These are fan-favorite cut-out Christmas sugar cookies! My recipe for sugar cookies guarantees flavorful cookies with comfortable and thick facilities, barely crisp edges, and flat tops for adorning. The dough comes along with 8 easy elements and the cookies maintain their cookie cutter form within the oven. Adorn them with my simple glaze cookie icing, a beautiful various to royal icing. Get out your rolling pin and favourite cookie cutters and have enjoyable!
The vacation season and a batch of embellished Christmas sugar cookies go hand-in-hand. As we speak’s recipe is a basic staple, and has been a preferred favourite since I first revealed it in 2014. It’s mainly my favourite sugar cookie recipe, however all dressed up for the vacations. And I like that you simply don’t must mess with royal icing! The cookie icing under is unfussy and low upkeep, which is certainly appreciated for those who’re baking a whole lot of cookies in December. 😉
One reader commented: “These are the BEST cookies! The dough is very easy to place collectively and to work with. They style superb; buttery and never too candy. They cooked up good, identical to you mentioned, crispy on the sides with a pleasant comfortable center!! And the icing…oh the icing! It’s the proper consistency for utilizing a squeeze bottle and but it units up agency and shiny so you may stack the cookies or pack and ship them. ★★★★★”
Right here’s Why You’ll Love These Christmas Sugar Cookies
- Tender, thick facilities with barely crisp edges
- Irresistible buttery vanilla taste
- Created from easy elements
- Go away plain or taste with extras like maple, cinnamon, peppermint, and extra
- Maintain form whereas baking
- Icing is manageable for younger bakers and inexperienced persons
- Freeze superbly
- Simple-to-follow recipe utilized by newbie and knowledgeable bakers alike
By the best way, for those who love sugar cookies, however aren’t up for adorning with icing, you’ll take pleasure in my stained glass window cookies, Christmas sparkle cookies, or drop Christmas sugar cookies as an alternative.
The best way to Make Christmas Sugar Cookies
You want 7–8 elements for the dough. With so few elements, it’s essential to observe the recipe carefully, as a result of every one has an essential job. Creamed butter and sugar kind the bottom of the dough. Egg and flour present construction, and vanilla provides taste. I nearly all the time add a contact of almond extract for added taste, and extremely suggest that you simply attempt it too! You may additionally use peppermint extract or one other taste extract as an alternative. Baking powder provides raise, and salt balances the candy.
So many little elements doing massive jobs to create an ideal cookie:
Success Tip: Ensure you begin with correct room temperature butter. Room temperature butter is cool to the contact and about 65°F (18°C), which can be cooler than your kitchen. To check the butter to ensure it’s able to cream, poke it along with your finger. Your finger ought to make an indent with out sinking down into the butter. The butter shouldn’t be shiny or greasy.
It is a recipe that requires some planning forward.
After you make the cookie dough, it should chill for 1-2 hours and as much as 2 days. Chilling is a compulsory step. With out chilling, these cookie cutter sugar cookies received’t maintain form. You don’t need your snowman-shaped cookie turning into the Keep-Puft Marshmallow Man (although that might work for Halloween cookies).
Additionally, the icing recipe under wants at the least 24 hours to dry/set (however you may actually eat them previous to the icing drying!). That is for much longer than royal icing, which normally dries in 2 hours. So although we’re not messing with finicky royal icing, we do have to attend longer to stack/transport the cookies.
After you make the cookie dough, divide it in half:
After which roll out every portion of dough earlier than chilling:
Let’s discuss rolling out this dough as a result of it’s an uncommon order of steps.
3 Tips to Rolling Out Christmas Cookie Dough
- Trick #1: Take note of the order of the steps. Discover how I roll out the dough BEFORE chilling it within the fridge? That’s a very powerful trick! Let me clarify why I do that. Identical to while you’re making chocolate chip cookies, to stop the cookies from over-spreading, the dough should chill. When you’ve ever tried rolling out chilled sugar cookie dough, you might bear in mind how troublesome it’s to roll out chilly, stiff dough. So, roll out the dough whereas it’s nonetheless comfortable (proper after mixing it collectively) after which chill the rolled-out dough.
- Trick #2: Divide the dough in half earlier than rolling it out. Why? Smaller sections of dough are simpler to roll out.
- Trick #3: Roll out the cookie dough straight on a silicone baking mat or parchment paper so you may simply switch it to the fridge. Decide the entire thing up, set it on a baking sheet, and place it within the fridge. When you don’t have sufficient room for 2 baking sheets in your fridge, merely stack the items of rolled-out dough on high of one another, with parchment paper or silicone baking mat in between. You possibly can see me doing this within the video tutorial under.
After the rolled out dough chills for at the least 1-2 hours, use cookie cutters to chop out shapes and re-roll your scraps. Bear in mind, you’ve two slabs of dough.
Organize cookies on a lined baking sheet. I normally get about 2 dozen 3-inch cookies from this recipe. Right here’s a number of the cookies earlier than baking:
And after baking:
How Thick Do I Make Sugar Cookies?
These sugar cookies stay comfortable as a result of they’re rolled out fairly thick. Roll out the cookie dough to about 1/4 inch thick, or simply beneath (about 6mm). Sure, that is on the thicker facet and, sure, this produces additional thick and comfortable cookies! You probably have problem evenly rolling out dough, do this adjustable rolling pin. Talking from expertise, it’s extremely useful!
Use My Simple Cookie Icing
My simple cookie icing recipe under is a superb various to conventional royal icing. It’s like a really thick opaque glaze and comes collectively shortly with a fork and a mixing bowl. That is one in every of my favourite methods to brighten sugar cookies as a result of it’s low upkeep, however nonetheless delivers fairly (and engaging) outcomes. I’ve a separate Cookie Icing web page devoted to it, and it may be used on just about any cookie cutter cookies like gingerbread cookies and chocolate sugar cookies.
Right here’s why you’ll love this cookie icing:
- 5 primary elements
- Can tint the icing completely different colours
- Can use squeeze bottle or piping tricks to adorn
- Manageable for everybody
- Doesn’t dry into laborious cement texture
- After it dries, you may stack, freeze, and transport cookies
You want confectioners’ sugar, water, vanilla extract (change with water to maintain the icing stark white), a contact of corn syrup, and a bit of salt. The corn syrup provides the icing sticking energy and creates a wonderful sheen when the icing dries. After 24 hours, the icing dries, so you may simply stack these Christmas sugar cookies for storage, transport, and even delivery.
Sure, you may create gourmet-looking Christmas cookies like those above with out royal icing!
Christmas Sugar Cookie Instruments
Earlier than I depart you with the recipe, let me counsel some helpful sugar cookie instruments. These are the precise merchandise I exploit in my very own kitchen:
- Electrical Mixer: Stand Mixer or Handheld
- Baking Sheets: I exploit and love these Baking Sheets.
- Parchment or Baking Mats: Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Sheets (for rolling out & transferring the rolled out dough, and for baking the cookies).
- Rolling Pin: That is my favourite Rolling Pin.
- Cookie Cutters: When you’d like solutions for cookie cutters, I like Ann Clark model. (Not sponsored, only a real fan!) The pictured shapes got here from this vacation cookie cutter set.
- Meals Coloring: Liquid meals coloring can alter the consistency of the icing, so I like to recommend gel meals coloring. I like Americolor model.
- Squeeze Bottle: To make adorning a breeze, use a squeeze bottle. They’re much less intimidating than piping suggestions and really simple to make use of. If you wish to use a piping tip, I like Wilton #4 for adorning sugar cookies. (You’ll additionally want a disposable or reusable piping bag if utilizing a piping tip.)
You may also try my beneficial 10 Finest Cookie Baking Instruments.
Cookie Adorning Celebration
Are you internet hosting a cookie adorning day or occasion? Right here’s my The best way to Host a Cookie Adorning Day information with my finest success suggestions, beneficial provides, and timeline for prep. This web page is very helpful for those who’re internet hosting a cookie adorning day for youths!
Craving Extra Christmas Cookies?
Description
Lower-out Christmas sugar cookies with crisp edges and comfortable facilities. This icing recipe is so easy, making adorning hassle-free!
- Ensure you have allotted sufficient time (and sufficient counter house!) to make these cookies. The cookie dough wants to sit back, the cookies want to chill utterly, and the icing wants 24 hours to utterly set. If having fun with straight away and hardened icing isn’t a priority, you’ll solely want about 3-4 hours to make these.
- Make the cookie dough: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt collectively in a medium bowl. Put aside.
- In a big bowl utilizing a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar collectively on excessive pace till utterly easy and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract (if utilizing) and beat on excessive pace till mixed, about 1 minute. Scrape down the edges and up the underside of the bowl and beat once more as wanted to mix.
- Add the dry elements to the moist elements and blend on low till mixed. Dough shall be comparatively comfortable. If the dough appears too comfortable and sticky for rolling, add 1 extra Tablespoon of flour.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal elements. Place every portion onto a chunk of frivolously floured parchment paper or a frivolously floured silicone baking mat. With a frivolously floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use extra flour if the dough appears too sticky. The rolled-out dough could be any form, so long as it’s evenly 1/4-inch thick.
- Frivolously mud one of many rolled-out doughs with flour. Place a chunk of parchment on high. (This prevents sticking.) Place the 2nd rolled-out dough on high. Cowl with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then refrigerate for at the least 1-2 hours and as much as 2 days.
- As soon as chilled, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 giant baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Rigorously take away the highest dough piece from the fridge. If it’s sticking to the underside, run your hand beneath it to assist take away it. Utilizing a cookie cutter, lower the dough into shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough and proceed slicing till all is used. Repeat with 2nd piece of dough. (Observe: It doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of dough, however you get a whole lot of cookies from the dough scraps you re-roll.)
- Organize cookies on baking sheets 3 inches aside. Bake for 11-12 minutes or till frivolously browned across the edges. In case your oven has scorching spots, rotate the baking sheet midway by bake time. Permit cookies to chill on the baking sheet for five minutes then switch to a wire rack to chill utterly earlier than adorning. No must cowl the cookies because the cookies cool.
- Make the icing: Utilizing a fork, stir the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, corn syrup, and 4.5 Tablespoons (67ml) of water collectively in a medium bowl. It will likely be very thick and nearly unattainable to stir. Swap to a whisk and whisk in 1/2 Tablespoon (8ml) of water. When you raise the whisk and let the icing drizzle again into the bowl, the ribbon of icing will maintain form for just a few seconds earlier than melting again into the icing. That’s when you understand it’s the precise consistency and is able to use. If it’s too thick (typically it’s), whisk in one other 1/2 Tablespoon (8ml) of water or a bit of extra till you attain the consistency.
- When you’re tinting the icing one other shade, stir within the meals coloring. You possibly can pour some icing into completely different bowls if utilizing a number of colours. When tinting icing, solely use 1-2 drops at first, stir it in, then add extra as wanted to succeed in your required shade. Bear in mind, shade darkens as icing dries.
- Adorn the cookies: You possibly can dip the cookies into the icing or use squeeze bottles or piping baggage fitted with piping suggestions (I normally use Wilton Piping Tip #4). Adorn your cookies as desired. If utilizing the squeeze bottles or piping suggestions, I normally define cookies with icing first, then fill within the center. If including sprinkles on high of the icing, add them proper after making use of icing in your cookie.
- Let icing dry/set: Be at liberty to take pleasure in cookies earlier than icing utterly dries. Icing dries in 24 hours. No must cowl the embellished cookies as you watch for the icing to set. If it’s useful, adorn the cookies straight on a baking sheet so you may stick your entire baking sheet within the fridge to assist barely pace up the icing setting. As soon as the icing has dried, these cookies are nice for gifting or for sending.
- Cowl and retailer embellished cookies for as much as 5 days at room temperature or as much as 10 days within the fridge.
Notes
- Freezing Directions: Plain or embellished sugar cookies freeze properly as much as 3 months. Watch for the icing to set utterly earlier than layering between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-friendly container. To thaw, thaw within the fridge or at room temperature. You may also freeze the cookie dough for as much as 3 months earlier than rolling it out. Put together the dough by step 4, divide in half, flatten each halves right into a disk as we do with pie crust, wrap every in plastic wrap, then freeze. To thaw, thaw the disks within the fridge, then carry to room temperature for about 1 hour. Roll out the dough as directed in step 5, then chill rolled out dough within the fridge for 45 minutes – 1 hour earlier than slicing into shapes and baking.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Electrical Mixer (Stand Mixer or Handheld) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Sheets | Rolling Pin | Vacation Cookie Cutter Set | Squeeze Bottle for adorning
- Room Temperature Butter: Room temperature butter is crucial. If the dough is simply too sticky, your butter could have been too comfortable. Room temperature butter is definitely cool to the contact. Room temperature egg is most popular so it’s shortly and evenly combined into the cookie dough.
- Flavoring the cookies: I like flavoring this cookie dough with 1/2 teaspoon almond extract as listed within the elements above. For lighter taste, use 1/4 teaspoon. As a substitute of the almond extract, attempt utilizing 1 teaspoon of maple extract, coconut extract, lemon extract, or peppermint extract. Or add 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or floor cinnamon. Together with lemon extract, it’s also possible to add 1 Tablespoon lemon zest.
- Corn Syrup: Corn syrup provides the icing sticking energy and creates a wonderful sheen on the dried icing. I don’t suggest skipping it, however you may if completely wanted.
- Salt: I do know salt isn’t a typical ingredient in cookie icing, but it surely helps offset its sweetness. You simply want a small pinch.
- Yield of icing: This quantity of icing is sufficient for icing 2 dozen cookies. You’ll have loads if you wish to divide it and tint the batch a number of colours, too. Icing can simply be halved by halving all the elements. (Nonetheless add a tiny pinch of salt.)
- Make sure you try my high 5 cookie baking suggestions AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking instruments.
Key phrases: christmas sugar cookies
Subscribe
Baking Made Simple
Are you new to this web site? This electronic mail collection is a superb place to begin. I’ll stroll you thru just a few of my hottest recipes and present you precisely why they work.
