Christmas Sugar Cookies
Christmas Sugar Cookies are the best cut out sugar cookie recipe for the holidays. They’re soft and thick, and decorated with an easy vanilla icing and sprinkles. They’re a must for Christmas!
**The photos and text for this post were updated in December 2019.
I bake a wide variety of treats every year to give away as gifts or display in my annual Christmas cookie boxes. I like to change things up by baking a few different recipes every year, but gingerbread cookies, biscotti and these Christmas Sugar Cookies are traditional recipes that I make every year.
Truth be told, these cut out sugar cookies are what friends and family love the most, and I can’t say that I blame them because nothing embodies the holidays more.
This recipe produces perfectly thick, soft sugar cookies in fun Christmas shapes, and they’re decorated with an easy vanilla icing and bright, festive sprinkles that shimmer just the way the holidays were meant to.
Recipe ingredients
The ingredient list for these Christmas sugar cookies is nice and short, and everything you need is probably already in your pantry!
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Flour
- Butter
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
- Corn syrup. The corn syrup is essential for giving the vanilla icing a beautiful sheen, but you may omit it if you don’t have it on hand.
- Sprinkles. I don’t have a lot of patience decorating cookies, so simplicity is key. I used Sweetapolita Sprinkles because they’re so bright, beautiful and festive! I’m not being paid to promote this company, I merely love their products.
Necessary equipment
You’ll need the following equipment for your Christmas sugar cookies dough:
- Mixing bowls
- Hand mixer
- Silpat baking mat for work surface
- Rolling pin
- Cookie cutters
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
How to make Cut Out Sugar Cookies
Although sugar cookies are a bit labor intensive, but they couldn’t be easier to make.
Sugar cookie dough must be chilled as it’s easier to roll when it’s on the firm side. Chill for a minimum of 30 minutes to 2 hours, or make the dough up to a few days in advance.
Pro tip: Prepare the cookies in stages! The dough may be made up to a few days in advance, baked off when you’re ready, then decorated the day after baking. The dough discs or baked cookies may also be frozen for up to 3 months before decorating.
Prepare and chill the dough
Pro tip: Allow the butter and egg to come to room temperature for 15-20 minutes before preparing the cookie dough.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until smooth.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt with a whisk. Add to the butter mixture, beating just until combined.
- Scrape half of the dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap. Flatten into a disk, wrap, and repeat with the other half of the dough.
Roll out and cut the sugar cookie dough
If the sugar cookie dough has chilled for a while it will be too firm to roll. Simply remove the discs from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes until it’s soft enough roll out.
- Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin.
- Roll the dough evenly to about 1/4″ thickness for thick, soft sugar cookies, and 1/8″ thick for thinner crispier cookies.
- Cut into shapes, then gather up the dough and re-roll again until the dough has been used. Repeat with the other disc.
Bake the cut out cookies
Place the cut out cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet about 1″ apart.
Bake for 6-8 minutes or until lightly golden brown. If you like your cookies soft, be sure that you don’t over bake them. As soon as the tops of the cookies are dry to the touch, they’re done.
Decorate the cookies
I like to decorate my Christmas sugar cookies over a sheet of waxed paper to keep the mess to a minimum!
- Whip up your vanilla icing and spread over the cookies. It’s important to apply the sprinkles immediately after the icing as it dries very quickly.
- Allow the decorated cookies to stand at room temperature until set, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Recipe FAQs
Christmas sugar cookies may be prepared in stages if you are planning to give them away as gifts or you’re simply pressed for time. The sugar cookie dough may be prepared up to 3 days in advance, or formed into discs and frozen until you’re ready to make cookies. Once the cookies are baked, they may be decorated that day, the day after, or frozen before decorating. Once decorated, store between sheets of waxed paper in an air tight container for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to one week.
For thick, soft sugar cookies that stand up to icing and sprinkles, roll the dough out to about 1/4″ thick. For thinner, crispier cookies, roll the dough about an 1/8″ thick.
The cookies will appear dry on top and slightly brown on the edges. Do not allow the tops to brown as this will result in crispy sugar cookies.
Sugar cookies may be baked one day and decorated the next if you’re pressed for time. You may also freeze the cookies for up to 3 months prior to decorating.
I make my decorated sugar cookies a few days in advance and store them in an air tight container at room temperature between sheets of waxed paper. The cookies will stay fresh stored this way for 5 to 7 days.
Recipe tips
- Sugar cookie dough may be made a few days in advance stored in the refrigerator wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature for 15-30 minutes until soft enough to roll.
- If you wish to freeze the dough, wrap the plastic wrapped dough discs in foil also and store in the freezer for up to one month. Thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight and let stand at room temperature until soft enough to roll out.
- Store decorated sugar cookies between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 to 7 days.
See all of my Cookie recipes for more inspiration!
More Christmas cookies you’ll love:
- Chocolate dipped almond horn cookies
- Greek almond cookies
- Kourabiedes
- Peanut butter blossoms
- Red velvet sandwich cookies
- Seven layer magic cookie bars
- Snowball cookies by Live Well Bake Often
If you make this recipe I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment and rating below, or tag me @flavorthemoments on Instagram!
Christmas Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Vanilla Icing:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-4 tablespoons hot water
- 1 teaspoon light corn syrup essential for a nice sheen
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Equipment
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until smooth.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt with a whisk. Add to the butter mixture, beating just until combined.
- Scrape half of the dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap. Flatten into a disk, wrap, and place in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hours or use within 3 days. Repeat with the other half of the dough. If freezing, also wrap in aluminum foil and place in the freezer for up to one month.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Working with one disk of dough at a time, roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4" thickness for thick, soft sugar cookies, or 1/8" for thinner, crispier cookies.
- Cut into desired shapes using lightly floured cookie cutters. Place cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet about 1 1/2" apart. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, or leave plain and ice after they’re baked.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges. Be careful not to over bake — the cookies are done as soon as the tops feel dry. Cool completely on a wire rack.
- For the Vanilla Icing, sift the powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons of hot water, corn syrup, and vanilla until continue to stir until smooth. Add more hot water one tablespoon at a time if necessary.
- Spread the icing over the tops of the cooled cookies, or pipe it with a pastry bag fitted with a fine tip. Immediately sprinkle with sanding sugars, and decorate with the candies of your choice.
- Let the cookies stand at room temperature until the icing has set, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Notes
- Sugar cookie dough may be made a few days in advance stored in the refrigerator wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature for 15-30 minutes until soft enough to roll.
- If you wish to freeze the dough, wrap the plastic wrapped dough discs in foil also and store in the freezer for up to one month. Thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight and let stand at room temperature until soft enough to roll out.
- Store decorated sugar cookies between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 to 7 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
