Sugar Cookie Christmas Wreaths with Lemon Icing and Sugared Herbs

Sugar Cookie Christmas Wreaths with Lemon Icing and Sugared Herbs

Don’t these remind you of a walk in a snowy winter woodland? Lemon icing and sprigs of rosemary and thyme make these frosty-looking cookies a perfect gift for the foodie in your life.

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Ingredients

Sugar cookies
Royal icing (add 1/8 to ¼ tsp. of lemon extract)
Small sprigs of rosemary (use just the tips—they’re softer)
Small sprigs of thyme
1 egg white
Water
Superfine sugar
Red and white nonpareils
Sugar sprinkles
A fine paintbrush
Pastry brush or pastry bag and round size 3 decorating tip (for icing the sugar cookies)
Parchment paper
Tweezers (optional—for arranging the sugared herbs)

Bernard’s royal icing

Directions

  1. Wash and dry herbs and lay them on a parchment-lined surface.
  2. Mix egg white with a drop of water and paint a small amount on each herb.
  3. Toss with superfine sugar and return to parchment.
  4. Dry sugared herbs overnight.
  5. When you’re ready to decorate with the sugared herbs, flood or brush the cookies with royal icing.
  6. Arrange the sugared herbs on the cookies while the royal icing is still wet.
  7. Add sugar sprinkles and red and white nonpareils for additional color and texture.

Pro tips:

  • Use this sugar cookie recipe if you are making these wreaths from scratch.
  • Meringue powder mixed with a little water is a fine substitute for egg white. Still, Bernard reminded us that we needn’t fear raw egg white, as the bacteria that might be lurking in eggs are found in the egg yolk.
  • If you don’t have superfine sugar, just pulse regular sugar in a food processor a few times to get the same effect.