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These Vanilla Wreath Cookies are the simplest holiday cookie. Lightly sweetened buttery shortbread hinted with warming winter spices and finished generously with a sweet vanilla glaze. Decorate simply with sugared rosemary and your favorite holiday candies for festive Christmas wreath cookies. So easy to make, so pretty, and are Pinterest worthy. Surely the coziest winter treat to bake up any time this month…or to include in your holiday cookie boxes.
I love December days…especially when they include holiday cookies. It’s truly the sweetest time of the year. And I’m here to help you all bake up only the best holiday desserts. When I asked you all what recipes you wanted for December, I’d say eighty-five percent of the responses said cookies. Everyone wants cookies now, and many of them! Well, this year I heard you, and I’m sharing three new cookies recipes. I kicked things off last week and shared an extra special (and decadent) salted caramel pretzel snickerdoodles, then came my 2019 holiday cookie box (complete with tips and trick for creating the perfect cookie box). Today I’m sharing a slightly less decadent, but still sweet and delicious, shortbread style Christmas wreath cookie recipe.
PS. This Friday I’ll have another cookie favorite that I’m already excited to share!
These vanilla, buttery, spiced cookies, look fancy but are actually so simple, and of course, are nothing short of DELICIOUS.
Here’s the background.
It’s probably no secret, but I usually prefer a more chocolatey dessert. But…there’s always a time and place for a glazed cookie and the holidays are that time. This cookie is a cross between shortbread and a sugar cookie.
It’s buttery and flaky like shortbread, using only butter and no eggs, but glazed like a sugar cookie.
So, you get the best of both cookies.
Here’s how to make these wreath cookies.
Start with the cookie dough. It’s a mix of butter, sugar, brown sugar (for hints of molasses), and plenty of vanilla extract. Cream everything together until light and fluffy, then add the flour and spices. I wanted these cookies to have warm undertones and plenty of flavors, so I spiced them up with ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom.
Once the dough comes together, roll it out. Then cut the dough into circles with the centers cut out. I also made a few snowflakes too, so feel free to cut the dough into whatever shape you’d like.
For the glaze, I kept it simple since I didn’t want the flavor in the cookies to get lost. I made a very vanilla glaze that’s sweet and perfect atop each cookie.
Let’s talk about decorating…
I’m no professional cookie decorator. Therefore, I try to decorate my cookies as simply as possible. Enter my sugared rosemary “greens” for a true “wreath shape” look.
If you’ve never made sugared rosemary, this is the time. I love using sugared rosemary in my cocktails, but this is the first time I’ve used it in a dessert…and it won’t be the last. I was nervous about the flavor the rosemary would give off onto the cookie. But its earthy flavor goes so well with the warm spices and sweet vanilla throughout the cookies.
The sweetness from the sugar takes away that intense rosemary flavor and instead gives off just subtle hints. It’s delicious and so cute atop these cookies. And the best part…it’s so easy to make. Simply dampen the fresh rosemary with water, then cover in sugar, and let air dry.
To finish, I used small peppermint candies to add a pop of color. Elegant and kind of fancy, but easy and completely delicious. You can also very easily use food coloring of your choice which would be super fun for kids!
I included these cookies in this year’s cookie box since they’re perfect for shipping. But I’ll also be making them throughout the remaining December days. My cousins have already requested these for Christmas week after seeing them in my cookie box on Sunday.
I think I see a family baking day in my future! Again, I’m excited!
Soo, let’s bake cookies on Tuesday, listen to Christmas music, and enjoy the most wonderful time of year!
If you make these vanilla wreath cookies, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Vanilla Ginger Wreath Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
Vanilla Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- sugared rosemary, for decorating , (below)
- assorted candies, for decorating , (optional)
Instructions
- 1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, brown sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the flour, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom. Beat until combined, and the dough begins to form a ball. If the dough is crumbly, add 1-2 tablespoons milk or water until the dough comes together. 2. Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of lightly floured parchment to 1/4 inch thickness. Make sure you're using enough flour or your dough will stick. Cut out the cookies using a 3 inch circle cookie cutter or your favorite shape. Using a 1 inch circle cookie cutter, cut out the center of each cookie. Carefully transfer the cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and place in the freezer. Freeze until firm, about 10-20 minutes. Roll out the leftover scraps, and repeat with the dough.3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the cookies on the middle rack of the oven for 12-14 minutes or until just lightly golden. Cool on the baking sheet 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.4. To make the glaze. In a medium bowl, beat together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon water until smooth and drizzly. If needed, thin the glaze by adding water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until drizzly. 5. Dip the tops of cookies into the glaze, letting the excess drip off. Transfer to a wire rack and decorate as desired with candied rosemary and holiday candies. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
CANDIED ROSEMARY
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently run rosemary sprigs under a little water to dampen and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the rosemary with granulated sugar on all sides, making sure the rosemary is thoroughly coated in sugar. Allow to dry on the baking sheet for 1 hour. The rosemary can be made 1 day in advance and stored at room temperature.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Waited all week to make these! I love the spices (added 1/4 tsp of cardamom- my favorite spice), the lemon, and the shortbread texture. Next time I will add a little milk to the batter- it got crumbly after rolling out several times. My first pan I rolled out too thin and they got overdone. I made the following pans much thicker (1/4″ to slightly thicker) and baked 8-9 minutes. Took out of the oven before I thought they were done, and they turned out perfect- soft and held together well for decorating. Will definitely make again.
I am so glad this turned out so well for you Emmaline! Thank you so much for trying them! xTieghan
These are so beautiful!!! How long would these last once frosted? Would I be able to freeze and thaw them?
HI! These keep well for up to 3 days. If freezing, I would freeze the cookies unfrosted, then frost after thawing. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
These are sooooo cute!! I’m going to give these a go at the weekend!!! X
Georgia Rose | http://www.justgeorgiarose.com
I hope they turn out amazing for you Georgia! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Can you post a link to the peppermint candies? (Brand or where to get them?) I can’t find them near me!
Hi Niki! I found these are Marshell’s and sadly don’t have a link for them! If you light smash regular candy canes that works great. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
Made these yesterday, they are so good. These are my tips in case you make them:
– I had to add a bit of water as otherwise the dough wouldn’t come together and was very crumbly
– I used a Linzer cookie cutter and the back of a piping tip to cut out the circle in the center. I believe that my cookie cutters were smaller, I got 32 cookies in total
– instead of candy I used red-colored marzipan to make “cranberries”, dried cranberries would probably also work as decoration
– they look so pretty, i even hung some on our Christmas tree, will definitely also ship some in some cookie boxes
Awh that is so amazing! I am so glad these turned out so well for you Jenny! Thank you! xTieghan
Hi Kiley, just add a teaspoon of water at a time until you can form a ball.
So excited to make these! They are adorable. Where did you get the snowflake cookie cutters?
Hi Christina! I usually get them on Amazon! I hope you love these cookies if you get a chance to try them! xTieghan
These cookies look amazing! I need to try them asap!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Thank you so much Paige! xTieghan
Parabéns, muito legal
Obrigado! xTieghan
Dumb question, do you eat the candied rosemary or is it only for decoration?
Hi Lauren! You can totally do either! I hope you love these cookies! xTieghan
My dough was so crumbly, I couldn’t get it to form into a ball or roll it out 🙁 what did I do wrong?
Hi Kiley! So sorry you had trouble. Next time add 1-2 tablespoons water to help bring the dough together if it ends up being crumbly for. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
Just added these to my list for baking this Saturday! These sound like my ideal cookie. Does the glaze set up so they can be stacked?
HI! Yes, the glaze sets ups. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
I love these, so simple and elegant. Making them this week! Xx
Love that! I hope these turn out amazing for you Kelly! Thank you! xTieghan
When I saw the glaze I wondered how that would work with only vanilla for the liquid. Then in your directions you say add water a tablespoon at a time. These are so cute.
Thank you so much Charlotte! xTieghan
they are sooooo pretty
Thank you Ruth! I am so glad you like these! xTieghan