These Christmas sugar cookies are the best with a soft texture, sweet buttery taste and decorated with an easy icing. These festive cookies are perfect for the holiday season!
Christmas Sugar Cookies Recipe
We adapted these Christmas sugar cookies from my favorite sugar cookie recipe and they not only taste great but their texture works perfectly with cookie cutters. They are soft and fluffy, with a texture that holds its shape no matter how you roll and shape them!
These easy cookies are so festive cut into holiday shapes and then topped with a foolproof pipeable sugar cookie icing or royal icing. These are the perfect cookies for Santa, to add to a Christmas dessert board or make for a cookie exchange.
Need more Christmas cookies for holiday baking? Try Mexican wedding cookies, candy cane cookies and chocolate chip cookies!
Recipe Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Butter: Let the unsalted butter sit out on the counter top until it is at room temperature. Soft to the touch, but not too soft that it will melt the cookie dough when baking.
- Sugar: Adds a little sweetness to the dough!
- Eggs: Use large eggs to get the best consistency.
- Vanilla and almond extract: The blend of these two extract gives these cookies the best flavor.
- Flour: Binds the dough together, making it firmer and less sticky. You can also use some while you are rolling out the dough on the countertop.
- Baking powder: This is an agent that will aid in puffing up the cookies as well as holding the shape of the cookie once it is done cooking.
How to Make Christmas Sugar Cookies
Cream butter and sugar together, then mix in eggs, vanilla, almond extract and sour cream until combined. Mix together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture.
Divide the cookie dough in half, then wrap each half in plastic wrap. Then let the dough chill in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.
Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. If it feels too sticky to roll out, add another 1/4 to 1/2 cup flour.
Cut out the shapes with your favorite cookie cutters and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake 375°F for about 8 to 9 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling wire rack to cool.
Once the cookies have cooled all the way to room temperature. Start making the frosting and ready to frost each of the cookies.
Baking Tips
For the best Christmas sugar cookie recipe follow these tips.
- Chill the dough. For the best sugar cookie recipe, refrigerate dough for at least 1-2 hours before cutting out your shapes. This helps prevent spread. No time to chill dough? Make drop sugar cookies instead!
- Parchment paper. Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper then you don’t have to peel up the shapes. Just transfer parchment paper onto the pan.
- Dust cookie cutter. Before using cookie cutter, dust it in flour or powdered sugar first. This allows for an easy removal and keeps the dough from getting stuck.
- Bake same size cookies. Because you’re using different types of cutters, the cookies will be all different sizes. Make sure to bake similar sized cookies together.
- Icing. While sugar cookie is my favorite, royal icing is also great to make the perfect sugar cookies recipe.
- Add sprinkles right after icing. Make sure to add any sprinkles or sanding sugar immediately after you ice or frost your cookies.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, if you prefer the flavor of a classic buttercream frosting, then you can definitely use that to frost your cookies too. A powdered sugar icing has a consistency similar to a glaze or like gingerbread house icing, which makes it great for dipping the tops of the cookies or spooning on top.
After cookies have cooled and icing has set, store in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
The dough freezes beautifully – so you can absolutely make it ahead of time and freeze it for later. Simply wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Then store in the freezer for up to 4 months. You can also make the dough 2-3 days in advance and store in the fridge until ready to use.
Yes, you can freeze the baked sugar cookies (without the icing). Let them cool after baking, then wrap with plastic wrap, add to a freezer bag and then store in the freezer. Then pull them out to thaw a few hours at room temperature before decorating.
Are you looking for more cookies recipes? Try this ginger molasses cookies, cinnamon roll cookies, or these delicious eggnog cookies.
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
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Christmas Sugar Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (345 g) butter , 3 sticks at room temperature
- 2 cups (390 g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 5 cups (650 g) all-purpose flour , spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups butter and 2 cups sugar. Beat until creamy. Add in 4 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and mix together until combined.
- Combine dough. In a separate bowl, mix 5 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix just until combined.
- Chill. Split dough in two and place in saran wrap. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Do not skip this step.
- Roll out dough. Once dough has chilled, preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out the dough about 1/2 inch thick on a baker's mat or a clean counter top. I like to sprinkle some powdered sugar on the rolling pin so the dough doesn't stick.
- Cut with cookie cutters and then place onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper about 1-2 inches apart. Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until the center is barely set. Do not let the edges or bottoms brown. Watch carefully the last minute of baking. Allow to cool on the pan for a few minutes and then remove to a cooling rack.
- Cool and frost. Allow to cool and then frost as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: American, Christmas, Cookies, Desserts, Freezer-Friendly, Frosted Cookies, Holiday Cookies, Kid-Friendly, Nut-Free, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Is there an alternative to corn syrup in the sugar cookie icing?
You can try honey, or just omit (the glaze just wont have a shine).
We love this recipe! The cookies are soft and they have stayed soft for days in a Tupperware with a lid. I love all the recipes I’ve tried of yours and I love your cookbook!
Thank you Emily for the kind words! Glad you are enjoying the Christmas sugar cookies!
Looks so good!
Looking forward to hearing how it goes when you make them!
Most delicious Sugar cookies!
Thank you! Glad you are enjoying them.
Sugar cookies are a tradition!!! Excited to try these this weekend!❤️
Looking forward to hearing how it goes!
Hi.. Sour cream isn’t listed in ingredients for this recipe. I saw your Soft Cookie Recipe with Sourcream, but would like to know if it will spread or hold shape like cut out cookies. Would love to try recipe with the sourcream, I do decorated cookies, but just want to be sure that one won’t spread (also has baking soda). Thank You.
Hi Julie! Both sugar cookie recipes will hold it’s shape if you use cut outs :) Happy baking!
These cookies look so festive! I made these cookies as presents, They use simple ingredients and the results were great! The cookies look perfect and they taste so delicious too!
Thank you Natasha! This is one of my go-to recipes during the holidays, I’m glad you enjoyed it too :)
Simple and yummy! Thank you!
Thank you Mary :)
These are really amazing Christmas treats!! My kids loved these!
Great recipe ❤