Print Options
Back to
Sugar Cookie Sleigh >
Full Page
3x5
4x6
Include these items:
Photos
Nutritional Facts
Sugar Cookie Sleigh
Hop aboard this sugar cookie sleigh— it comes complete with Santa, a team of sweet reindeer (including Rudolph, of course) and a wintry wonderland scene! Our CW kitchen staff reined in the idea for this dashing accent for a buffet table or a mantel. It's fun to fix...so you can deliver one to your decor in merry fashion.
1 Servings
Prep: 2 hours + standing Bake: 20 min. + cooling
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
Green colored sugar
Cookie cutters—4-inch and 5-1/4-inch Christmas trees, 4-1/2-inch Santa and 3-inch reindeer
ICING AND ASSEMBLY:
4 egg whites
7-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
6 teaspoons hot water
22-inch x 16-inch display base (heavy-duty cardboard, cutting board
or
piece of plywood, covered with foil wrapping paper
or
aluminum foil)
Serrated knife
or
emery board
Pastry bags
or
heavy-duty resealable plastic bags
Pastry tips—#3 round, #67 leaf and #27 star
© Taste of Home 2013
2 of 5
Sugar Cookie Sleigh
(continued)
Ingredients (continued)
Canned goods and small spice bottles for propping
4 peppermint candy canes
Green, brown, and red paste food coloring
4 brown plus 7 red candy-coated milk chocolate balls, such as Hershey's
Chocolate and colored sprinkles
13 vanilla wafers
Red colored sugar
Flaked coconut
1 package (14 ounces) Starburst candies, unwrapped
4 pieces red shoestring licorice (10 to 12 inches)
Directions
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add
eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in
extracts. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt;
add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after
each addition. Cover and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes or until easy
to handle.
Trace patterns onto waxed paper, tagboard or thin cardboard; cut out.
Divide dough in half. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out
each portion of dough onto a greased baking sheet to 1/4-in.
thickness. Position patterns on dough 2 in. apart. Using a sharp
knife, cut out a sleigh front, back, base and two sides. Remove
patterns. Remove dough scraps; cover and refrigerate.
Generously sprinkle one side of sleigh front, back and side pieces
that will face out with green colored sugar. Leave base plain. Bake
at 350° for 10 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Remove to
wire racks to cool.
Roll out dough scraps. Using cookie cutters, cut out three 5-1/4-in.
trees, one 4-in. tree, five reindeer and one Santa. Place on greased
baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until edges
begin to brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.
To make icing: In a large bowl, beat egg whites until foamy.
Gradually add sugar and a few teaspoons of hot water; beat for 12-15
minutes. If too stiff, add more hot water; it too thin, add more
sugar. Place a damp cloth over the bowl and cover tightly between
uses.
To assemble sleigh: Test sleigh pieces to make sure they fit together
snugly. If necessary, file carefully with a serrated knife or emery
board to make them fit.
© Taste of Home 2013
3 of 5
Sugar Cookie Sleigh
(continued)
Directions (continued)
Insert #3 tip into pastry bag; fill two-thirds full with icing. Pipe
a wide strip of icing along the outside edges of the sleigh base.
Position and press the sleigh sides, sugar side out, against the
icing. Prop with cans.
Pipe icing on the sides of the front and back sleigh pieces. Position
front and back pieces, sugar side out, between the sides and
touching the icing on the base. Prop with cans. (See Photo 1.) Pipe
icing along the inside edges of the front, back and side pieces. Set
aside to dry completely, about 4 hours.
To decorate sleigh: For runners, cut 3-1/2 in. from the straight end
of two candy canes; set aside. Gently turn sleigh over. Ice along
the bottom edges of the sides. Position candy canes, curved ends
down, so the curved edges nearly touch the sleigh front. Press into
icing. Place one piece of reserved cut peppermint stick on each side
to complete the runners. (See Photo 2.) Set aside to dry completely,
about 4 hours.
Turn sleigh right side up. Tint 2/3 cup icing with green food
coloring. Use #67 tip to make a wreath on each side of sleigh. Set
aside remaining green icing for the trees. Gently press three red
candy-coated milk chocolate balls into each wreath for berries.
To decorate deer: With brown food coloring, tint 2 tablespoons icing
tan and 1 cup icing brown. Frost one side of deer brown; frost
antlers tan. With a dab of brown icing, attach one brown
candy-coated ball on each of four deer for the nose and one red
candy-coated ball for Rudolph's nose. Using white icing, place a dot
on each deer for eyes. Place one chocolate sprinkle in the center of
each dot. Set aside to dry completely, about 1 hour. Set remaining
brown icing aside for Santa and trees.
Place a dab of white icing on four vanilla wafers. Press the back and
front legs of two deer into icing on each wafer. Prop with cans; set
aside.
Place a dab of white icing on two more wafers; press back legs of two
deer into icing. Cut another wafer in half and one into quarters.
Place one halved wafer, cut edge down, on work surface. Prop up
halved piece with a quartered piece on one or both sides; join
pieces with icing. With a dab of icing, attach the front legs of the
two deer to the wafer stands; prop with spice bottles. (See Photo
3.)
For Rudolph, place a mound of icing in center of one wafer. Attach
Rudolph's back legs to icing, rest the front legs on a small spice
bottle so they are suspended 2 in. above the base. (See Photo 4.)
Allow to harden.
© Taste of Home 2013
4 of 5
Sugar Cookie Sleigh
(continued)
Directions (continued)
To decorate Santa: Tint 3 tablespoons icing with red food coloring.
Frost hat, jacket, pants and sack; sprinkle red colored sugar over
sack. Insert #27 tip into pastry bag; fill with white icing. Pipe a
star at the tip of Santa's hat. Make a zigzag design on the hat brim
and jacket bottom. Frost beard; cover with coconut. Pipe a thin line
down the front of jacket. Place a small dot of icing for eyes and
insert a chocolate sprinkle in the center of each. With some of the
reserved brown icing, frost Santa's boots. Pipe a belt and buttons
with white icing and #3 tip. Place on waxed paper to harden.
To decorate gifts: Using white icing and #3 tip, pipe a ribbon and
bow on each Starburst candy. Place on waxed paper to harden.
To decorate trees: Using reserved brown icing, frost the trunk of
each cookie tree. Using reserved green icing, frost cookies;
sprinkle with decorating sprinkles. Place on waxed paper to harden.
Attach each tree to a vanilla wafer with a dab of icing (as in deer
decorating instructions). Prop with cans, placing a Starburst
between tree and can.
To assemble entire table decoration: Working from one corner toward
the center, spread a thin layer of white icing on one-third of the
display board. Position sleigh in the corner of frosted board with
curved runners facing the opposite corner. Sprinkle coconut over
icing and press down.
Using white icing, completely frost the remaining board. Lay wet
paper towels over frosting if it begins to dry. Immediately position
the two deer on flat wafers about 2 in. from the sleigh front and 2
in. from each other. Place the two deer on stands 2 in. from the
first deer and 2 in. apart.
Center Rudolph 2 in. in front of second pair of deer. Return spice
bottle under Rudolph's front legs until displaying. Attach trees to
display board. Carefully sprinkle coconut over icing and press down.
Allow to dry for 8 hours or overnight.
For the reins, cut ends of licorice piece at an angle. Place a dab of
icing next to Rudolph's nose; attach the flat side of the angled
licorice end to the icing, holding until stable, about 5 minutes.
Attach with a dab of icing to remaining deer. Repeat.
Place licorice ends over sleigh front. Repeat on other side. In
center of sleigh, attach Santa with a dab of white icing. Prop with
a spice bottle until set. Fill sleigh with gifts. Place additional
gifts around sleigh if desired.
Editor's Note:
This icing is for
decorative purposes only
. If the decoration will be eaten, substitute a royal icing recipe using meringue powder.
© Taste of Home 2013
5 of 5
Sugar Cookie Sleigh
(continued)
Nutrition Facts:
1 serving (1 each) equals 11,700 calories, 248 g fat (127 g saturated fat), 929 mg cholesterol, 5,759 mg sodium, 2,314 g carbohydrate, 18 g fiber, 100 g protein.
© Taste of Home 2013