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Ultimate Christmas Cut Out Sugar Cookies Recipe – Easy and Delicious
These Christmas cut-out sugar cookies are thick, soft, and wonderfully buttery, with just enough sweetness to pair beautifully with frosting and sprinkles. They hold their shape in the oven, making them a joyful holiday baking project for decorating with family and friends.
Why Make This Recipe
- Perfect for decorating: The sturdy, thick cookies provide a smooth canvas for icing, sprinkles, sanding sugar, and festive candies.
- Soft and tender: Unlike thin, crisp sugar cookies, these cutouts have a satisfying texture that stays pleasantly soft.
- Fun for the holidays: Use stars, trees, snowflakes, gingerbread people, and other seasonal cutters to create a beautiful cookie platter.
- Easy to customize: Change the extracts, colors, frosting, and decorations to match any Christmas theme.
Ingredients
Since the original recipe details were not supplied, use this flexible ingredient guide to prepare classic Christmas sugar cookie cutouts:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Unsalted butter, softened
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Optional almond extract for extra bakery-style flavor
- Powdered sugar or royal icing for decorating
- Food coloring, sprinkles, sanding sugar, or holiday candies for decoration
Use softened butter rather than melted butter. Soft butter creams smoothly with the sugar and helps create thick cookies that hold their shape.
How to Make It
Prepare the dough. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and creamy.
Add the wet ingredients. Beat in the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract if using. Scrape down the sides of the bowl so the mixture blends evenly.
Combine the mixtures. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix just until a soft dough forms. Avoid overmixing, which can make the cookies tough.
Chill the dough. Divide the dough into two portions and flatten each into a disk. Wrap them well and refrigerate until firm. Chilling makes the dough easier to roll and helps prevent the cookies from spreading.
Roll and cut. Lightly flour the work surface and rolling pin. Roll the dough to a generously thick, even layer. Cut out Christmas shapes and transfer them to parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving a little space between each cookie.
Chill the cutouts again. For the sharpest shapes, place the baking sheets in the refrigerator briefly before baking. This extra chill helps the cookies maintain crisp edges.
Bake. Bake in a preheated oven until the edges are set and only lightly colored. The centers should remain pale and soft rather than deeply browned.
Cool completely. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then move them to a wire rack. Cool fully before decorating.
Decorate. Spread or pipe on royal icing, powdered-sugar glaze, or buttercream. Finish with sprinkles, colored sugar, or small holiday candies, then allow the decorations to set before stacking.
How to Serve It
- Arrange the cookies on a festive platter with different shapes and icing colors.
- Serve them with hot cocoa, coffee, tea, or a glass of cold milk.
- Package individual cookies in clear bags with ribbon for homemade Christmas gifts.
- Add them to a holiday dessert table alongside brownies, fudge, peppermint bark, and gingerbread cookies.
How to Store It
Store fully cooled, decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Place parchment or wax paper between layers to protect the icing and decorations.
For longer storage, freeze undecorated cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to several months. You can also freeze decorated cookies once the icing has completely hardened. Thaw them in their container at room temperature to reduce condensation and help prevent the decorations from becoming sticky.
These cookies are best enjoyed at room temperature and generally do not need reheating. If you prefer a softer texture, let refrigerated cookies sit at room temperature briefly before serving.
Helpful Tips
Measure flour carefully. Spoon flour into a measuring cup and level it rather than scooping directly from the bag, which can add too much flour and create dry cookies.
Keep the dough thick and even. An even thickness helps every cookie bake at the same rate and gives the finished cutouts their soft, substantial texture.
Do not overbake. Remove the cookies when the centers look set and the edges are only lightly golden. Overbaking can make thick sugar cookies dry and crisp.
Use flour sparingly when rolling. Too much flour can toughen the dough. If the dough becomes sticky, chill it again instead of continually adding flour.
Let cookies cool before decorating. Warm cookies can melt icing and cause decorations to slide or spread.
Optional Variations
- Add citrus flavor: Mix in a little orange or lemon zest for a bright holiday twist.
- Try different extracts: Replace part of the vanilla with peppermint, maple, coconut, or extra almond extract.
- Make chocolate cutouts: Replace a small portion of the flour with unsweetened cocoa powder, adjusting the dough until it is soft but easy to roll.
- Create colorful cookies: Divide the dough and tint portions with gel food coloring before rolling and cutting.
- Use flavored icing: Try peppermint frosting, orange glaze, cream cheese icing, or chocolate royal icing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I keep Christmas sugar cookies from spreading?
Chill the dough before rolling, chill the cut shapes before baking, and make sure your butter is softened but not melted. Avoid adding too much liquid to the dough.
Why are my cut-out sugar cookies tough?
Overmixing the dough, adding too much flour, or overbaking can make sugar cookies tough. Mix only until the ingredients come together and bake just until the cookies are set.
Can I make the cookie dough ahead of time?
Yes. Wrap the dough tightly and refrigerate it until ready to use. Let it soften slightly if it becomes too firm to roll, but keep it cool enough to maintain clean edges.
When should I decorate the cookies?
Decorate only after the cookies have cooled completely. If using royal icing, allow the icing to harden fully before stacking or packaging.
Can I freeze Christmas sugar cookie cutouts?
Yes. Freeze baked, undecorated cookies in an airtight container with parchment between layers. Decorated cookies can also be frozen after the icing has fully set.
What is the best thickness for thick sugar cookies?
Roll the dough evenly to a thick layer rather than making it paper-thin. A substantial thickness creates the soft, tender texture these holiday cookies are known for.
Christmas Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
Thick, soft, and wonderfully buttery cookies perfect for holiday decorating with family and friends.
Ingredients
For the Cookie Dough
- 2 cups All-purpose flour Spoon and level for accurate measurement.
- 2 teaspoons Baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Unsalted butter, softened Do not use melted butter.
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 1 large Eggs Use large eggs for best results.
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract Extract for flavor.
- 1 teaspoon Optional almond extract For added flavor.
For Decorating
- 2 cups Powdered sugar or royal icing For decorating the cookies.
- various as needed Food coloring, sprinkles, sanding sugar, or holiday candies For decoration.
Instructions
Preparation
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a separate large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and creamy.
- Beat in the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract if using. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix just until a soft dough forms.
Chilling the Dough
- Divide the dough into two portions, flatten each into a disk, wrap them, and refrigerate until firm.
Rolling and Cutting
- Lightly flour the work surface and rolling pin. Roll the dough to a thick, even layer.
- Cut out Christmas shapes and transfer them to parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Chill the cutouts again in the refrigerator before baking.
Baking
- Bake in a preheated oven until the edges are set and lightly colored.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack.
Decorating
- Spread or pipe royal icing, powdered-sugar glaze, or buttercream on the cooled cookies.
- Finish with sprinkles, colored sugar, or small holiday candies, and let decorations set before stacking.
Notes
Store fully cooled decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. For longer storage, freeze undecorated cookies.
