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Hot Cocoa Mug Sugar Cookies Recipe

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★★★★★

4.8 from 89 reviews

These Hot Cocoa Mug Sugar Cookies are festive, buttery sugar cookies shaped like coffee mugs and decorated with vibrant royal icing to resemble hot cocoa topped with whipped cream. Perfect for holiday celebrations or cozy gatherings, they combine a classic sugar cookie base with detailed meringue powder icing decorations including snowflakes and optional caramel accents for an extra touch of sweetness.

Ingredients

Scale

For The Cookies:

  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated white sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • ¾ teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons caramel for decorating cookies (optional)

For The Meringue Powder Icing:

  • 2 ¼ cups confectioners’ icing sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Wilton meringue powder
  • ¼ cup to ½ cup lukewarm water
  • Red food coloring gel (such as Wilton Christmas Red)

Instructions

  1. Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.
  2. Cream Butter and Sugar: In a separate bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the room temperature unsalted butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
  3. Add Wet Ingredients: Add the large egg, lemon zest, and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture and beat until just combined, ensuring not to overmix.
  4. Combine Dough: Gradually fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, beating gently until a smooth cookie dough forms.
  5. Chill Dough: Divide the dough into two equal parts, wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap, then freeze for 10 minutes or until the dough is firm enough to roll out.
  6. Preheat Oven and Prepare Pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and promote even baking.
  7. Roll and Cut Cookies: On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion of dough to ¼-inch thickness. Using a coffee mug cookie cutter, cut out shapes and carefully transfer them to the prepared baking sheets.
  8. Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes or until the edges start to turn light golden brown, indicating doneness.
  9. Cool Cookies: Remove cookies from the oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
  10. Make Royal Icing: In a large bowl, beat together the confectioners’ sugar and meringue powder until combined. Gradually add the lukewarm water while beating to reach stiff peaks, usually about 5 minutes. Adjust consistency by adding more sugar or water as needed.
  11. Color Icing: Tint about three-quarters of the icing with red food coloring gel (approx. 1/8 teaspoon). Keep the remaining portion white for decoration details.
  12. Decorate Cookies: Transfer the red royal icing into an icing bag fitted with Wilton tip #8. Use tip #8 to outline and fill the mug portion of each cookie. Use another icing bag fitted with tip #32 for filling the “cream” part with white royal icing.
  13. Add Details: Use white royal icing with tip #32 or similar to pipe snowflakes on the center of each cookie on the mug.
  14. Add Optional Caramel Decoration: Draw a thin horizontal line of caramel between the mug and cream parts for extra flavor and decoration if desired.
  15. Set Icing: Gently shake each decorated cookie to settle any icing bumps and let the royal icing dry completely before storing or serving.

Notes

  • Link for Cookie Cutter: https://amzn.to/3w9mJ1m
  • Store cookies in an airtight container for 4-5 days to maintain freshness and texture.
  • Use a toothpick to fix any holes or rough spots while decorating to ensure a smooth finish on your royal icing.
  • Start decorating your least favorite cookies first in case of any mistakes, allowing practice before the best cookies.

Keywords: hot cocoa mug cookies, sugar cookies, royal icing cookies, holiday cookies, Christmas cookies, decorated sugar cookies, meringue powder icing, festive cookies

Find it online: https://topreci.com/hot-cocoa-mug-sugar-cookies-recipe/