How to Make The Grinch’s Santa Cookies

posted by Lisa on December 10, 2019

Have you seen the Grinch movie? I’m talking about the cartoon Illumination Presents: Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch movie. I’ve seen it several times and I laugh out loud every single time The Grinch holds out that adorable little Santa cookie because it’s hilarious. What could be better than watching the Grinch show us how to make the Grinch’s Santa Cookies? Well, he didn’t come over to help me bake and I didn’t ask him to be on The Power of a Cookie Podcast so I decided to make them myself. That’s okay because I really had fun with these Santa cookies.

Come on and I’ll show you how to make them because they’re really simple and super cute. Oh, I almost forgot to mention I added a fur look with thicker white royal icing to Santa’s hat, beard, and suit so it wouldn’t be exactly like the Grinch’s Santa. It’s close, but I had to add some swirly lines so this Santa would look more Christmassy.

Supply List for How to Make The Grinch’s Santa Cookies:
(may contain affiliate links)

Recipes:
Sugar Cookie Recipe
Royal Icing Recipe or Half a Batch of Royal Icing Recipe

Cookie Cutters:
Gingerbread Man Cookie Cutter- Size doesn’t matter as long as you have a Santa hat cutter that will fit.
Santa Hat Cookie Cutter- One that will match the size of the gingerbread man cookie cutter.

Royal Icing Colors:

Bright White- AmeriColor Bright White Soft Gel Paste Food Gel –15-Second Royal Icing Consistency and Thick Royal Icing
Red- Wilton No Taste- 15-Second Royal Icing Consistency and Thick Royal Icing
Super Black- AmeriColor Soft Gel Paste Food Gel 15-Second Royal Icing Consistency
Flesh- AmeriColor Ivory Soft Gel Paste Food Gel 15-Second Royal Icing Consistency

Tools:
Small Candy Eyes– make them a few days before you make the cookies or you can buy them already made at stores like Walmart or cake supply stores. Or you can pipe two white circles and add a 4mm nonpareil.
Red Candy for his Nose- I used Sixlets from Country Kitchen Sweet Art. I bought them when they were on sale for $.75 a bag and they’re available at your local stores. The smaller Sixlets that are 10mm worked well with the gingerbread cutter I used. If you have a bigger gingerbread man cookie cutter you may want to match the size to the size of your cutter.
Turkey Lacer
Tipless decorating bags from Truly Mad Plastic or Flour Box Baker
Decorating Tongs or as I like to call them ‘Cookie Tweezers’
Food-Safe Marker

Optional:
Cookie Turntable Swivel for Cookies and the Mini mat
Fan to dry your cookies

To make this guy, roll out your cookie dough and cut out the gingerbread man shape.
Cut the top of the gingerbread man’s head off.
Cut a hat shape out of the cookie dough,
Place the hat at the top of the gingerbread man’s head and gently push them together so it’ll bake together as one cookie.
Then, bake according to your recipe directions.

Let your cookie cool completely before you begin to decorate.
I know everyone will probably ask what size cookie cutters I used so I’ll be happy to share that info with ya. The gingerbread man was 4″ wide x 5 1⁄2″ long and the hat measures 2 1⁄4″ wide x 2 1⁄2″ long.
I don’t think we need to get hung up on the size of the cutters because this design is so simple it seems like almost any gingerbread man and Santa hat cutter will work. If your cutter is thin, it’ll work and if your cutter is a little wider, it’ll also work. Have fun with it and let’s bake along with the Grinch because I know you’d know how fun that would be.

Draw your pattern on the cookie with a food-safe marker.

Outline all the colors on the Santa cookie.
Flood the face with the flesh-colored royal icing and add the candy eyes and red nose while the ivory icing is wet.
Use your turkey lacer to move them into place.

While the ivory icing is still wet pipe a small circle under the nose for the mouth.

Pipe the hat, jacket, and pants with the red royal icing.
Let the icing dry completely.

Flood the ball on top of the hat, the brim of the hat, the beard and bottom of his jacket with the white 15-Second royal icing.
Let the icing dry for a few hours and then flood the boots with the black royal icing.

It’s time to add the swirls to all of the white royal icing. Use the outline icing so you can create some texture to make Jolly Old Saint Nick look like he’s full of joy.