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Christmas sugar cookies stacked on a plate with sprinkles

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!
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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

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

  • 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.
  • If the dough has been made in advance, let it 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

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 104kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 18mg, Sodium: 25mg, Potassium: 13mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 129IU, Calcium: 8mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Did you try this recipe?Be sure to tag @flavorthemoments with the hashtag #flavorthemoments on Instagram so I can see what you made!