Cinco De Mayo Sombrero Cookies (Printable)
Festive sugar cookies shaped like Mexican sombreros with colorful frosting and candy decorations, perfect for celebrating Cinco De Mayo.
# What You'll Need:
→ Cookie Dough
01 - 2½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - ½ teaspoon baking powder
03 - ¼ teaspoon salt
04 - ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - ¾ cup granulated sugar
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
→ Decoration
08 - 2 cups confectioners' sugar
09 - 3–4 tablespoons milk
10 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
11 - Food coloring (various colors)
12 - 24 gumdrops or similar round candies (for sombrero tops)
13 - Assorted colorful sprinkles
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly distributed. Set aside.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 2–3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract, beating until fully incorporated.
04 - Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture, mixing on low speed until a smooth, cohesive dough forms. Avoid overmixing.
05 - On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to ¼-inch thickness. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out 24 large circles for the sombrero brims. Using a 1-inch round cutter, cut out 24 small circles for the sombrero crowns.
06 - Arrange both large and small cookie rounds on the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake for 8–10 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.
07 - While cookies cool, whisk together confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and pourable. Divide the icing among separate bowls and tint each with desired food coloring.
08 - Spread colored icing over each large cookie circle to form the brim. Attach a small cookie round upright in the center using icing as adhesive. Top each crown with a gumdrop, securing with additional icing.
09 - Pipe or spread icing along the edge of each brim and apply colorful sprinkles. Allow decorated cookies to set at room temperature until the icing firms up before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- Kids go absolutely wild for these, and honestly adults do too when nobody is watching.
- The assembly feels more like a craft project than baking, which makes it perfect for a party activity.
02 -
- Let the cookies cool completely before assembling or the icing will slide right off and take your sprinkles with it.
- Standing the small crown cookie upright takes a gentle hand and a bit of patience, but a dab of thick icing behind it acts like mortar.
03 -
- Chill the dough for thirty minutes before rolling if it feels too sticky and soft to work with cleanly.
- Use a piping bag or a zip top bag with the corner snipped off to control the icing with far more precision than a butter knife.