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 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)
- 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.
For your easy sugar cutout cookie recipe should you refrigerate your doe before rolling out?
Hi Mary, this recipe does not require that step! I hope you love it!
Natasha, I’m going to be making 7 dozen of these for a gathering. Would it be ok if I made the dough in advance and kept it in the refrigerator until ready to use?
If so, how many days in advance?
I don’t want to make the dough and freeze it or make the cookies and freeze them. Thank you in advance.
Hi Irina, that will work great to make the dough ahead and refrigerate it. Just make sure it reaches room temperature before you shape your cookies and bake them.
Ooof. I added slightly less than the tbsp (which really seems like a lot!), and we could really taste in the cookies. We definitely did NOT use baking soda by mistake, I bake frequently and know the difference. I suspect this has to be an error. My kids won’t even eat them.
Hi A.J. I’m not sure what else it could be. I’ve made this recipe many times exactly per the recipe and haven’t had that issue. In baking in general, the rule of thumb is 1 tsp of baking powder per cup of flour so 3 tsp = 1 Tbsp.
Hi Natasha,
Can you please share your royal icing recipe to go along with your wonderful cookies?
Hello Mary, I don’t have it on my website yet but here is a royal icing recipe from my friend Sally.
Went against my better judgment and stuck with the recipe using a whole tablespoon of baking powder. The cookies tasted horrible from that
Hi Gabrielle, did you use baking soda by mistake? You should not be able to taste the baking powder. Also, I highly recommend buying baking powder that does not contain aluminum. Some people are sensitive to the taste of it and can detect it.
Hi, I made these and they are horrible. Too much Baking Powder in your recipe! I think the 5 star reviews are either bots or people that cannot taste food correctly.
Hi John – did you possibly use baking soda by mistake? Baking soda is 3-4x stronger than baking powder and will ruin these cookies in that quantity. We make these every year and I haven’t had any issues with the quantity of baking powder.
Hi john you probably just leave this wonderful lady and her website alone. The cookies are fantastic and you should keep your thoughts to yourself. 🙂
Hello!! I was thinking of making this with my little cousin and I don’t want anything to go wrong. We can’t use eggs, so is there a substitute for the egg that is just as effective? Or will ignoring the egg be fine? I heard banana is a great substitution but then the cookies will have a banana-y taste. Thank you, otherwise, just reading this is telling me that they’re gonna turn out amazing!
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.
I just made these with my kids and they turned out great! What a wonderful recipe! This will definitely be my go-to from now on! Thanks Natasha!
Wonderful to hear that, Amanda. Thank you for your awesome review! I’m glad you just found a new favorite with this recipe.
I made these for the first time last night. They are buttery and delicious. This dough was the least sticky and easiest to roll out and cut that I have ever made. This will be my sugar cookie recipe from now on!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Susan!
What do i do if i put all the flour at once? How can I fix it?
Hi Melissa, it would just be more difficult to blend it in. As long as you can get it to blend in (you may need to mix a little longer), it should be ok.
Hey Natasha, I was wondering if you can put the dough for the cookies into the fridge?
Hi Melissa, yes, that will work great to make the dough ahead and refrigerate it. Just make sure it reaches room temperature before you shape your cookies and bake them.
How long can the dough be refrigerated for? Also, how far in advance can I make the cookies for a decorating party? One day sealed tight or longer? Thank you!! These are definitely my favorite go-to sugar cookies Natasha! Thank you for opening your kitchen to us all. 😁
Hi Alla, please see the notes in the recipe on how to store these cookies.
Hi Natasha!
Love your recipes. I want to try this recipe before Christmas to make sure it goes well, but I noticed there is no recipe for the royal icing. Might you have one? Thanks in advance.
Hi Madelene, I don’t have it on my website yet but here is a royal icing recipe from my friend Sally.
Can you add almond extract cookies because I have some almond extract and I’ve been reading that it makes sugar cookies more flavorful
Hi Tia, I haven’t tested that yet but I imagine that will be fine. Please share with us how it goes if you try that.
Made the cookies and they were super duper dry. Had to add lots of water but not enough bc after they were cooked still super crumbly and dry. Just out here trying to make mushroom shaped cookies.
Hi Audrey, dry sugar cookies are usually due to overbaking (also make sure you are using conventional oven modes and not convection). These would work fine for a mushroom cutout, but not a 3-d mushroom shape like our Meringue mushrooms (I’m not sure if that’s what you meant).
I followed this exact recipe and they tasted like baking powder. My whole family tried a bite and spat it out. When I was making them I thought a tablespoon of baking powder was a lot as my moms recipe only calls for 1 tea spoon. I don’t know what I could have done wrong because most other reviews have good results
Hi Ashlee, normally you should not be able to taste baking powder (unless way too much was used or sometimes people say they can taste aluminum in it so avoid baking powder with aluminum). I wonder if maybe you accidently used baking soda instead of baking powder. You would be able to taste baking soda if you accidentally used that which is a common mistake. I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha, I love this recipe, but I use 1 tsp baking powder. The recipe above says 1 Tbsp baking powder! Too much, surely? It’s no wonder Ashlee and family spat out the sugar cookie if it tasted of baking powder. 😜
I had this issue with any recipe I made using baking powder for a while. Check your container of baking powder to see if there are small balls or clumps of baking powder formed. If there are, run your baking powder through a sifter and break up all the clumps. This fixed it for me!
Please check if you’re using US standard sizes. In some cultures like India, tablespoon equals 5 times US standard tablespoon.
I made these sugar cookies today and they were so delicious! They baked without spread and were soft on the inside with a little crunch along the edges. I’ve made many many sugar cookie recipes, and this one BY FAR surpasses the, all! Thank you…I love your site and your videos!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Ronda!
Hello! I have a question:
I have seen 3 ingredient recipes for sugar cookies; they exclude the baking powder, egg, & keep the vanilla optional. What do these changes do to the cookies? I’m looking for ones that a chewy or soft rather than crispy.
Hi Rebecca, these are not chewy but they will be soft if they are baked for less time.
Hey there Natasha
The sugar cookies turned out amazing!!
But since the batter makes so many cookies is there a way maybe to freeze them and then bake them some other time?
Hi Amreen, I answer that question actually in the recipe. Check out the portion, How to Freeze Sugar Cookie Dough.
When will the recipe for the royal icing be up?
Hi Viviana, I don’t have it on my website yet but here is a royal icing recipe from my friend Sally.
Ur the best non stop cooking every minute baking cooking thank u for recipes
You’re welcome, Rita! I’m so glad you’re enjoying our recipes.
WOULD LOVE ROYAL ICING RECIPE FOR COOKIES
Thank you for that suggestion! We have it on our to-do list!