Our Christmas Sugar Cookies recipe is melt-in-your-mouth buttery with a hint of vanilla. They take no time to make and bake the dough, so you won’t be in the kitchen all day. Plus, they’re cute and so easy to decorate. Does that sound like a win to you?
Save This Recipe for Later📩
We’ll send it to your inbox so you can come back when you have the time.
We start making these pretty Christmas sugar cookies as soon as the Hallmark channel starts playing Christmas movies, which is usually in late October (which is admittedly early). So if you’re looking for something to bring to your kid’s classroom parties, Christmas movie night, or other holiday gatherings, this is it!
Are you loving this idea? Okay, then I know you’ll love our Christmas Tree Cake Pops and our Christmas Tree Cupcakes.
Pin to your best dessert board! ⤵️
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love This Recipe…
- This is my favorite sugar cookie recipe! It’s tender, buttery, and sweet but not too sweet.
- If you’re Christmas season schedule is anything like ours, it’s busy, busy, busy! That’s why simple treats like this are crucial. You can whip up the 7-ingredient dough in just minutes. As for the rest? Simply roll, cut, bake, and decorate.
- While we decorated them with royal icing and decorative sugar, you can dress them up any way you like. For example, spread on buttercream frosting, and add traditional sprinkles. Or, go all out with intricate Pinterest-worthy designs.
- The cookie dough recipe is so perfect for making ahead. You have a few options. You can bake them in advance and then decorate them later. Or you could even freeze the dough.
Ingredients
- Butter – unsalted.
- Flour
- Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Vanilla Extract
- Egg
- Salt
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Easy Christmas Sugar Cookies
Pin to your best dessert board! ⤵️
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set that aside too.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer (or stand mixer) on medium speed to beat the butter and sugar for about 2 minutes, until it looks light and fluffy.
Add the egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl so everything gets mixed in well.
Add the flour mixture and mix on low until the dough starts to form. Then use a rubber spatula to gently fold and press the dough so all the flour is fully mixed in.
Divide the dough in half. Take one half and roll it out on parchment paper or a silicone mat until it’s about ¼ inch thick. Do the same with the second half.
Cover with plastic wrap and put both rolled-out dough sheets in the fridge for 2 hours so they can chill.
After chilling, use your favorite Christmas cookie cutters to cut out shapes. We used ornaments.
Place the cookies on your lined baking sheets, making sure to leave about 1 inch of space between each one.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate the cooled cookies with royal icing and your favorite sprinkles or decorating sugar.
Divide the icing into three bowls. Set aside one bowl of the white icing. For the second bowl, add the green gel food coloring. And for the third, add the red gel food coloring.
Spoon some of the white icing into a piping bag with a small #2 decorating tip. You also need to do this with the red and green icing.
Put the rest of that same colored icing into another piping bag, but this time just cut a small hole at the tip. Set aside.
Use the piping bag with the #2 tip to carefully outline the edges of the cookie. After you’ve outlined the cookie, use the second bag to fill in the inside.
Using a toothpick or scriber needle, gently spread the icing to the edges to make it smooth.
Let the cookies sit at room temperature for about 2 hours so the icing can dry and harden. Enjoy!
Allow the cookies to sit at room temperature for 2 hours to allow the icing to harden. Have fun and enjoy!
Top Tips
Although this recipe is super easy and reliable, I do have some tips that can make or break it.
First, you’ll want to chill the dough for at least 30 minutes, but 1 to 2 hours is optimal.
Second, roll the dough to an even ¼ inch thickness. This will ensure the cookies bake evenly.
Third, allow the cookies to cool completely before you decorate. Otherwise, the decorations will melt and you’ll have a mess.
Equipment
We like to double or even triple batches so we always use our KitchenAid stand mixer or our favorite handheld mixer by Hamilton Beach.
You’ll also want some Christmas cookie cutters. We went with this ornament-shaped cutter by Ann Clark.
Storage
Here’s how to store your Christmas cookies and keep them fresh:
Using parchment paper between layers, keep leftover cookies in an airtight container. Store them for up to 7 days.
Freeze baked cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet. Then, transfer them to a freezer bag. You store them like this for up to two months. You can freeze decorated cookies if you have leftovers from a party. But I prefer to decorate after thawing.
You can also freeze the cookie dough or unbaked cookies. If freezing shaped cookies, first freeze them on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen. You may need to add an extra minute or two.
FAQ
No. That is unless you find a store-bought dough specifically for cutout cookies, I wouldn’t. They tend to have too much too much fat and spread too much to hold their shape.
Yes! Chilling the dough is an absolute must if you want your cookies to hold their shape. We chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. Trust me, it makes a HUGE difference.
You know, there’s no best way to decorate your Christmas cookies. It’s a matter of personal tastes. We love royal icing, buttercream frosting, melted chocolate, sprinkles, candy pearls, sanding sugar, and googly candy eyes. Just be sure to wait until your cookies are cooled completely before decorating.
Christmas Ornament Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Sugar Cookie Recipe
- Red Royal Icing
- Green Royal Icing
- White Royal Icing
- White, Red, and Green Sanding Sugars Optional
Instructions
- Follow the steps through number 7 on the sugar cookie recipe card.
- After chilling, use the ornament-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. Place them on your lined baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch of space between each one.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorating
- Start by splitting the icing into three bowls. The white icing is in one bowl. In the second bowl, mix in the red gel food coloring, and in the third bowl, mix in green gel food coloring.
- Spoon some of each of the icings into a piping bag with a small #2 decorating tip. This will be used to outline the cookies. Set them aside.
- For the remaining icing, add a small amount of water to thin it out. This will be used to flood the cookie. Put the icing into another piping bag, but this time just cut a small hole at the tip. Set aside.
- Use the piping bag with the #2 tip to carefully outline the edges of the cookie with the white icing. After you’ve outlined the cookie, use the second bag of white icing to fill in the inside. Using a toothpick, gently spread the icing to the edges to make it smooth.
- Dip the cookie into the white sanding sugar, so that they completely coat the icing. Continue this step for the red and green cookies.
- Let the cookies sit for 2 hours so the icing can dry and harden. Enjoy!
Notes
- Ensure your cookies are completely cooled before adding any frosting or icing.
- Cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
- When you re-roll the dough, place it back in the fridge while the other cookies are baking. This will ensure they don’t spread too much.
Leave a Reply