Christmas Sugar Cookies

There’s no lack of Christmas cookies adorning Pinterest and Google, from peppermint Hershey’s kisses drops to any and all variety of whoopie pie–they’re all there. Cookies with this mix-in, that mix-in; you can find it all! But lately I’ve been craving a good, old fashioned sugar cookies, decorated with a gentle festivity and perfectly sweet icing.

This, of course, is the type of cookies they actually eat in the North Pole, at least according to Norman Rockwell, the definitive brand of sweet to leave for Old Saint Nick to ensure maximum gift efficiency.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

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Buttery and sweet–but not too sweet, a soft texture, and icing that sets for a satisfying contrast, this is the only Christmas sugar cookie recipe you’ll ever need. The icing mimics the look of a royal icing, but it’s insanely easy to whip together while the cookies are cooling.

Don’t skimp on the chilling time for the dough — keeping the butter and dough cold will prevent the cookies from spreading when you bake them, ensuring a perfect texture and shape. Trust in the low bake time–I kept wanting to let the cookies bake longer and longer, because they simply didn’t seem ready, but they were. 4 minutes will provide a very soft texture; 5 will harden the cookies up a bit, while leaving a tenderness; and 6.. well.. I didn’t get there. I’m assuming they’ll be much crunchier, and if that’s your bag, go for it.

How To Make the Icing

For icing, I volleyed between dipping the faces of the cookies in my little icing bowl and painting the frosting on. The cookies often created a suction with the icing, pulling them inwards when I tried to lift them out of the icing, and because they’re soft, I worried they might break. For the thicker cookies (I’m not one for exactness in rolling out dough!), dipping was totally fine; for the thinner cookies made from pieced-together scraps, I definitely used a painting method. I found it easiest to drop a little spoonful of icing on the center of the cookie and then use a pastry brush to paint outwards from there.

For the blue, I set aside a little bowl of naked icing and mixed in just one little drop of a blue food coloring. I then spooned the blue icing into a small Ziploc bag and nicked the very corner off, using it as a makeshift mini-piping bag. I have no patience for intricate decorating, so don’t blame the cookies if you’re more of a cookie artist! Blame me. I liked the sort of whimsical touch that came through, though, despite my underdeveloped cookie decorating skills.

Tips for Success

I don’t have many cookie cutters, so I used an approximately 3.25″ circle cutter, which happened to produce cookies that fit beautifully stacked in a 4 cup Ziplock reusable container. I stuck little scraps of parchment in between each to keep the icing looking tops.

Make these! They’re so good.

Recipe By: Cheryl Malik

Sugar Christmas Cookies

Prep 30 minutes minutes

Cook 1 hour hour

Dough Rising Time 8 hours hours

Total 9 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

This Christmas sugar cookies recipe has been a family favorite for decades. These cookies are buttery and perfectly sweet, and once you try the deliciously rich buttercream frosting, you’ll never go back to royal icing. These will become the cookie standard in your family for every holiday, as it has for mine!

Cheryl Malik

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36 cookies

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Equipment

• Stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer
• Mixing bowls
• rolling pin
• Cookie cutters for various shapes
• Two baking sheets
• parchment paper or silicone baking mats
• offset spatula or butter knife for frosting

Ingredients

For the Christmas Cookies

• ▢ 1 cup butter softened
• ▢ 1 ½ cups sugar
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt

For the Frosting

• ▢ ½ cup butter softened
• ▢ 16 ounce package powdered sugar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons half-and-half
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ Food coloring optional
• ▢ Colored granulated sugar for topping optional

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Instructions

 

Make the Cookies

• Cream 1 cup butter with 1 1/2 cups sugar, gradually adding the sugar and beating until light and fluffy. Add 2 eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
• Combine 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add flour mixture to creamed butter mixture, stirring well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
• Work with one-fourth of dough at a time, storing remainder in refrigerator. Roll dough to 1/4- to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut with assorted cookie cutters and place on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake at 400°F (205°C) for 8 to 9 minutes. Cool cookies slightly on cookie sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Make the Frosting

• Combine 1/2 cup softened butter and 1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar, creaming until light and fluffy. Add 3 tablespoons half-and-half and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat until frosting reaches spreading consistency.
• Color frosting with food coloring if desired. Spread frosting onto cooled cookies. Sprinkle with colored granulated sugar if desired.

Make it Vegan: Use vegan butter, replace eggs with 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons ground flaxseed mixed with 6 tablespoons water, let sit 5 minutes), and use non-dairy milk in the frosting.

Chilling: The 8-hour chill time is essential for cookies that hold their shape. The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days before baking.

Rolling Tips: Work with one-fourth of the dough at a time, keeping the rest chilled. If dough gets too soft while rolling, return it to the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Use plenty of flour on your work surface to prevent sticking.

Don’t Overbake: Pull cookies from the oven when they’re just barely golden on the edges at 8 to 9 minutes. They’ll look slightly underdone but will continue cooking as they cool. Overbaked cookies will be dry instead of tender.

Frosting: Make sure cookies are completely cool before frosting or the frosting will melt. Let frosted cookies sit for 30 minutes to set before stacking or packaging.

Storage: Store unfrosted cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Store frosted cookies in a single layer at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.

Freezing Dough: Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in refrigerator before using. You can also freeze cut, unbaked cookies and bake from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes to baking time.

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Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 6gCalories: 199calProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 110mgPotassium: 21mgTotal Carbs: 30gFiber: 0.3gSugar: 21gNet Carbs: 30gVitamin A: 254IUVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition Disclaimers

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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