A Who-ville Style Christmas Recipe!
This is easily the best sugar cookie recipe that I’ve ever tasted! You MUST try these lightly sweetened, soft, and adorable Grinch-inspired Almond Sugar Cookies! Even the kiddos chipped in on this recipe! Green food coloring gives these cookies an animated, Grinch-like look, and a touch of almond extract brightens the flavors of these not-so-traditional sugar cookies. Topped with Royal Icing, these Grinchy snacks take on a snow-covered Who-ville glow and provide the glue to help the sprinkles stick to the cookies. The result is a gorgeously green, adorably decorated, almond-flavored Grinchy Sugar Cookie delight, perfect for snacking on while watching a Christmas movie this season!
If you like this recipe, then you’ll love my: Nightmare Before Christmas Cookie Pops.
A Very Grinchy Christmas Cookie Story
The 1966 Christmas Special ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ is near and dear to my heart. I looked forward to it every year growing up. The Grinch was my favorite Christmas special, and it was the first thing we watched with my youngest daughter when she was a baby. So this year, I wanted to create something special for us to snack on while watching the Grinch with my kiddos. I got the cute idea that baking a grinch-themed cookie would make this movie even more fun! So I looked up some recipes to try. Soon I found a quick and easy cake-mix sugar cookie recipe. I was so excited to try them, but to my surprise, it was an epic fail! You know, one of those terrible Instagram “nailed it” moments? As if the Grinch himself had sabotaged the whole batch of cookies. So sadly, into the garbage, they went. I thought to myself, “No shortcuts. I’ve got to do this right!”
I put my 3-year-old down for her afternoon nap, rolled my sleeves up, and started making my cookie dough from scratch because sometimes there are no substitutes… It was then I realized that I didn’t want regular sugar cookies. To make these cookies stand out, I’ve gone with some almond/vanilla flavor and green food coloring (of course), then voila! I ended up with the most flavor-filled green Grinch-Inspired Almond Sugar Cookies I could ever hope for.
Like the Grinch, this story has a happy ending. Without a doubt, these are officially a part of my Christmas cookie-baking tradition every year from here on out! We watched the movie with these cute little cookies, and I’m happy to report all that was left was a crumb, even too small for a mouse.
Royal Icing Tips:
- Icing Color Gel – It’s better to use an icing color gel when making these cookies. If you use regular food coloring, they won’t turn out as bright and sometimes can give the cookie an odd flavor. I buy the Wilton Icing Color Gel, but have often used other icing color gels as well. So far, they have all worked wonders. Please be sure to use the brand that works best for your kitchen.
- Keep Icing from Drying Out: Cover your Royal Icing with a damp towel in between uses while you’re decorating. This will help keep the icing from drying out.
- Consistency: If your icing is too thick, you can add more water. If your icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.
- Additional Flavor & Style: With this recipe, I’ve used traditional white sugar cookie royal icing. However, please feel free to add flavorings and color to the icing if you like.
- Meringue Powder: I use the Wilton Brand when I can find it. Sometimes, I have even seen the Ready-Made Royal Icing which if you’re using then you can skip the icing-making step completely because it’s ready!
Tips for Storing Grinch Sugar Cookies
- These cookies are best enjoyed within the first 3 days with icing and within the first 5 days without icing.
- Store cookies in an airtight container to help them last about 1 – 2 weeks when stored properly.
- You can also freeze these cookies for up to 3 months in the freezer. I love keeping a few of these without icing on hand to enjoy during the afternoon with my tea.
Christmas Cookie Recipes You May Also Like:
Let Me Know What You Think!
Want to see more recipes like this? Be sure to let me know!
If you tried this recipe, I would love to hear how you enjoyed these Grinch-Inspired movie snacks – Be sure to use the comment section below the recipe at the bottom of this page to let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing from you!
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Grinch Inspired Almond Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Whisk Attachment
- Cookie Cutters
- Cookie Sheets (Line with Parchment Paper)
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 ⅓ cup Blanched Almond Flour (finely ground)
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter (Softened/Room Temp)
- ⅔ cup Confectioners Sugar (Powdered Sugar)
- ⅔ cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla Paste
- ½ tsp Almond Extract
- 2-4 drops Green Food Gel
Royal Icing Ingredients
- 4 cups Confectioners Sugar (Powdered Sugar)
- 5 tbsp Warm Water
- 3 tbsp Meringue Powder (I used Wilton Brand)
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl (3 ½ cup All-Purpose Flour, 1 ⅓ cup Blanched Almond Flour, 1 tsp Baking Powder, ½ tsp Kosher Salt), and set aside. Next, using your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream 1 cup Unsalted Butter (Softened/Room Temp), ⅔ cup Confectioners Sugar, and ⅔ cup Granulated Sugar until combined. You should see the mixture lighten in color and become fluffy (around 2 – 4 minutes). Gradually add 2 large Eggs into the mixture one at a time. Lastly, add 1 tsp Vanilla Paste, and ½ tsp Almond Extract. Mix until incorporated, being careful not to over-mix.
- Slowly add your dry ingredients to your wet mixture, mixing on a low speed until combined. Carefully add 2-4 drops Green Food Gel, using only one drop at a time. This will help control your green ratio in the dough. (You may like a lighter green color or need to use less gel. This will depend on the brand you choose.) Mix until green coloring is incorporated, being careful not to over-mix.Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 mins – 1 hour. (Chilling the dough will help tighten the butter to make the dough easier to work with.)
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Place the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, you'll want to roll the dough to about 1/4" inch thick. Using cookie cutters, cut the desired shapes into the dough. (For this recipe, I used wreath shapes, circles, and hearts, giving these cookies a very Christmasy Grinch vibe.)
- Once you have cut your shapes, line your baking sheets with parchment paper and bake the cookies at 350°F for 9 – 12 minutes. You should begin to see browning on the edges but have a soft, almost underbaked center. Cool on a wire rack completely before applying the icing. Hot cookies will cause the icing to run.
Royal Icing Instructions
- Using your stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together 4 cups Confectioners Sugar, 5 tbsp Warm Water and 3 tbsp Meringue Powder until icing forms peaks (about 7 to 10 minutes at low speed with a heavy-duty mixer, 10 to 12 minutes at high speed with a hand-held mixer)
- Let the icing sit for 15 to 30 minutes to let air bubbles rise naturally. You can also tap the bowl on the table several times to force the air bubbles up. Gently stir the top surface to release the air.
- Apply the Royal Icing to the cooled cookie. Decorate cookies as desired. If using sprinkles, be sure to add them before the icing dries to help them stick. Enjoy!
Notes
Serving: 24 Cookies | Calories 199kcal | Total Fat 8.9g | Saturated Fat 5.1g | Cholesterol 34mg | Sodium 118mg | Total Carbohydrate 27g | Dietary Fiber 0.6g | Total Sugars 11.4g | Protein 3.3g | Vitamin D 7mcg | Calcium 32mg | Iron 1mg | Potassium 57mg (The Nutritional Facts on this recipe are an estimate. The accuracy of these nutritional facts is not guaranteed.)
Did you love this recipe?
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These were SOOO good!!!
I just stumbled upon the Grinch Inspired Almond Sugar Cookies recipe on Hello Brazelina’s blog and it has me feeling all sorts of festive! Not only is it a great excuse to indulge in some holiday treats, but the way the cookies are decorated to resemble the iconic Grinch character is clever and adorable. The addition of almond in the sugar cookie is a nice touch that adds a subtle nutty flavor to the treat. I can’t wait to try making them for my next holiday gathering!
Thank you so much for your feedback! I am so glad you enjoyed this cookie as much as I do! The Grinch is such a fun movie, and I wanted these cookies to be equally as fun to make! I’m so happy that these festive treats brought joy to your kitchen! 😁 Happy Baking!!