Cinco De Mayo Sombrero Cookies (Printable)

Festive sugar cookies decorated as colorful Mexican sombreros with frosting, sprinkles, and gumdrop toppers.

# 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 (assorted colors)
12 - 24 gumdrops or round candies (for sombrero tops)
13 - Assorted colorful sprinkles

# Steps:

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 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, continuing to beat until fully incorporated.
04 - Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the creamed butter mixture, mixing on low speed until a smooth, cohesive dough forms. Do not overmix.
05 - On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to ¼-inch thickness. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out large circles for the sombrero brims. Using a 1-inch round cutter, cut out smaller circles for the sombrero crowns. Re-roll scraps as needed.
06 - Arrange both large and small circles 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 the large cookie circles to form the brims. Attach a small cookie 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 cookies to rest until icing is fully set before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Kids go absolutely wild for these and they're surprisingly forgiving if your decorating skills aren't perfect
  • The sugar cookie base is buttery and crisp while staying soft enough to bite through easily
  • Everything comes together in under an hour including decorating time
02 -
  • Cool cookies completely before decorating or your icing will melt right off
  • The small crown cookies need to stand vertically, so use a generous amount of icing as your glue
  • Work quickly once you start assembling since the icing begins setting fast
03 -
  • Chill your dough for 15 minutes after rolling if it's too soft to cut cleanly
  • Use a toothpick to apply tiny dots of icing for precise placement of sprinkles
  • If your icing is too thick, add milk one teaspoon at a time until it flows smoothly

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