These Christmas sugar cookies are made with a simple sugar cookie dough and topped with a simple and easy glaze. If making sugar cookies and decorating them intimidates you, you will love this foolproof recipe!
These cookies don't spread in the oven and are made with super simple ingredients you probably have laying around in your kitchen. If you are looking for an icing that is not royal icing and dries out smoothly, we've got you!
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Why this recipe works
- Extremely easy to make.
- Made with easy icing that is made with simple ingredients and still looks fabulous.
- A foolproof sugar cookies recipe (that we know we all need)
- Perfect for Christmas day and Christmas cookie parties.
- Easily satisfies your cookie craving.
- Fits perfectly in your cookies tray for Christmas.
- Made with simple ingredients!
What are sugar cookies?
Sugar cookies are a cookie made with mostly sugar, flour, baking powder, vanilla extract, eggs, and butter, and are usually cut into cut-out cookies with cookie cutters.
Sugar cookies are extremely popular at Christmas time and the holidays and are usually decorated with easy icing, royal icing, buttercream, sprinkles, sugar, etc.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil. Margarine has a weird taste and can ruin the flavor of these delicious cookies.
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe. cake flour will work great as well.
Cornstarch- cornstarch helps to create a crumbly and tender texture for these cookies, plus, it keeps the cookie thick.
Powder sugar- you will need powder sugar for this recipe. you don’t have to buy powder sugar, you can simply make it at home by blending granulated sugar in a blender or food processor.
Eggs- you will need 2 large eggs for this recipe. The eggs will make this dough rich in flavor. Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.
Vanilla extract- adds extra flavor.
Kosher salt- you will need about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt for this recipe.
For the easy icing:
This icing is super easy to make, you will only need a few ingredients, a bowl, and a whisk.
Powder sugar- you will need powder sugar for this recipe. you don’t have to buy powder sugar, you can simply make it at home by blending granulated sugar in a blender or food processor.
Milk- we use whole milk for this recipe. we like to add a little bit at a time until we get the right consistency.
Almond extract- we used almond extract for this icing because it's clear in color. using vanilla extract is optional but will change the color of the icing. you can use lemon extract or any clear extract that you love.
Corn syrup- corn syrup is the secret ingredient to making this easy icing. the corn syrup makes the icing super shiny and pretty and it stays shiny after it dries out!
Gel food coloring- we highly recommend using gel food coloring in icing and frosting. gel food coloring goes a long way, and will not change the texture of the icing. we used green, and red gel food coloring for this recipe. you can definitely be creative and use your favorite colors and mixes.
Instructions
In a big mixing bowl, add the flour, cornstarch, and kosher salt. Mix with a whisk until combined and set aside.
Into a big mixing bowl, or in a bowl of a stand mixer, add the room temperature butter and the powder sugar, and cream it for 2-3 minutes or until it’s creamy and light in color.
Add the eggs, and vanilla extract. Cream the butter until the mixture is creamy and light.
Add half of the dry ingredients and mix until almost combined. Add the other half of the dry ingredients. Mix until the mixture is just combined and you cant see pockets of flour.
Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and let the dough rest in the fridge for at least an hour. We let the dough rest in the fridge overnight but it’s not a must.
After letting the dough chill in the fridge for at least an hour, take one dough half out of the fridge. Start rolling the dough on a floured clean surface to about ¼ inch thick.
Using cookie cutters, cut as many cookies as you can, we use a Christmas tree one, heart shape, star, and a circle but you can use your favorite cookie cutters as well.
Carefully transfer the cookies onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 10 minutes or until the edges are starting to turn golden.
Take the cookies out of the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to make easy icing for cookies
In a medium mixing bowl, sift the powder sugar, and add the almond extract, milk, and corn syrup. We suggest adding the milk gradually until you get the consistency you are looking for.
Mix the ingredients with a whisk until super smooth. You can take your time mixing the icing until it's smooth and silky.
If you are using food coloring, this is the time to color the icing. We used gel food coloring and we highly recommend doing so as well.
Divide the icing into small bowls and color each bowl with a drop of food coloring. Gel food coloring comes a long way so you should start with a small drop and build it up as you go.
Decorate your cookies (as seen in the video or as you would like) and add sprinkles on top if desired. We used Christmas sprinkles on the Christmas tree (with green icing) and coarse sugar on the star and round cookies (with white icing), and coarse sugar on the heart-shaped cookies (with red icing).
Set your cookies aside and let them dry completely for at least a few hours, we let them dry overnight. Our favorite part about this icing is that when it dried, it’s not too hard on your teeth and it tastes really good!
Expert tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist and tender cookies and not dense and dry cookies.
- Make sure that your butter is at room temperature. An hour or two before making these cookies, take the butter out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. The butter should be soft to the touch. If your butter is too cold, it will be harder to mix and there will be lumps of butter in the dough.
- Make sure that you are using fresh ingredients! One of the most common mistakes in baking and making cookies is not noticing that your baking powder or baking soda is expired. This can ruin your cookies and waste your time and money on the ingredients. So every time you bake anything, make sure that the ingredients are not expired.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Line your sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat! This step helps the cookies to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your cookies release easily from the pan.
- Chill the dough! This step is crucial and prevents the cookies to spread out too much. After making the cookie dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean towel, and chill the dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to ice these cookies as they are pulled out of the oven, but let these cookies cool for at least 1 hour in the fridge so the icing won’t melt.
- If your dough is starting to get soft, cover it with plastic wrap and freeze it for 15 minutes to let it firm up. We repeat this step until we are out of dough and we baked all the cookies.
Faq's
These cookies will last for up to 5 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature in the fridge or up to 4 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
We used regular unsalted butter for this recipe. If you want to use salted butter in this recipe, simply skip the salt and make the recipe as written.
Yes! feel free to divide this cookie recipe in half if you don't want to make 40 cookies. you can also divide this recipe into thirds if desired.
Storing
It’s okay to store these cookies at room temperature. Make sure that you store them in an airtight container.
Freezing
There are two ways to freeze these cookies, follow the instructions as written and make the dough, then cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it into a freezer-friendly airtight ziplock bag, and freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months.
When ready to make these cookies, thaw them in the fridge overnight and follow the instructions as written.
The second way you can freeze these cookies is by baking them according to the instructions, letting the cookies cool completely, and freezing them in an airtight freezer-friendly container for up to 2 months.
To thaw, place them at room temperature for 1-2 hours to defrost.
Substitutions
Dairy-free- Simply replace the butter with vegan butter. Do not margarine! margarine has a bad flavor and it can ruin the flavor of these cookies.
Variations
Lemon zest- add even lemon zest for a lemon flavor and aroma. We really recommend this.
Decorating tips
We like to decorate our cookies with easy icing that is made with powder sugar, milk, almond extract, corn syrup, and gel food coloring. You can use royal icing to decorate these cookies as well.
Decorate your cookies (as seen in the video or as you would like) and add sprinkles on top if desired. We used Christmas sprinkles on the Christmas tree (with green icing) and coarse sugar on the star and round cookies (with white icing), and coarse sugar on the heart-shaped cookies (with red icing).
Set your cookies aside and let them dry completely for at least a few hours, we let them dry overnight. Our favorite part about this icing is that when it dried, it's not too hard on your teeth and it tastes really good!
Tools
- Mixing bowl (set of 3)
- Whisk Set (pack of 3) to whisk the ingredients together
- Baking sheet and rack set (our fave)
- Cookie-cutter set (24 pieces!)
- Corn syrup
- Gel food coloring (12 colors)
- Christmas sprinkles (set of 3)
More Christmas cookies:
White chocolate cranberry cookies- These white chocolate cranberry cookies are soft, chewy, have crispy edges, and are the perfect cookies for Christmas and the holiday season.
No-bake cookies- These no-bake cookies are probably the easiest cookies to make, they are made with the best chocolate and peanut butter combo, and have the most amazing chewy and fudgy texture.
Chocolate crinkle cookies- Chocolate crinkle cookies are soft and fudgy chocolate cookies covered with crispy powder sugar outer layer.
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📖 Recipe
Easy Christmas Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups Flour
- ½ cup Cornstarch
- 230 g Butter
- 1 cup Powder sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Salt
For the icing:
- 1 cup Powder sugar
- 1 tablespoon Milk
- 2 teaspoon Corn syrup
- â…“ teaspoon Almond extract
- Gel food coloring
Instructions
- In a big mixing bowl, add the flour, cornstarch, and kosher salt. Mix with a whisk until combined and set aside.
- Into a big mixing bowl, or in a bowl of a stand mixer, add the room temperature butter and the powder sugar, and cream it for 2-3 minutes or until it’s creamy and light in color.
- Add the eggs, and vanilla extract. Cream the butter until the mixture is creamy and light.
- Add half of the dry ingredients and mix until almost combined. Add the other half of the dry ingredients. Mix until the mixture is just combined and you cant see pockets of flour.
- Cover the Christmas sugar cookies dough with plastic wrap and let the dough rest in the fridge for at least an hour. We let the dough rest in the fridge overnight but it’s not a must.
- After letting the dough chill in the fridge for at least an hour, take one dough half out of the fridge. Start rolling the dough on a floured clean surface to about ¼ inch thick.
- Using cookie cutters, cut as many cookies as you can, we use a Christmas tree one, heart shape, star, and a circle but you can use your favorite cookie cutters as well. Carefully transfer the cookies onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 10 minutes or until the edges are starting to turn golden.
- Take the cookies out of the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to make easy icing for cookies:
- In a medium mixing bowl, sift the powder sugar, add the almond extract, milk, and corn syrup. We suggest adding the milk gradually until you get the consistency you are looking for.
- Mix the ingredients with a whisk until super smooth. You can take your time mixing the icing until it’s smooth and silky.
- If you are using food coloring, this is the time to color the icing. We used gel food coloring and we highly recommend doing so as well.
- Divide the icing into small bowls and color each bowl with a drop of food coloring. Gel food coloring comes a long way so you should start with a small drop and build it up as you go.
- Decorate your cookies (as seen in the video or as you would like) and add sprinkles on top if desired. We used Christmas sprinkles on the Christmas tree (with green icing) and coarse sugar on the star and round cookies (with white icing), and coarse sugar on the heart-shaped cookies (with red icing).
- Set your cookies aside and let them dry completely for at least a few hours, we let them dry overnight. Our favorite part about this icing is that when it dried, it’s not too hard on your teeth and it tastes really good!
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