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These Santa cookies are adorable, tasty, and great to make with your kids! With their buttery flavor, chocolate eyes, and frosted beards, they’ll stand out at any Festive party. Hands down, the yummiest Christmas cookies to come down your chimney!
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Pin ItI’ve been making these Santa cookies for almost 20 years! They have become a tradition in my home, with my kids helping me each holiday season to create the chubby little body and adorable chocolate chip eyes.
We always place them out for Santa on Christmas Eve, along with our Santa hat cupcakes, and we think he gets a good belly laugh at them well!
They are the cutest and look lovely on a platter or in a cookie container! They’re buttery and delicious, and you’ll almost feel bad for eating their legs and head, but you won’t regret it once you have a taste! Below is the recipe to make these little guys.
How To Make Santa Cookies
Video
Supplies
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Spoons and Cups
- Piping Bag and Tip
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
Butter: I use unsalted, room-temperature butter for this recipe. I like to use good quality butter as these are butter cookies; the better the butter, the better the taste!
Granulated Sugar: Used to sweeten the cookies.
Milk: You can use whole milk or 2% milk.
Vanilla Extract: Use pure vanilla extract when baking.
All-Purpose Flour: I use King Arthur all-purpose flour. If you want to substitute with gluten-free Flour, you can use Bob’s 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour.
Red Food Coloring: For anyone who doesn’t mind using red dye, it’s the only way to get a red color for Santa’s suit. You can use natural food coloring, which gives the body pink instead of red.
Mini Chocolate Chips: These are for the eyes and the buttons. I use semisweet chocolate chips, but milk chocolate or dark chocolate will work.
Red Hots: These little red cinnamon candies are used for the nose. You can get creative and use any small red candy you prefer.
Frosting
Shortening: This creates a sturdy frosting that keeps its shape when piped. It also dried nicely. You can also use cream cheese instead for more flavor.
Vanilla Extract: Use pure vanilla to flavor the frosting.
Milk: Whole milk or 2% creates a smooth texture.
Confectioners Sugar: Also known as powdered sugar, this is the base and sweetener of the frosting.
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and prepare a baking sheet.
- Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment (or an electric hand mixer), beat the butter on high for 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat in milk and vanilla.
- Turn the mixer to low speed and gradually add in the Flour.
- Remove 1 cup of dough and set aside. Mix red food coloring in the remaining dough. Make one 1-inch dough ball and five 1/2-inch dough balls from the red dough.
- From the plain dough, make a 3/4-inch ball and four 1/4-inch. Attach them by pushing the dough together, as the picture shows. Add the chocolate chips for the eyes and three buttons.
- After the Santas are assembled on a cookie sheet, bake cookies for 12-15 minutes. Let cool for 2 minutes.
- To make the frosting, beat shortening and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in a mixer for 30 seconds. Gradually add powdered sugar and enough milk to make the frosting piping consistent.
- Spoon frosting into a decorating bag and use a medium star tip to pipe Santa’s beard hat and add the nose! Voila, you have a charming little cookie!
Piping Tips
Piping can be intimidating to some, but I promise it’s easy, and you can’t mess it up regarding these Christmas cookies!
The white frosting adds a lovely touch to Santa’s beard. If you’ve never frosted anything, fret not; it’s straightforward and quick once you get into the rhythm.
- Get yourself a tall glass, pastry bag, and frosting tips.
- Cut a small hole in the bottom of the piping bag, then add the tip inside.
- Line the glass with the piping bag and wrap the edges around the outside as you fit it inside the glass. This is the easiest, mess-free way to fill a piping bag.
- Scoop frosting into the bag and fill it, leaving some room at the top to twist.
- Pull the bag out and twist the top of the bag to close. Secure it with a rubber band if you have one.
- Try practicing a few strokes on the parchment paper before doing the beards, then frost away.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- When making the Santa shape, press the dough securely together so Santa can hold his shape when baking.
- For the frosting, ensure you add enough milk to get the right consistency to the pipe.
- You can switch up the type of candy you use for buttons, get creative, and use your favorite little candies.
- Use natural food coloring if you don’t want to use red dye. You can make charming pink Santas.
- Make gluten-free by using gluten-free baking flour.
- Make the dough the day before and store it in the refrigerator until ready to shape.
How to Store and Freeze
These cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 3 days.
You can also freeze these cookies for 2 months. Bring them to room temperature before serving.
When to Serve
Make these cookies for any holiday party or Christmas gathering! They are great for any of the below activities:
Frequently Asked Questions
The most popular cookie left out for Santa is undoubtedly the classic chocolate chip cookie. Its sweet, buttery flavor, complemented by the rich, melty chocolate chips, makes it a crowd-pleaser. However, our roly-poly Santa cookies are the best to leave for Santa! We can hear his belly laugh when he takes a bite out of the delicious, sugary cookie.
Over time, the tradition of Saint Nicholas filling shoes with sweet treats, such as cookies and other goodies, transformed. Instead of filling their shoes with goodies, individuals started leaving cookies for Santa Claus. This act served as a heartfelt gesture of thanks and appreciation for the presents he would deliver. Today, leaving cookies and milk out for Santa is a popular tradition that brings joy and excitement during the holiday season.
More Cookie Recipes
Shortbread Cookie Bars with Raspberry Filling
Mini Heart-Shaped Sugar Cookies
Biscotti Recipe with Cranberry and Pistachios
The Best Peanut Butter Blossoms
Gingerbread Spice Sugar Cookies
My Favorite Chocolate Cherry Cookies
Recipe and Review
I hope you love these Santa cookies as much as we do! They are fun to make (especially with kids) and will be a huge hit at any holiday gathering.
If you make these Christmas cookies, please leave a review below. I’d love to know what you think! Happy holidays!
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Roly-Poly Santa Cookies
Ingredients
Roly Poly Santa Cookie Recipe
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- red food coloring, A natural food coloring will turn Santa pink.
- mini-chocolate chips, for eyes and buttons
- Red Hots for nose
Recipe for frosting:
- 1/2 cup shortening, or cream cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
Santa Cookie Dough
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and prepare a baking sheet.
- Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment (or an electric hand mixer), beat the butter on high for 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat in milk and vanilla.
- Turn the mixer to low speed and gradually add in the Flour.
- Remove 1 cup of dough and set aside. Mix red food coloring in the remaining dough. Make one 1-inch dough ball and five 1/2-inch dough balls from the red dough.
- From the plain dough, make a 3/4-inch ball and four 1/4-inch. Attach them by pushing the dough together, as the picture shows.
- Add the chocolate chips for the eyes and three buttons.
- After the Santas are assembled on a cookie sheet, bake cookies for 12-15 minutes. Let cool for 2 minutes.
Recipe for frosting:
- To make the frosting, beat shortening and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in a mixer for 30 seconds. Gradually add powdered sugar and enough milk to make the frosting piping consistent.
- Spoon frosting into a decorating bag and use a medium star tip to pipe Santa's beard hat and add the nose! Voila, you have a charming little cookie!
Notes
- When making the Santa shape, press the dough securely together so Santa can hold his shape when baking.
- For the frosting, ensure you add enough milk to get the right consistency to the pipe.
- You can switch up the type of candy you use for buttons, get creative, and use your favorite little candies.
- Use natural food coloring if you don’t want to use red dye. You can make charming pink Santas!
- Make gluten-free by using gluten-free baking flour.
- Make the dough the day before and store it in the refrigerator until ready to shape.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These did not work at all. Didn’t you forget to add eggs to the dough? They fell apart and also were too flat/spread out in baking. I’ve been baking for 42 years so I’m not exactly a novice… what do you suggest?
There are no eggs in this recipe. You have to push the dough close together on the cookie sheet, then let them bake and cool completely before moving them. They are delicate, but they should stick together. We’ve been making these for years and they’re always turn out really cute!
I could not get my Santa’s to stay together after baking. I let them cool completely before moving them but the arms and legs keep falling off when I move them. What is wrong?