Everyone needs an Easy Sugar Cookie Recipe! These are buttery and literally melt-in-your-mouth delicious and my go-to sugar cookie dough. You can bake them soft or crisp. These Christmas Sugar cookies have been part of my holiday cookie-decorating tradition for years!
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I love festive holiday treats like melt-in-your-mouth Snowball Cookies, soft Chocolate Chip Cookies, and of course Baklava. These beautifully decorated sugar cookies are a beautiful addition to the Christmas cookie platter.
Christmas Sugar Cookie Recipe
I love simple dishes that use minimal ingredients. During the holidays, I love baking, but I don’t love the cleanup afterwards. This recipe for Christmas sugar cookies gives me the best of both worlds — perfect cookies and an easy clean-up. You also don’t have to chill the dough so you can cut and bake the cookies right away, saving you time. I’m so excited to share this recipe with you!
One of my favorite Christmas traditions is cookie decorating, and my family has been doing this since the kids were tiny. The kids love the creative freedom to do what they want with their cookies, and of course, they are even more excited to eat them!
Whether you are planning a cookie-making party for your Christmas party or for the holiday cookie platter, you need a sugar cookie recipe that you can rely on. These cookies taste amazing, keep their shape, and are perfect for eating plain or decorating them with sugar cookie icing from our Easter Sugar Cookies Recipe and sprinkles. Let’s get started!
Tips For The Best Christmas Sugar Cookies
Sugar cookies may seem simple, but there are a lot of bad recipes out there! After much trial and error, I feel confident that I have mastered the art of the sugar cookie. Here are all the best tips and tricks I have gathered throughout the years to get the best flavor and texture:
Tip #1: Soften your butter
Butter should be softened at room temperature. If the butter is too soft or partially melted, you will end up with a sticky dough that is difficult to roll out.
Tip #2: Rolling Out Sugar Cookies Dough
Roll your dough out directly on a silicone baking mat or piece of parchment paper so you do not have to transfer your delicate shapes onto a baking sheet later. You can cut your shapes out right atop the mat and make your life a bit easier.
Tip #3: How Thick Should Sugar Cookies be Rolled Out?
Roll your dough out to about ¼-inch thick. This is the sweet spot. You’ll have cookies thick enough to keep their shape, while also thin enough to promote even baking.
Tip #4: Avoid Crumbly Dough
Crumbly dough makes for misshapen cookies that are prone to uneven baking. To prevent this, don’t overmix your dough. You want the dough to be as smooth as possible. However, if you do get a crumbly texture, add ½ tbsp of water, or milk to the batter and incorporate it until it remoistens the dough.
Tip #5: Avoid Overbaking
10 minutes might seem like a very short baking time for cookies. But, trust me, do not overbake them! At around 10 minutes, the edges of the cookies should just start to turn golden brown. This is the time to pull them! If you continue baking, you risk compromising that signature tenderness of a perfect sugar cookie.
How to Make Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
- Combine your flour, baking powder (make sure to use aluminum free baking powder) and salt together in a small bowl and set the dry mixture aside.
- Using a stand mixer or handheld mixer, cream together your butter and sugar then add egg and vanilla extract and beat until smooth and creamy.
- Add the flour to the butter mixture in thirds, mixing until incorporated between additions.
- Divide the dough into two equal parts and dust your work surface with flour to keep the dough from sticking. You can also dust the top of the dough lightly. Use a rolling pin to roll out each piece to an even ¼-inch thickness. Lift the dough gently to ensure it’s not sticking to your counter before cutting out shapes.
- Use a cookie cutter to cut out your favorite shapes or freeze your dough for later use. Note that larger cookies will take slightly longer to bake. Transfer the cookies to a cookie sheet, keeping them 1 inch apart (they do expand a bit in the oven).
- Bake the cookies at 350˚F for 10 minutes or until the edges are just starting to turn golden. That’s your cue to pull them out. Let the cookies cool on the baking pan for 5 minutes so they are easier to move without cracking then transfer to wire racks and let the cookies cool completely before decorating.
Storing Sugar Cookies
The great part about this recipe is that it can be made a couple of days in advance and the cookies will still retain their freshness. Below, I will share how you should store them and also how you can freeze your dough or baked cookies for later munching!
- Storing Cookies at Room Temperature: Store baked sugar cookies on the counter in an airtight container. They will keep for up to a week. Remember, if you have decorated your Christmas Sugar Cookies, let the frosting firm up, and then store them between layers of parchment paper to prevent sticking and/or destroying your designs.
- To freeze baked sugar cookies: allow cookies to cool completely, then stack the cookies in an airtight container between layers of parchment paper. Freeze cookies for up to 2 months. When you are ready to eat them, thaw at room temperature.
- To freeze your sugar cookie dough: roll it into a ball or a log. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store it in an airtight container or freezer bag. The dough will keep for up to 2 months before you need to use it. When you are ready to bake, allow the dough to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Then, bring it to room temperature for 1 hour before you shape your cookies and bake them.
How to Decorate Christmas Cookies
To decorate sugar cookies, I love to use our 3-ingredient cookie icing from our Gingerbread Cookie Recipe, or you can make a royal icing, and add food coloring. To pipe the frosting, transfer to a squeeze bottle or little zip bags (handy and inexpensive for cookie decorating parties).
If you prefer, you can purchase an icing decorating kit with pre-made frostings in a variety of colors, which makes it easy. Don’t forget the Christmas sprinkles and crushed candy canes.
Decorated Christmas cookies have a way of making the holidays more merry and bright, even if you aren’t the best at decorating. The perfectly imperfect ones are the most endearing anyway.
Christmas Sugar Cookies make my heart so happy because they unlock sweet memories over the years, like the cookie decorating party in the photo above when my husband and I hosted the family Christmas Eve party.
I’d love to hear about your special Christmas traditions around cookies in the comments below.
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
These are our best-loved (and reviewed) Christmas cookies to fill up your holiday cookie tray. These are well-loved by all ages and you’re sure to find some new favorites in this list. Looking for more Christmas recipes and inspiration? Check out our Christmas archives here.
- Thumbprint Cookies
- Meringue Shell Cookies
- Russian Tea Cakes
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Madeleine Cookies
- Polish Cookies (Kolaczki)
- Gingerbread Man Cookies
- Angel Wing Cookies
Christmas Sugar Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg, (large)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, (measured correctly)
- 1 Tbsp baking powder, (use aluminum free)
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F with a rack in the center. Whisk together flour with baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
- Using a stand-up or handheld mixer, beat the butter together with sugar. To the mixture add vanilla extract and egg and beat to combine.
- To the butter mixture, add flour in 3 parts until fully incorporated.
- Divide the dough into two equal parts. On a lightly floured surface, roll into ¼-inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut out your favorite shapes.
- Bake cookies on a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet at 350˚F for 10 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden.
- Let the cookies cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely and decorating with cookie icing.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Hi! I’m Natasha Kravchuk, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, food photographer, and writer. Here you’ll find delicious, reliable recipes made with simple ingredients, plus easy step-by-step photos and videos to help you cook confidently at home. 
This the best recipe I’ve had. Thanks for sharing. I did put 2 teaspoon of pure vanilla. Excellent. Have a blessed Christmas and a great New Year. In Christ love ❤️.
Thank you so much, Bonnie! Blessings to you and your family this Christmas and coming new year!
Hi! Quick question. If I roll the dough on a silicone baking mat or parchment paper, should I floured it first? I like the idea of not having to transfer the delicate cookies before baking them!
Hello! You can roll the dough directly on a silicone mat or parchment without flour since both are non stick. But if your dough feels too sticky, you can use a light dusting flour.
Can I make this dough ahead of time and freeze for Christmas week?
Hi Liz, yes, you can! See the Storing Sugar Cookies “To freeze your sugar cookie dough” section of the recipe post. I hope this helps.
Yesterday, I used your recipe to make the dough for sugar cookies. It was my first time making sugar cookies. The dough was very easy to make and to work with. This time, I didn’t use a cookie cutter. Instead, I made a 1″ ball and pressed it into a table spoon, which I coated with a bit of flour so the dough would come out easily. I used the spoon as a mold, to get the shape of a leaf. I gently pressed a knife blade into the dough to mark the veins, to make it look like a leaf. I knocked it out of the spoon and placed it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Your dough yielded 76 leaves. I baked them at 350F for 9 minutes. Once they cooled down, I dipped half of each cookie in melted chocolate and sprinkled the chocolate coated part with chopped pistachios. I got the idea of the leaf cookie from a short video on Facebook. But I did not like the list of ingredients that came with the video, because it had way too much fat. Half butter + half oil. That did not sit well with me. I much preferred trying your sugar cookie recipe, because I know that you test your recipes and I can always count on them being accurate. Couple days ago, I had received your email with the Christmas cookie recipes and your sugar cookies was one of them. What a perfect timing!!! P.S. I wish I could send you a photo of my leaf cookies. As they say, a picture is worth 1000 words. 🙂
Wow, that sounds incredible Jane! I wish I could see it! If you have social media, please post it and tag “#natashaskitchen” or”@natashaskithchen”
These cookies are so delicious and easy to make. Rolling the dough was a breeze. This is the 1st time in 50 years that I strayed from my Mom’s recipe that has shortening in it. They just pop with flavor and are crispy but yet just the right amount of tenderness. This is a winner!!!! I love ever recipe of yours that I have tried.
I’m so happy you found a winner on my blog, Ann! Thank you for sharing that with me!
It was so good it taste’s amazing thank you so much for you’er time.
So glad to know you loved them.
Just took the last batch out of the oven! They taste amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing this awesome recipe!!
You’re very welcome, Edie! I’m glad you loved them.
Thank you for your cookie recipe. Would you mind sharing the icing recipe you use for your cookies. Thank you! Merry Christmas🎄
Hi Frances, The icing recipe can be found on the printable recipe card on this post. Simply Click Jump to Recipe and scroll to the icing section. I hope that helps.
Ingredients should be listed in the order they are called for. Definitely my fault, but with a busy toddler “helping”, I thought the first ingredient called for (flour), was the amount of the butter (first on the ingredient list). Baked a couple of trays and it wasn’t working. Realized what happened and tried to salvage.
These are so good! Easy to make and you don’t need to refrigerate. Love the buttery taste as wellm kinda reminds me of the butter cookies that my mom makes. Will definitely be using this recipe for now on.
Made these and they were so delicious. 1/4 tsp ALMOND EXTRACT in the batter and a tad bit in the frosting took these to another level. I made my own frosting blending 1/2 cup softened butter, 2 cups powdered sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt, 1 tbsp milk and tiny splash of almond extract. Perfect crunch and flavor was 10/10.
Hey there. Did this recipe 3x and thr shapes were perfect in oven. Didn’t puff up or spread at all…. this time they really puffed up and spread. Could hardly tell them they were… any thoughts? I used the same cut outs. Dough was abit more sticker this time so could that be it? Weird…
Hi Shannon! Did you use double-acting baking powder? Also, if you beat the butter/sugar mixture for too long, it can incorporate too much air and this will cause the cookies to rise more when they bake.
These are so simple and quick. A true keeper. Thank you Natasha for all your lovely recipes.
Hi Natasha! Love your recipes. Can I use Bob Mill’s egg replacer for the egg? My husband is allergic to eggs and I’m not sure how it will impact the dough. Thanks!!
Hi Nima, I haven’t tried an egg replacement to substitute for egg in this recipe. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Recipe super easy, I put in refrigerator over night, took out this morning, and not wanting to stay together to make cookies, any ideas
Hi Shalee! Did you use too much flour? That’s the most common reason for dry/crumbly cookie dough. I have a How to Measure Ingredients (Wet and Dry) VIDEO here. You may try letting it sit at room temperature for a little bit to see if once it softens it holds together better.
I am looking forward to making these at Christmas. I wanted to point out that when choosing metric, you still have imperial measurements throughout your entire recipe. I can handle it, but it could be improved.
Hi Natasha, thank you for your feedback. At this time that adjustments will only impact the ingredient list on the printable recipe card.
I recently discovered you as I started on my sourdough journey, and I enjoy your videos very much. My question here is, can these cookies be sent through the mail to long distance family and friends? Thanks!
Hi Rick, they hold up at room temperature well for up to a week so I think that would work well, just make sure to package them carefully to prevent breaking in transit.
Can I make the dough a day before baking and refrigerate it ?Or do I need to freeze it
I Nazifa, you can store cookie dough in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. I would wrap in plastic wrap to keep the air out so it doesn’t discolor.
Hi, Im using your Christmas cookie recipe. Can i have a good icing recipe. Ive been looking but yet tobfind it. Thank you, Happy holidays.
Hi Laurie! You can check out the Icing Recipe here.
Hi Natasha, I use a lot of your recipes and appreciate your sharing them. Love watching your videos. I am an avid baker, especially cakes and cookies. I LOVE a good chewy sugar cookie, not necessarily to cut out and frost, but to just have on hand for a treat. Could these be baked by shaping into balls and baking instead of rolling out?
Hi Sandy! Thank you for using my recipes, I’m happy that you’re enjoying them. Regarding your question, I haven’t tested that toa advise. If you an experiment, let us know how it turns out!