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Christmas | Desserts | Holidays & Celebrations | Kitchen Creations

Christmas Sugar Cookies

Name: Holiday Sugar Cookies
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 72 min
Ingredients: 2¾ c. All-Purpose Flour; ½ tsp. Baking Powder; ¼ tsp. Kosher Salt; 2 sticks Unsalted Butter ((room temperature)); ¾ c. Granulated Sugar; 1 large Egg; 1½ tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract; Royal Icing or Buttercream Frosting

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Making and decorating sugar cookies at Christmastime is the perfect family activity. Sugar Cookies take the fun of Play-Doh but you get to eat it.

We love to make sugar cookies at home or at grandma’s with our cousins. For young and old, sugar cookies are a great Christmas tradition.

Letting the kids assist you in this baking experience will help create memories in the kitchen. So, get out those cookie cutters. It’s time to make some Christmas sugar cookies!

A baking scene with a bowl of flour, a rolling pin, and a wooden board with snowflake-shaped cookie dough cutouts. A recipe card, red and white candies, and a dusted cloth are also visible, creating a festive atmosphere.

How to Make Christmas Sugar Cookies

First, you are going to gather all of your ingredients. If you are letting your little kids help mix, we suggest pre-measuring. This will take the stress off you and help you enjoy these special moments with your children.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and kosher salt.

In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. We like to use our Kitchen Aid for this step.

Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter-sugar mixture, mixing thoroughly.

Gradually incorporate the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, mixing just until everything is combined.

Shape the dough into four disks and roll each between parchment paper. Allow them to chill until firm—30 minutes in the refrigerator or 15 minutes in the freezer.

A woman and child are baking together in a kitchen. They are using cookie cutters on rolled-out dough, surrounded by a rolling pin, mixing bowl, butter, and peppermint candies. Flour is scattered on the countertop.

Baking the Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350°F. When the dough is chilled, pull it out one disk at a time. Use a rolling pin to flatten it to about ¼” thickness then cut out festive shapes using your favorite cookie cutters. Place them on prepared baking sheets.

Bake the cookies, rotating the positions of the pans halfway through, until they are light golden brown around the edges. This usually takes 10 to 12 minutes, depending on your oven.

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.

A kitchen corner exudes Christmas cheer with a wreath on the white door and a cabinet adorned with a striped bow. Four jars sit on the counter beside freshly baked sugar cookies cooling on a rack, their star shapes capturing the festive spirit.

A kitchen counter with star-shaped cookies cooling on a rack, dough and cookie cutters nearby. A vase with small branches, candlesticks, and a box of butter are in the background. Sunlight streams through a window, creating a cozy atmosphere.

A young child in a brown shirt decorates cookies on a cooling rack in a kitchen. There are snowflake-shaped cookies and a bowl with a wooden spoon nearby. A box of butter and a recipe card are on the counter. A sprig of pine decorates the space.

Decorating Christmas Sugar Cookies

Once the cookies are cooled, the real fun begins—decorating! There are many ways to decorate sugar cookies. Here are a few of our favorites.

Royal Icing

You can choose a classic Royal Icing for detailed cookie decorating. This icing would be best for older children and teenagers.

Make a batch of icing and separate it into small bowls. Then dye each bowl a different color and put the icing into a piping bag with a fine tip. Let the kid’s or your creativity shine as they turn Christmas cookies into edible works of art.

Buttercream Frosting

You can also choose to decorate sugar cookies with a simple buttercream frosting. This is the option we would choose to use for our little kids. Make a few colors and let them enjoy the decorating process. Don’t forget to add sprinkles!

Chocolate Coating

You could skip the frosting for these cookies altogether and use chocolate! Melt some chocolate and give the cookies a quick dip. Do this by dipping only the top of the cookie. It will give it a nice texture and look frosted. We have used chocolate chips or candy melts for this process and they always turn out great!

We also use candy melts to dip our cookies. These can also be used to add small piped details. Just be careful, the chocolate cools and becomes too hard to pipe quickly!

Powdered Sugar

Finally, if you want to go really simple, powdered sugar is the way to go! You can just sprinkle some over your cookies and it adds a simple, yet elegant touch.

A festive display of snowflake-shaped cookies with white icing, arranged on wooden boards. Pine branches and cinnamon sticks add a seasonal touch, while one stack of cookies is tied with red and white twine.

A woman and child stand in a kitchen decorated for the holidays. The child is sprinkling powdered sugar over tree-shaped waffles on a plate. The counter is adorned with paper snowflakes and a magazine. A wreath and gift-wrapped cabinet doors are visible.

Print Recipe

Holiday Sugar Cookies

Letting the kids assist you in this baking experience will help create memories in the kitchen. So, get out those cookie cutters. It’s time to make some sugar cookies!

Prep Time1

Cook Time12

Total Time1 12

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cookies

Servings: 2.5 dozen

Calories: 150kcal

Ingredients

2¾ c. All-Purpose Flour
½ tsp. Baking Powder
¼ tsp. Kosher Salt
2 sticks Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
¾ c. Granulated Sugar
1 large Egg
1½ tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
Royal Icing or Buttercream Frosting

Instructions

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
2¾ c. All-Purpose Flour, ½ tsp. Baking Powder, ¼ tsp. Kosher Salt
In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth.
2 sticks Unsalted Butter, ¾ c. Granulated Sugar
Add the egg and vanilla to the butter-sugar mixture
1 large Egg, 1½ tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
Gradually add flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Shape dough into 4 disks and roll each between parchment paper. Chill until firm, 30 minutes in a refrigerator or 15 minutes in the freezer.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using cookie cutters, cut out cookies and place them on prepared baking sheets. Reroll, chill, and cut scraps.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating positions of pans halfway through, until cookies are light golden brown around the edges.
Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
Decorate as desired.
Royal Icing or Buttercream Frosting

A glass of milk sits on a table next to a card with a festive Christmas sugar cookie recipe. In the background are a cardboard fireplace adorned with red and white stockings and a decorated Christmas tree shimmering with lights.

These Classic Sugar Cookies are more than just a recipe; they're a tradition waiting to be embraced.

We made some festive Holiday Recipe Cards. These Christmas Sugar Cookies are one of them! You can grab it below for free!

Sugar Cookie Recipe Card

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Get the Free Recipe Card

Two people in a kitchen are holding a cherished Christmas cookie recipe card. A rolling pin, bowl of flour, and wooden spoon are ready on the counter, suggesting festive baking preparation.

These recipe cards would make perfect neighbor gifts and include all of our favorite Christmas Treats.

What are your favorite Christmas treats?

Pin-Worthy Inspiration

A festive baking scene unfolds with snowflake-shaped sugar cookie dough on a wooden board, accompanied by a rolling pin, a white mixing bowl, and a striped kitchen towel. Peppermint candies are scattered about, echoing Christmas preparations in the cozy kitchen atmosphere.

A kitchen decorated for Christmas, with a wreath on the door, cabinet doors adorned with ribbon, and a snowflake-shaped treats on a platter. A recipe card and cinnamon sticks sit on a countertop in front of a white stove.

A person uses a snowflake-shaped cookie cutter on rolled-out dough. A wooden rolling pin, a bowl of flour with a spoon, and recipe cards are nearby. Two peppermint candies add a festive touch to the scene.

A baking scene with a rolling pin, cookie cutters, and dough on a floured surface. A bowl with flour and a wooden spoon is nearby, alongside recipe cards and peppermint candies.

Close-up of a snowflake-shaped cookie cutter on rolled dough. Nearby are cut-out snowflake shapes, a white mixing bowl, and a peppermint candy. Dusting of flour covers the surface, creating a festive baking scene.

A woman and a child are baking cookies in a kitchen. The countertop is covered with dough, cookie cutters, and candy. Sunlight streams through the window, illuminating the festive atmosphere.

A cozy kitchen with wooden cabinets and a plant by the window. On the counter, there's a mixing bowl, rolling pin, cookie dough, and striped towel, suggesting holiday baking. Candles and a nutcracker figure add a festive touch.

A festive baking scene showcases snowflake-shaped sugar cookie dough on a wooden board, accompanied by a rolling pin, flour bowl with a spoon, and a dash of holiday spirit. Striped candy and a recipe card add charm, while a red and white cloth hints at Christmas cheer.

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