Santa Gnome Cookie Cups
These Santa Gnome Cookie Cups combine refrigerated cookie dough, strawberries, M&Ms, and icing to create little Santa gnomes that are as delicious as they are festive.
We love getting creative during the holiday season, so we make tons of festive, themed treats. These little Santa gnomes are the perfect example of that. They’re easy and add so much whimsy to the holiday season.
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These little Santa gnomes are so festive and so easy to make.
- They only use a handful of simple ingredients.
- The flavors are so good.
🛒Ingredients
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This recipe only uses a handful of ingredients that you’ll find easily at your local grocery store. You can find the exact quantities at the end of the post.
- Refrigerated sugar cookie dough
- Strawberries with the tops cut off
- Red M&Ms
- White decorative icing
🔪 How to Make Santa Gnome Cookie Cups
Making these cookies is a breeze. It only takes a few simple steps, and you’ll be in and out of the kitchen in no time.
Step 1: Prep
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a mini muffin pan. Set aside.
Step 2: Bake the Cookie “Heads”
Roll the sugar cookie dough into 1-inch balls and place them in each mini muffin cup. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove them from the tin and cool completely on a wire rack.
Step 3: Decorate
Add decorative icing to the top of the cookie cup and let it drape down one side to make the gnome beard. Then, place a strawberry on top of the cookie cup. Add a red M&M to make the gnome nose. Use a toothpick to swirl the icing to make it look like a beard, then add a dollop of icing on top of the strawberry to finish the “hat”. Serve.
📝Variations
Do you want to change up this recipe and make it your own? Here are some ways that you can do that!
- Candy – You can use red or pink candy for the nose, as well.
- Cookie Dough – Use any kind of refrigerated cookie dough you like.
If you think this recipe is cute, then check out these Santa sugar cookies.
🥄 Equipment
You won’t need much to make these super easy cookies.
- Mini muffin pan
- Wire cooling rack
- Toothpick
🥫 Storage
Store these cookie cups in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
💭 Tips
There’s nothing much to this recipe. it’s all very straightforward. In fact, we only have one tip. Let your cookies cook completely before adding the icing or it will just slide off the cookie cups.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
They’re cookies that have been cooked in a muffin tin so they remain thick. Usually, a depression is made in the center for adding the filling, but not always.
While the cookies would last for at least a week, the cut strawberries will only last for 3 to 4 days.
Absolutely. Use homemade sugar cookie dough or your favorite store-bought dough.
🍽 More Recipes
Do you enjoy cookies? Then try these delicious recipes:
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🧾Recipe Card
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
Santa Gnome Cookie Cups
Equipment
- mini muffin pan
- Toothpick
Ingredients
- 1 roll of refrigerator sugar cookie dough
- 24 strawberries with tops cut off
- 24 red m&m’s
- White decorative icing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a mini muffin pan and set aside.
- Roll sugar cookie dough into 1 inch balls and place in each mini muffin cup.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden brown.
- Remove cookie cups from muffin tin and let cool on a cooling rack.
- Once cool use the decorative icing and squeeze to one side of the cookie cup draping down to make your gnome beard.
- Place one strawberry on the top of each cookie cup.
- Place one red m&m in the white icing to make the gnome nose.
- Use a toothpick to swirl the icing and make it look more beard-like.
- Squeeze a dollop of icing on the tops of the strawberry for the top of the santa hat.
