Celebrating your child’s First Holy Communion is such a special occasion. Show them how proud you are of their hard work with these adorable First Holy Communion Cookies! This recipe is a simple way to produce beautiful cross cookies that are decorated for spring. Bake them ahead of time and they’ll be perfect for your child’s sacrament celebration.

Since most First Holy Communion celebrations happen in the spring, I wanted to make sure these cookies looked like the season! They’re easy to make ahead of time – even the day before – and you can have them plated for a late morning celebration after the mass. They’ll be fresh and delicious!

The best part? They aren’t hard to make! I’ll show you how to use store-bought products to fake a royal icing look. That gives the cross the smooth look they have and then just add some packed sugar flower decorations to finish. They’re easy and anyone can bake these.

Don’t forget to check out my First Holy Communion Gift Guide For Boys – I always find that the girls are easier to shop for!

How To Make Cookies For First Holy Communion

For this cookie recipe, you’ll need a few kitchen tools to ensure they come out great. Purchase cross cookie cutter from Amazon. The cookies are rolled using a rolling pin. I use silicone baking mats so the cookies bake evenly, don’t stick and won’t burn on the bottom. The flowers are Wilton Mini Daisy Multi-Color sugar designs. If you can’t find those exact ones, look for a similar flower design.

What To Serve For A First Holy Communion Brunch Or Lunch

Of course you’ll need a few other recipes to pair with your First Holy Communion Cookies. I like to serve a light and refreshing brunch that’s easy to prepare ahead of time. Most mass celebrations are in the morning, so you want to ensure everything is prepped the day before. Check out these great brunch ideas:

• Quiche Lorraine
• Rainbow Fruit Salad With Citrus Mint Dressing
• Tater Tot Brunch Casserole
• Mini Cheesecakes With Blueberry Topping

How To Make These Cookies In Advance

Since you have to wait for the cookies to completely cool before decorating, I like to make these cookies the day ahead of time. They’re a bit time-consuming when you wait for the cookies to cool. Once your cookies have been decorated and they’re completely set, gently place them in a food storage container.

If you have to stack the cookies, place sheets of wax paper in-between each stacked cookie to protect the flowers. If you have time to do the flowers last, right before serving, it’s an easier way to stack the cookies.

For best freshness, enjoy the cookies within 2-3 days of baking. They do not need to be refrigerated.

Can You Freeze These Cross Cookies?

Yes! These are your standard sugar cookies and can be frozen. There are two different ways to freeze the cookies. First, you can freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months (prior to baking). Just let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight before following the directions to bake.

Secondly, the cookies can be frozen after baking. Once they’ve cooled completely, add the cookies to freezer bags. Store the cookies in the back of the freezer, where temperature is more stable. The cookies can be thawed on the countertop and enjoyed again.

What You Need From The Grocery Store:

• All-Purpose Flour
• Baking Powder
• Salt
• Unsalted Butter
• Granulated Sugar
• Eggs
• Almond Extract
• Vanilla Extract
• Store-Bought Vanilla Frosting Tub
• Wilton Edible Sugar Daisy Flowers

Directions To Make First Holy Communion Cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with silicone baking mats (or parchment paper). 

2. Whisk together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a mixing bowl, blend the butter and sugar until creamy and light. Add egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until combined. Dough will be a little crumbly.

4. Turn out the dough onto a surface sprinkled with powdered sugar or flour. Press into a ball and then roll out to ¼ inch thickness. Use a cross-shaped cookie cutter to cut each cookie. Carefully lift shaped cookies to the baking sheet. Using a flat spatula is recommended to help the cookies maintain their shape.

5. Bake cookies for 7 to 9 minutes. Do not brown the cookies. Allow cookies to cool for at least 20 minutes on the baking sheet before carefully removing to a cooling rack.

6. After cooling, decorate with royal icing. Transform store-bought vanilla frosting into royal icing by removing the lid and aluminum seal. Place in the microwave for 30 seconds (thicker royal icing) to 1 minute (thinner royal icing for flooding.) Stir well. Transfer to a piping bag and use as desired. While the icing is still wet, press the flower decorations into the cookies.

7. Allow icing to dry before storing in an airtight container between layers of wax paper.