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. 
I made them with my two little girls and they were amazing!
I made these with my little one and my goodness they came out so yummy! Easy to follow recipe. I never made sugar cookies before and I knew Natasha would have the best recipe out there. Thank you!
Yay thank you for your great feedback!
My husband said these are the best sugar cookies he has ever had!
Thank you so much for sharng that with us! I’m so glad he enjoyed the Sugar Cookies!
This recipe is a keeper. Thank you for the best tasting Christmas Sugar cookies my daughter and I have made.
You’re so welcome! I’m glad to hear these were a hit!
I love you Christmas cookie there are the best thank you.♡♡♡
I’m so glad you love these cookies!
I made this without vanilla extract. Will that work out ok?
Hi Celine, the vanilla adds flavor to the recipe and a little moisture. It won’t be quite teh same, but the cookies should hold their shape.
the dough doesn’t combine properly and is quite dry
Hi Veronique. Be sure to measure your flour correctly. Using too much flour is a common culprit of a dry dough. Watch my How to Measure Ingredients (Wet and Dry) VIDEO here.
Making them now and my dough is crumbly. Why might that be? Would love to send a pic but can’t post here.
Hi Bailey, the most common reason for dry/crumbly cookie dough is using too much flour. 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.
My dough started crumbly but then I kneaded it with my hands and walla, all good
I do the same thing! I have been making this recipe for the last few years. They always turn out perfect!!
Thank you for sharing that with us, Amanda!
This was the kindest sugar cookie dough recipe I have ever had! My cookies turned out perfect! I am 58 yrs old, and it took this long to find my go to recipe! This one is a keeper! Thank you very much.
So happy you found this recipe, Ronda!
Is 1 Tablespoon of baking soda correct? Most other recipes call for a fraction of this do I’m skeptical to make these.
Hi PJ, that is incorrect. This calls for 1 Tbsp baking powder, (use aluminum free). Baking soda is 3X stronger than backing powder and will be too much for this recipe.
Thank you very much for the recipe, cookies tunned out very good. Is 1 tablespoon (tbsp) of baking powder correct in this recipe? I used 1 teaspoon (tsp) of baking powder
Hi Kristel, yes one tablesppon is correct.
Love it
I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
I’m about to make these. What is the purpose of dividing the dough into two parts?
Hi Julia, it allows for an easier to manage dough. You can keep it as one if you would like, but you would need a larger working surface and you’ll have more dough to roll out evenly at once. It’s more manageable with a section at a time.
I made these tonight with my kids and they turned out perfectly! They kept their shape while baking. They have a delicate, buttery flavor. Definitely a keeper
Thank you for sharing, Kira! I’m happy to know that you enjoyed the cookies!
How long do you mix the butter and sugar together?
Hi Ashley! The goal is for the mixture to become lighter in color and a bit fluffy and this usually takes about 2–4 minutes with a stand or hand mixer on medium speed.
Cookies turned out perfectly. Nice taste and held their shapes. This recipe is a keeper!
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed the Christmas Sugar Cookies!
We have been making these for sometime now and they have been a family favorite 😍
I used baking powder like instructed and they blew up , not retaining any kind of shape. Will not make it again
Hi Valerie! Did you cream the butter/sugar for too long? If so, it incorporates more air which makes the cookies puff up more.
Great recipe . My dough was a little dry and I had to add a bit of milk. Other than that, they taste great. Thank
Hi Ann! Be sure to measure your flour correctly. I have a video on How to Measure Ingredients (Wet and Dry) here. I’m glad you still loved them.
would not make again. Maybe it’s the large ant of baking powder, they blew up huge in the over, all melded together and although they taste good, they have no shape.I cannot believe real people gave this 5 stars. I’ll never make this recipe again
HI Alissa, I’m sorry to hear that it didn’t work out for you. What you described is unusual for this recipe and I haven’t had that experience. Did you possibly substitute baking powder with soda by mistake? Also, they do need some space between them on the baking sheet but they don’t normally expand too much.
How do you store these? We can leave them outside and wrap them? Is it ok if we don’t?