Christmas Sugar Cookie Recipes: 15 Cutout, Iced and Frosted Favorites

There is a reason christmas sugar cookies anchor every holiday cookie tray: they are the canvas cookie, ready for anything you spread, pipe, or sprinkle on top. This collection covers christmas cutout cookies that hold crisp edges, iced christmas cookies with smooth flood icing, frosted christmas cookies under clouds of buttercream, and slice-and-bake rolls you can keep in the freezer for weeks. Every recipe gives exact amounts, roll thicknesses, and chill times, because those small details are what separate a sharp little tree from a melted blob. Choose your decorating style, roll out the dough, and finish with a tray of christmas sugar cookies that look as good as they taste.

QUICK IDEA SUMMARY

• The key takeaway: One dependable dough plus a few finishing styles gives you every cookie in this article. Master the no-spread cutout base (recipe 01) and the decorating recipes, stained glass cookies, and shaped cookies all build on it.
• The detail most people miss: Chilling the cut shapes, not just the dough. Ten minutes in the freezer after cutting is what keeps edges sharp and stops christmas cookies to decorate from puffing into blobs.
• What it costs or how long it takes: A batch of dough costs about $4 to $6 and makes 24 to 36 cookies. Plain cookies take about 30 minutes; fully decorated royal icing cookies need 30 minutes of hands-on time plus drying time.

At a glance

15 christmas sugar cookie recipes to roll, ice and frost

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01. Classic No-Spread Cutout Sugar Cookies

Every decorating project starts with a cookie that behaves, and this is that cookie. Cornstarch-free but carefully balanced, the dough rolls smoothly, cuts cleanly, and bakes into flat, sturdy cookies with edges exactly where the cutter left them. Bake a double batch: half for decorating now, half for the freezer.

Prep: 20 min · Cook: 9 min · Total: 1 hr 30 min (includes 1 hr chilling) · Yield: about 36 cutouts

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Steps:

1. Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract.
2. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt until a smooth dough forms. Do not overmix once the flour disappears.
3. Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a disk, wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.
4. Roll one disk on a lightly floured surface to exactly 1/4 inch thick. Cut shapes and place them 1 inch apart on parchment-lined sheets.
5. Freeze the cut shapes on the sheet for 10 minutes while the oven heats to 350°F (175°C). This is the no-spread secret.
6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges look set and matte but not browned. Cool on the pan 5 minutes, then move to a rack and cool completely before decorating.

Try it: Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment to skip the extra flour, which can toughen the surface and dull your icing later.

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02. Royal Icing Sugar Cookies

Royal icing is what gives decorated christmas sugar cookies their smooth, glossy, professional finish, and it is simpler than it looks: powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water, beaten to the right consistency. Outline each cookie, flood the center, and the icing settles into a flawless surface that dries hard enough to stack and ship. These are the showpiece cookies of the season.

Prep: 30 min · Cook: 0 min · Total: 30 min plus 6 to 8 hrs drying · Yield: icing for about 36 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 batch classic cutout sugar cookies (recipe 01), baked and fully cooled
• 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 3 tablespoons meringue powder
• 9 to 10 tablespoons lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Gel food coloring in red, green, and gold

Steps:

1. Beat the powdered sugar, meringue powder, water, and vanilla on low for 4 to 5 minutes, until glossy and thick, like toothpaste. This is your outline consistency.
2. Divide the icing into bowls and tint with gel coloring, which will not thin the icing the way liquid coloring does.
3. Move about two-thirds of each color to a second bowl and stir in water 1 teaspoon at a time until it flows like honey and a drizzle disappears back into the bowl in 10 seconds. This is flood consistency.
4. Pipe an outline around each cookie with the thick icing and let it set for 2 minutes.
5. Flood the center with the thinner icing and nudge it into the corners with a toothpick or scribe tool. Pop any air bubbles with the toothpick tip.
6. Add details like dots, stripes, or a second color while the base is wet for a smooth finish, or let the base dry 1 hour before piping raised details on top.
7. Dry the cookies uncovered at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours, until the surface is completely hard and matte.

Try it: Write names on cooled cookies with a food-safe marker or piped icing and use them as place cards and edible gifts in one.

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03. Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies

These are the pillowy, thick, bakery-case cookies with a swirl of frosting and a snowfall of sprinkles, the ones that sell out first. Sour cream in the dough keeps them tender for days, and the frosting is a simple buttercream you can tint any color. No rolling thin, no chilling marathons: scoop, bake, frost.

Prep: 20 min · Cook: 10 min · Total: 30 min · Yield: about 24 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• For the frosting: 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened; 2 cups powdered sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 to 3 tablespoons milk; christmas cookie sprinkles for the tops

Steps:

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment.
2. Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, sour cream, and vanilla until smooth.
3. Stir in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until a soft dough forms. It will be stickier than cutout dough.
4. Scoop 2-tablespoon balls, space 2 inches apart, and flatten each slightly with the bottom of a glass dipped in flour.
5. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until puffed and just set with pale, un-browned edges. Cool completely.
6. Beat the frosting ingredients until fluffy, adding milk a spoonful at a time to reach a spreadable swirl. Frost each cookie generously and shower with sprinkles right away.

Try it: Tint half the frosting pale pink and half mint green for a pastel tray that photographs beautifully.

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04. Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies

Of all the christmas tree cookies you can bake, these are the ones kids ask for by name: green-iced trees with sprinkle ornaments and a tiny star on top. Use the royal icing method for a smooth finish or buttercream for a fluffy, faster version. A tree-shaped cutter around 4 inches tall gives you room to decorate without fiddly details.

Prep: 30 min · Cook: 9 min · Total: 39 min plus decorating time · Yield: about 24 trees

Ingredients:

• 1 batch cutout dough (recipe 01), chilled
• 1 batch royal icing (recipe 02), tinted green, or 2 cups buttercream tinted green
• 1/2 cup assorted small sprinkles and nonpareils
• 24 gold star sprinkles or small star candies
• 2 tablespoons brown icing or melted chocolate, for the trunks (optional)

Steps:

1. Roll the dough to 1/4 inch, cut tree shapes, chill the shapes 10 minutes, and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely.
2. Pipe or spread green icing over each tree, leaving the trunk bare if you plan to ice it brown.
3. While the icing is wet, scatter sprinkle ornaments over the branches and press one star sprinkle at the very top.
4. Pipe a small brown trunk at the base, or dab on melted chocolate with a toothpick.
5. Let royal icing dry 6 to 8 hours before stacking. Buttercream versions should rest 1 hour so the surface sets.

Try it: Pipe a thin white icing garland in a zigzag before adding sprinkles, and the trees look professionally decorated with almost no extra work.

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05. Santa Face Sugar Cookies

A round cookie, red icing for the hat, white for the beard, and two mini chocolate chips for eyes: santa sugar cookies are easier than they look and get the biggest reaction on the tray. The decorating is forgiving, because a slightly lopsided beard just makes Santa look jollier. Set these out on christmas eve with the milk.

Prep: 40 min · Cook: 10 min · Total: 50 min · Yield: about 24 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 batch cutout dough (recipe 01), chilled
• 2 cups royal icing or buttercream, divided: 1 cup red, 3/4 cup white, 2 tablespoons pink
• 48 mini chocolate chips, for eyes
• 24 red cinnamon candies or red sprinkles, for noses
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional, for beard texture)

Steps:

1. Roll the dough to 1/4 inch and cut 3-inch rounds. Chill the rounds 10 minutes and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 9 to 11 minutes. Cool completely.
2. Spread or pipe a red half-moon across the top third of each cookie for the hat.
3. Cover the bottom half with white icing for the beard, leaving a small oval of bare cookie in the middle for the face. Press coconut into the beard while wet, if using.
4. Pipe a fluffy white band along the bottom edge of the hat and a small white pom-pom dot at its tip.
5. Press two mini chocolate chips into the bare face area for eyes, add a pink dot or smear for cheeks, and set a red candy in the center of the beard line for the nose.
6. Let the icing set at least 1 hour before serving, or 6 hours for royal icing before stacking.

Try it: Use a piping bag with a star tip for the beard and hat band to get instant fluffy texture with zero artistic skill required.

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06. Sprinkle Icebox Sugar Cookies

Icebox cookies are the original make-ahead christmas hack: roll the dough into a log, coat it in sprinkles, and park it in the fridge or freezer until a cookie emergency strikes. Fresh cookies are then exactly 12 minutes away, with edges that bake up neat and round every time. Keep two logs frozen in december and you are never caught empty-handed.

Prep: 15 min · Cook: 11 min · Total: 2 hrs 26 min (includes 2 hrs chilling) · Yield: about 36 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup red and green jimmie sprinkles, for the edges

Steps:

1. Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
2. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt until a firm dough forms.
3. Shape the dough into a log about 2 inches across and 12 inches long on a sheet of parchment.
4. Spread the sprinkles on the parchment and roll the log through them, pressing gently so they stick all over.
5. Wrap the log tightly and chill for at least 2 hours, or freeze for up to 3 months.
6. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Slice the cold log into 1/4-inch rounds and place 1 inch apart on a lined sheet.
7. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are just golden. Cool on the pan 5 minutes.

Try it: Roll the log in crushed candy cane instead of sprinkles for a peppermint version with sparkly pink edges.

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07. Red and Green Pinwheel Sugar Cookies

Two colors of one dough, rolled into a spiral, sliced into perfect swirls: pinwheels are the most impressive-looking easy cookie in this whole collection. Gel coloring keeps the red and green vivid without thinning the dough, and the slice-and-bake method means the hard work happens a day ahead. Nobody needs to know how simple they are.

Prep: 30 min · Cook: 10 min · Total: 2 hrs 40 min (includes 2 hrs chilling) · Yield: about 30 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Red and green gel food coloring

Steps:

1. Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla, then stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. Divide the dough into 3 equal parts. Tint one red, one green, and leave one plain.
3. Roll each color between parchment sheets into a rectangle about 8×10 inches and 1/8 inch thick. Chill the sheets for 15 minutes so they handle cleanly.
4. Stack the layers (red, plain, green works well), peel off the parchment, and trim the edges straight.
5. Roll the stack tightly into a log from the long side, wrap, and chill for at least 2 hours, until very firm.
6. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Slice the log into 1/4-inch rounds and place 1 inch apart on lined sheets.
7. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until set with pale edges. Cool on the pan 5 minutes.

Try it: Roll the finished log in coarse sparkling sugar before slicing for edges that glitter like frost.

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08. Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

Everything people love about frosted christmas sugar cookies, with no rolling, cutting, or batch baking. One pan of soft, vanilla-scented bars gets a thick layer of buttercream and a blizzard of sprinkles, then slices into 24 neat squares. This is the recipe to volunteer for the school party and the office potluck.

Prep: 15 min · Cook: 20 min · Total: 35 min · Yield: 24 bars

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• For the frosting: 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened; 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 tablespoons milk; 1/3 cup christmas sprinkles

Steps:

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment.
2. Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, sour cream, and vanilla.
3. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt, then press the soft dough evenly into the pan with floured hands or an offset spatula.
4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the edges are barely golden and the center springs back when pressed. Cool completely in the pan.
5. Beat the frosting ingredients until smooth and fluffy, then spread over the cooled bars in a thick, even layer.
6. Shower with sprinkles, rest 15 minutes, and slice into 24 bars with a clean knife, wiping between cuts.

Try it: Tint the frosting pale green and add tiny red sprinkles to mimic a decorated tree in bar form.

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09. Nutella-Stuffed Sugar Cookies

A plain-looking sugar cookie with a molten chocolate-hazelnut center is the best surprise on any cookie tray. Freezing the filling into little disks first is the trick that keeps the stuffing neat and the cookies thick. Roll them in sugar for a crackly coat and serve them slightly warm if you really want applause.

Prep: 25 min · Cook: 11 min · Total: 36 min · Yield: about 18 cookies

Ingredients:

• 18 teaspoons chocolate hazelnut spread, such as Nutella (about 1/2 cup)
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/4 cup more for rolling
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Steps:

1. Line a plate with parchment and drop 18 teaspoon-sized dollops of hazelnut spread onto it. Freeze for at least 20 minutes, until solid.
2. Beat the butter and 3/4 cup sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla, then stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. Flatten a 2-tablespoon scoop of dough in your palm, set a frozen spread disk in the center, and wrap the dough fully around it, sealing the seam.
4. Roll each stuffed ball in the extra sugar and space 2 inches apart on lined sheets.
5. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the tops are crackled.
6. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes so the centers set to a fudgy consistency.

Try it: Swap the filling for peanut butter or cookie butter using the same freeze-first method.

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10. Lemon Glazed Sugar Cookies

Bright lemon cuts through all the rich, spiced flavors of the season, and these sunny cookies are the ones people reach for between the gingerbread and the chocolate. The dough is a simple drop sugar cookie with zest rubbed into the sugar, and the two-ingredient glaze sets into a shiny, tart shell. They taste like january is not so bad after all.

Prep: 15 min · Cook: 10 min · Total: 25 min · Yield: about 30 cookies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest, plus 1 teaspoon more for the glaze
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• For the glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Steps:

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment.
2. Rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingers until fragrant and slightly damp. This releases the oils and doubles the lemon flavor.
3. Beat the lemon sugar with the butter until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, lemon juice, and vanilla.
4. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Scoop 1 1/2-tablespoon balls and space 2 inches apart.
5. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers are pale and soft. Cool completely.
6. Whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice into a thick glaze, dip the top of each cookie, sprinkle with the extra zest, and let the glaze set for 20 minutes.

Try it: Add 1 teaspoon of poppy seeds to the dough for a bakery-style lemon poppy seed version.

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11. Peppermint Sugar Cookies with White Chocolate Dip

Crushed candy cane in the dough, a white chocolate dip, and a final snowfall of peppermint on top: these taste like a candy cane decided to become a cookie. The peppermint extract keeps the flavor clean and bright rather than toothpaste-sweet. They are sturdy, pretty, and a top-tier cookie for gifting in tins.

Prep: 20 min · Cook: 10 min · Total: 30 min · Yield: about 30 cookies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup finely crushed candy canes, divided
• 6 ounces white chocolate, chopped, for dipping

Steps:

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment.
2. Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and peppermint extract.
3. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt, then fold in half of the crushed candy cane.
4. Scoop 1 1/2-tablespoon balls, space 2 inches apart, and bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers are soft.
5. Cool completely. Peppermint bits make the cookies delicate while warm.
6. Melt the white chocolate in 30-second microwave bursts, stirring in between. Dip half of each cookie, shake off the excess, and sprinkle the wet chocolate with the remaining crushed candy cane.
7. Set on parchment for about 20 minutes until the chocolate firms up.

Try it: Pulse the candy canes in a bag with a rolling pin rather than a food processor, so you get sparkly shards instead of pink dust.

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12. Eggnog Sugar Cookies with Nutmeg Glaze

All the cozy flavor of a mug of eggnog, baked into a soft, spiced sugar cookie. Real eggnog in the dough keeps them moist, and a simple eggnog glaze with a dusting of nutmeg makes them taste unmistakably like the holidays. Serve them at the party where the eggnog itself is being poured.

Prep: 15 min · Cook: 11 min · Total: 26 min · Yield: about 28 cookies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup eggnog
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon rum extract (optional)
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, plus a pinch more for the glaze
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• For the glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons eggnog

Steps:

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment.
2. Beat the butter and both sugars until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, eggnog, vanilla, and rum extract.
3. Stir in the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt until a soft dough forms.
4. Scoop 1 1/2-tablespoon balls and space 2 inches apart.
5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are set but soft. Cool completely.
6. Whisk the powdered sugar and eggnog into a glaze, drizzle or dip the cookies, and dust with a pinch of nutmeg while wet.

Try it: Grate fresh nutmeg over the glaze instead of using pre-ground; the aroma difference is dramatic.

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13. Chewy No-Chill Drop Sugar Cookies

Sometimes you want a sugar cookie in 20 minutes, not tomorrow. Melted butter and a spoonful of cornstarch give these drop cookies crackly tops and genuinely chewy centers with no chilling and no rolling. Rolled in sugar before baking, they sparkle plainly and taste like the best version of the simplest cookie there is.

Prep: 10 min · Cook: 10 min · Total: 20 min · Yield: about 24 cookies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/4 cup more for rolling
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Steps:

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment.
2. Whisk the melted butter and 1 cup sugar until glossy. Whisk in the egg and vanilla.
3. Stir in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt until just combined. The dough will be soft and glossy.
4. Scoop 1 1/2-tablespoon balls and roll each in the extra sugar until well coated.
5. Space 2 inches apart and bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the tops are crackled and the edges are just set. The centers should look slightly underdone.
6. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes. This rest is what locks in the chew.

Try it: Roll half the batch in red and green sanding sugar instead of white for instant holiday color with no icing at all.

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14. Stained Glass Sugar Cookies

Crushed hard candy melts in the oven into jewel-bright windows inside a sugar cookie frame, and they genuinely glow when the light hits them. Hang them in a window or on the tree with a ribbon, or just eat them and admire the crunch. Sort the candy by color for clean red and green panes.

Prep: 30 min · Cook: 8 min · Total: 1 hr 10 min (includes 30 min chilling) · Yield: about 24 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 batch cutout dough (recipe 01), chilled
• 1 cup hard candies in red and green (about 20 to 24 candies), unwrapped

Steps:

1. Sort the candies by color into two zip bags and crush each color separately with a rolling pin into small shards, not powder.
2. Roll the dough to 1/4 inch and cut large shapes (4 to 5 inches) with a smaller cutter punched out of the center of each, leaving a frame at least 1/2 inch wide.
3. Place the frames on parchment-lined sheets and chill for 15 minutes.
4. Fill each window generously with a single color of crushed candy, spreading it to the edges in one layer.
5. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 7 to 9 minutes, until the cookie edges are set and the candy is fully melted and bubbling slightly.
6. Cool completely on the pan, at least 20 minutes, before moving. The candy windows are fragile while warm and harden into glass as they cool.

Try it: Poke a hole at the top of each cookie with a straw before baking, then thread ribbon through the cooled cookies to hang them as ornaments.

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15. Sparkle Sugar Cookies

A double hit of vanilla and a coat of coarse sparkling sugar make the simplest cookie on this list taste like a celebration. There is no icing to dry and no decorating to fuss over, yet the red, green, and white sugar crystals catch the light like frost. This is the recipe for bakers who want christmas sugar cookies without a decorating session attached.

Prep: 15 min · Cook: 10 min · Total: 25 min · Yield: about 30 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sanding sugar or coarse sparkling sugar in red, green, and white, for rolling

Steps:

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment.
2. Beat the butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, a full 2 to 3 minutes. This long beat is what gives the cookies their delicate crumb.
3. Beat in the egg and vanilla, then stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Roll the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and coat each generously in sanding sugar.
5. Place 2 inches apart and press each ball gently with the bottom of a glass to about 1/2 inch thick.
6. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers are pale. Cool on the pan 5 minutes.

Try it: Use vanilla bean paste instead of extract so the pale cookies get pretty vanilla flecks that read as intentional detail.

Pro tip: Chill your cut shapes for 10 minutes in the freezer right before they go into the oven, even when a recipe does not ask for it. Cold dough hitting a hot oven is the single most reliable trick for sharp edges, clean windows, and cookies that look like the cutter intended.

If you want to widen the baking day beyond sugar cookies, our easy christmas cookie recipes collection gathers 15 more forgiving bakes, from no-bake cookies to one-pan bars. You can also browse the full christmas recipes collection for the rest of the season’s baking.

Three rules for sugar cookies with sharp edges and soft centers

Decorating gets the glory, but these three habits decide whether the cookie under the icing is worth eating.

• Mind the butter temperature: Butter for cutout dough should be cool-room temperature, soft enough to dent with a finger but never shiny or melting. Butter that is too warm is the main reason cutouts spread, no matter how long you chill them.
• Roll to a true 1/4 inch: Cookies thinner than 1/4 inch bake crisp and brown fast; thicker ones stay puffy and lose detail. Rolling guides or two wooden dowels beside the dough make the thickness automatic and even.
• Stop at set, not golden: A sugar cookie is done when the surface looks matte and the edges feel firm, while the color is still pale. Golden edges mean the centers will set up hard and crunchy once cool.

How to store decorated sugar cookies

You did the decorating work, so protect it. These rules keep icing glossy and cookies tender.

• Drying before stacking: Royal icing needs 6 to 8 hours uncovered at room temperature before cookies can be stacked or packaged. Buttercream forms a light crust in 1 hour but should never be stacked more than two layers high, with parchment between.
• Room temperature storage: Store decorated cookies in a single layer, or layered with parchment, in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Keep them away from strong-smelling foods, because sugar cookies absorb odors quickly.
• Freezing with confidence: Freeze undecorated baked cookies for up to 3 months and decorate after thawing for the freshest finish. Dough disks and slice-and-bake logs also freeze for 3 months; thaw dough in the fridge overnight before rolling.

Questions readers ask

How do I stop sugar cookies from spreading in the oven?

Chill the cut shapes for 10 minutes in the freezer right before baking, use butter that is soft but not melty, and measure flour at 120 grams per cup. A hot, fully preheated oven also matters, because cookies that sit in a warming oven spread while they wait to bake.

How thick should I roll christmas cutout cookies?

Roll to exactly 1/4 inch for the best balance of sturdy edges and tender centers. Go to 1/8 inch only for crisp, thin cookies meant for hanging, and to 3/8 inch for soft, bakery-style cookies that will carry heavy frosting.

What is the best icing for christmas sugar cookies?

Royal icing is best for detailed decorating, stacking, shipping, and cookies that need to last, because it dries hard and glossy. Buttercream is best for soft, pillowy frosted cookies eaten within a few days, and a simple powdered sugar glaze is the fastest option for a shiny, low-effort finish.

How long does royal icing take to dry?

A flooded royal icing cookie needs 6 to 8 hours at room temperature to dry hard enough to stack or package, and a full 24 hours for very humid kitchens. Thin details and outlines set to the touch in about 1 hour, but the flood layer underneath is still soft.

Can I freeze decorated sugar cookies?

Yes, if they are decorated with royal icing and fully dried for 24 hours first. Freeze them in a single layer in a rigid container with parchment between layers for up to 3 months, and thaw them in the closed container so condensation forms on the box, not the icing.

How far ahead can I make sugar cookie dough?

Cutout dough keeps 3 days in the fridge, tightly wrapped, and 3 months in the freezer. Slice-and-bake logs are the longest keepers and can be sliced and baked straight from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time. Let chilled dough sit out 10 minutes before rolling so it does not crack.

Why are my sugar cookies hard instead of soft?

Overbaking is the most common cause: sugar cookies should come out pale, not golden. Too much flour and too little fat dry them out as well, and rolling scraps again and again works extra flour into the dough, so re-roll scraps only once or twice.

What are the easiest sugar cookies to decorate with kids?

Start with the soft frosted sugar cookies (recipe 03) or the frosted bars (recipe 08), where a spoonful of buttercream and a shake of sprinkles counts as finished. Stained glass cookies (recipe 14) are the other kid favorite, because filling the candy windows feels like a craft project.

People Also Ask

How do bakeries keep sugar cookies soft?

Bakeries underbake slightly, add a moisture holder like sour cream or an extra egg yolk, and store cookies airtight as soon as they cool. At home, the same tricks work: pull cookies when the centers look just set, and add a teaspoon of cornstarch per cup of flour for extra tenderness.

Do sugar cookies need to be refrigerated?

Plain and royal-iced sugar cookies do not need refrigeration and actually stale faster in the fridge, so store them airtight at room temperature. Buttercream-frosted cookies are also fine at room temperature for 2 to 3 days; refrigerate only if your kitchen is very warm.

What is the difference between royal icing and glaze?

Royal icing is made with meringue powder or egg whites and dries hard, smooth, and stackable, which is why it is used for detailed decorating. A simple glaze is just powdered sugar and liquid, sets to a thin, shiny, slightly soft shell, and is better for dipping and drizzling than for piping detail.