Christmas Sugar Cookies
Every year, millions of people make Christmas cookies in all shapes, flavors, and sizes. I want to share with you my foolproof, mess-free recipe for traditional sugar cookies with soft and thick middles and lightly crispy edges. They are sweet without being too much so and can be dipped, decorated, frosted, and frozen.
Table of contents
Christmas Sugar Cookies should be mandatory on everyone’s menu during the holiday season, they are so festive and good! I will blow you mind with my easy recipe with very simple with basic ingredients, on how to make the prettiest sugar cookies without having to posses some elaborate baking or piping skills.
Also, the dough is easy to roll and work with, and the icing is ready in no time. When you first make the dough, it will be a bit sticky and hard to work with, so we recommend chilling it before it is rolled out. Even though this might sound unnecessary and painful, chilling the dough is worth it.
I have tried this recipe without chilling the dough first and decided that it is not as good. In addition, chilling it will make the dough very easy to manage and roll it out, and the cookies will always have sharp and defined edges. So refrigerating it for about an hour will yield a great result.
I have used some red and green gel food coloring to bring the Christmas spirit and colors in them. As a result, you have the most amazing and cute sugar cookies you can ask for. You won’t have to worry about artistic talent or waiting for the icing to dry, either. That is what I love about these!
These are the perfect cookies for Christmas parties, bake sales, church bazaars, or anything else going on over the holidays. They are easy to make, and the recipe can be multiplied to feed a crowd with no problem. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to two weeks or frozen for months. They go great with my homemade Christmas punch or a warm cup of homemade hot chocolate.
Why you will love this recipe
- Such a versatile recipe: This easy recipe can be made with or without frosting. The buttery vanilla flavor of these cookies goes with everything, and you do not need any special artistic talent to make them pretty as well as scrumptious.
- Takes just minutes to make: In just 15 minutes, the cookie dough can be in the fridge chilling. Then, roll them out and let them cook for 10 minutes. No need for fancy decorating jobs before eating them. And with the simple ingredients that are probably already in everyone’s kitchens, there is probably no need for shopping either.
- Feed a crowd easily: Since they are so easy to make and the ingredients are so inexpensive, making a bunch of them is no problem. Take them to the Christmas party at work or church, serve them at the family picnic, or just set them out for the next bake sale. They also make wonderful gifts.
- Leftovers are easy to save: These cookies can be kept at room temperature for several days or up to a couple of weeks in the fridge. If there are too many to eat in that time, pack them up and put them in the freezer for up to four months.
What you’ll need to make Christmas sugar cookies
Special items
- Stand mixer – Or an electric mixer.
- Cookie sheets
- Bowls
- Cooking utensils
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour—I like all-purpose flour for these cookies because it has just the right amount of gluten for good structure, softness, and a bit of crispiness.
- Baking powder – Instead of baking soda, I use baking powder because it has a lighter and cakier texture and helps the air cells expand to rise better.
- Softened unsalted butter – I use unsalted butter to get the pure buttery flavor so I can add my own salt. Also, the butter has to be softened but not melted because it is soft enough to incorporate the air to make them light and tender.
- White granulated sugar – Using white granulated sugar, the sharp edges of the sugar cut into the butter and create air pockets to incorporate the air in the dough to help it rise and become lighter.
- Large egg – Make sure it is at room temperature, so it blends more easily and creates a smoother batter. It whips better and helps get more air into the batter.
- Pure vanilla extract—Pure vanilla extract adds moisture and flavor, making cookies taste more complex than if they were made with imitation vanilla flavoring.
- Milk – The fat and sugar in the milk add richness to the cookie dough.
- Food coloring – I use and highly recommend gel food coloring for the brightest colors without adding any water.
- Salt
How to make Christmas sugar cookies?
- Make the dough: To start, I whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.
- Sugar and butter: Then, I beat sugar and butter in my stand mixer until it is light and fluffy. The egg, vanilla, and milk go in next, and I beat them until they are mixed.
- Combine: After turning the mixer to low, I gradually add the flour mixture to the bowl of the stand mixer until it is just combined, scraping the sides as needed.
- Color the dough: After dividing the dough into three equal parts, I divide it into three bowls and add red and blue food coloring to one and blue to another. Once they are mixed, I roll out each dough disc, wrap it in plastic, and chill it for an hour.
- Prep the oven: Once the hour is up, I preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and cover two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll out the dough: Next, I cover a flat surface with wax paper and tear each dough ball into eight pieces. They do not have to be the same size or shape. In fact, they should be random. Then, cover them with wax paper and flatten them with a rolling pin to make them into one large, flat, multi-colored sheet of cookie dough.
- Make the shapes: Last, I remove the top wax sheet and make sure it is fully melded and evenly rolled out to about a quarter inch thick. Then, I use cookie cutters to cut into shapes and place them onto the baking sheets, leaving about one and a half inches between them.
- Bake and serve: Finally, I bake for eight to nine minutes until the edges are golden before removing them and letting them cool on a wire rack. Decorate with icing or serve.
Expert tip
How to make these cookies without overmixing
One of the most common mistakes I have noticed people make when baking cookies is overmixing the dough. Some just toss all of the ingredients into a big bowl all at once and mix them up. Do not do that! First, mix the wet ingredients in one bowl, preferably with a stand mixer. Then, whisk the dry ingredients in another bowl lightly. The dry ingredients should be slowly introduced to the wet mixture.
When I add my flour to the wet mixture, I take the bowl out of the stand mixer and use a rubber spatula. Then, I only add a little and stop mixing it when most of the white is gone. Not all, just most. Just a few stirs usually do it. A few small lumps are fine as long as there is no big pile of raw dough at the bottom. It is better to be undermixed than overmixed.
Finally, when it is all mixed, if it looks too dry or crumbly from overmixing, it can be fixed. Add one or two tablespoons of milk can make it better. Just add one at a time so it does not get too moist and then that has to be fixed next!
Recipe variations and add-ins:
- Add some icing: My royal icing is the perfect thickness and flavor for these cookies because that is what it is made for. It hardens up when it dries so it can be packed up or picked up without smudges.
- Frost them: Instead of icing, I have a cream cheese frosting that is rich and tangy, made with only four ingredients.
- Spice them up: Sometimes, I like to add just a pinch of some of my favorite spices like cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.
- Other flavors: Another way I like to add flavor is with different extracts. Some of my favorites are orange, amaretto, peppermint, cake batter, and chocolate.
Serving suggestions:
Here are some of my favorite ways to serve these Christmas cookies.
- Everyone knows that a glass of ice-cold milk goes with cookies. But adults need a grown-up Baily’s S’mores milkshake. Just take the booze out of it for the kiddos and non-drinkers.
- These sweet and buttery cookies also taste wonderful dunked into some festive red velvet hot chocolate.
- For a main course, this honey butter ham is an absolute dream with its sweet buttery glaze and it is ready in under an hour.
- Whether these cookies are served as dessert, a snack, or brought as part of a party table, they go great with other cookies and treats of all kinds.
Frequently asked questions
If they are too chewy, it may be because of too much flour. It is important to use the spoon and level measuring method. First, stir or sift the flour before using a spoon to gently put it into a measuring cup and level it with the back of a knife.
Also, make sure the dough is properly chilled for at least an hour to allow excess water to evaporate or be absorbed. Overmixing can also cause this problem because of too much gluten development.
Substitute a tablespoon of the flour with cornstarch and two tablespoons of the white sugar for brown sugar. The cornstarch softens the flour’s proteins, and brown sugar retains more moisture. Also, do not overmix the dry ingredients because this will produce too much gluten. Once again, ensure the flour is measured properly to ensure there is not too much.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, too much flour is also the main cause of dry sugar cookies. That is why it is essential to measure flour carefully. Again, mixing too much and producing too much gluten will also cause this issue.
Overcooking is another thing that will dry out any cookie. Be sure to check the cookies several minutes before they are supposed to be finished, especially if your oven cooks hotter than others.
How can I make these cookies cakier?
This recipe is not for cookies that are meant to be cakey. However, to make the texture more cake-like, try using cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. Also, adding another egg will help make them cakier as well. Cutting the butter to one and a half sticks would also work. Finally, increase the flour about a quarter of a cup to see how that works. I think it will make them cakier and they will still taste incredibly delicious.
How to store:
- Refrigerate: Cookies will stay fresh at room temperature in an airtight container for up to five days or in the fridge for two weeks.
- Freezing: To freeze baked cookies, wrap them tightly in plastic and then in aluminum foil. After, place them in freezer bags where they can be stored in the freezer bags for up to three months. To freeze cookie dough, first, wrap each disc in plastic wrap and then place it in a freezer bag before freezing it for up to three months.
- Defrost: For the best texture and taste, thaw frozen cookies in the fridge overnight.
More Classic Christmas desserts:
Recipe tips:
- Always try to keep the cookies rolled to the same thickness of about a quarter inch thick so they cook evenly.
- The cookies can be thinner for crispier cookies. Just make sure they are all the same thickness and watch the edges. Take them out as soon as they start turning golden brown.
- The food coloring is optional. Using icing, sprinkles, and other decorations instead is fine too.
- Place the cookie cutters close together to get as many cookies as possible.
- If the dough starts to crack, let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before trying again.
- Measure flour with the spoon and level method to prevent dry, hard, or extra chewy cookies.
- Overmixing can also cause problems like these from producing too much gluten.
Christmas Sugar Cookies Recipe Video:
Christmas Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or almond extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1/4 teaspoon green gel food coloring optional
- 1/4 teaspoon red gel food coloring optional
Instructions
Prepare Sugar Cookies Dough:
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
- In another large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then, add egg, milk, and vanilla and beat until combined.
- Next, add flour to the mixer on low speed, mix gradually, and beat until thoroughly combined.
- Divide the dough into three equal parts and place into three bowls. Add red gel food coloring to one of the bowls, green to another, and leave the third one uncolored.
- Using a mixer or a spatula, combine the gel food coloring with the dough until smooth, and the color is evenly distributed. Roll the dough from each bowl into a ball and press it into a thick disk.
- Wrap each dough disk in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 1 hour.
Roll and Bake the Sugar Cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cover two baking cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Cover a flat surface with WAXED paper (no flour). Remove the chilled dough from the fridge. Using your fingers, break pieces of dough (about 1-2 inches big) from each disk and distribute them on the prepared waxed paper, close to each other, about 1/2 – 1 inch distance between the pieces. Alternate between colors and form a rectangle with the broken dough pieces.
- Cover the pieces with waxed paper. Roll the paper over the dough pieces using a rolling pin. Form a flat rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.
- Remove the top waxed paper, and cut the desired forms and shapes with cookie cutters. Then, transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, leaving 1 1 1/2 inches distance between the cookies.
- To chill, place the cookies in the freezer or refrigerator for about 10 minutes. This will help them maintain their shape while baking.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven at 350 degrees F or until golden color.
- After the cookies have been thoroughly cooled, decorate with icing.