yes, you can! You can frost them with royal icing, white chocolate, or buttercream, as you like.
Yes! Use the cookie dough recipe that can hold its shape in the oven.
Store the cookie dough in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
Yes! You can make it ahead of time and store it in the freezer for a few months. Thaw it overnight before using it.
VIDEO: Watch How To Make It!
Watch the video tutorial to learn how to make delicious Santa Claus cookies visually and deeply understand each step and technique!
Don't forget to subscribe if you liked it 😉
Other Christmas Cookie Recipes
If you loved these easy Santa cookies, also try other delicious Christmas cookie recipes!
💬 Did you try this cookie recipe? I'd like to hear your feedback! I also love hearing how you enjoyed it for your special occasion. If you have a question, please leave it in the comment section below, and I'll respond as soon as possible.
Easy Santa Cookies (Shortbread Dough)
Equipment
- Spatula
- Parchment paper
- Rolling Pin
- Cookie cutters The rectangle cookie cutter
- Fork
- Baking tray
Ingredients
- 226 g (1 cup) Unsalted butter
- 90 g (¾ cup) Powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 290 g (2 ⅓ cups) All-purpose flour
- 25 g (3 ⅛ tbsps) Cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- Some Red gel paste food coloring
- Some Black gel paste food coloring
- Some Marshmallows
NOTE: For best results, measure ingredients with a scale. All recipes are designed with weighed ingredients using grams/ounces. Cup measurements (US customary units) are provided for your convenience.
Instructions
- Make the cookie dough - Make one batch of shortbread cookie dough. Follow the steps in the tutorial.226 g Unsalted butter, 90 g Powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract, 290 g All-purpose flour, 25 g Cornstarch, ½ teaspoon Salt
- Color the dough - Take about ¼ of the dough for Santa's face and wrap it with plastic wrap. Set it aside. Color the remaining dough with red food coloring.Some Red gel paste food coloring
- Roll out the red dough - Sandwich the red dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll it out to a thickness of slightly less than ¼ inch using a rolling pin. Transfer it to a baking sheet and refrigerate it until firm.
- Assemble the Santa shapes - Peel off both sides of the parchment paper. Cut the red dough into 2 (width) by 3-inch (height) triangles. Cut the triangle in half to divide it into the top of Santa's hat and the body. Place them on a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing out the hat and body parts. Press the plain dough between them.Drop a few drops of black coloring on parchment paper and attach it to the back of a toothpick. Stamp it on each cookie to create Santa's eyes. Make tiny dots with the remaining red dough and attach one on each Santa's face as his nose.Set the baking sheet aside in the fridge while cutting marshmallows. Also, start preheating the oven. (350ºF or 176ºC)Some Black gel paste food coloring
- Cut marshmallows - Slice marshmallows for Santa's beard, pompom & fluffs on Santa's hat. Apply some cornstarch if necessary to prevent them from sticking to the knife and chopping board.Some Marshmallows
- Bake cookies and attach marshmallows - Bake the cookies at 350ºF (176ºC) for 10-15 minutes until the edges are slightly darker. Attach the sliced marshmallow pieces to the hot cookies as soon as they are out of the oven. Press the marshmallows firmly to ensure they stick to the cookies. (If the cookies cool down and the marshmallows do not stick, just place the marshmallows on top of them.)
- Bake the cookies again - Bake the cookies again at 350ºF (176ºC) for 30 seconds to 1 minute, depending on how warm the cookies are. Be careful not to bake them too long to prevent the marshmallows from spreading too much and getting messy!Press the marshmallows and adjust their shapes. Do this after they cool down if they feel too sticky.
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