Christmas Sugar Cookies

These classic Christmas sugar cookies are cute and festive cutouts made with a delicious homemade dough, then topped with a made-from-scratch frosting and sprinkles.

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Table of Contents

Cut Out Cookies Ingredients
Substitutions And Additions
How to Make Sugar Cut Out Cookies
Christmas Cut Out Cookie Recipe Shapes
How To Serve Christmas Cutout Cookies
Christmas Cutout Cookies Recipe Storage
How To Freeze Decorated Christmas Cookies
Cut Out Sugar Cookies Recipe FAQs
More Recipes You’ll Love
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These festive and easy Christmas sugar cookies are a quick holiday classic that is fun to bake and eat! A simple homemade sugar cookie dough is cut into iconic shapes and then decorated with delicious frosting and topped with colorful sprinkles.

overhead shot of Christmas Sugar Cookies on a plate

Cut Out Cookies Ingredients

Christmas Sugar Cookies raw ingredients that are labeled

You’ll need:

For The Cookies

2 cups of cake flour
½ cup of all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons of baking powder
¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar
1 cup of sugar
½ cup of salted butter, softened
¼ cup of butter-flavored shortening, softened
3 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 whole egg + 1 egg white
⅓ cup of sugar for dusting the top of the cookies after they bake

For The Frosting:

1 cup of salted butter, softened
4 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of clear imitation vanilla (or vanilla extract)
4-5 tablespoons of heavy cream

Substitutions And Additions

VANILLA: You can use clear vanilla for a whiter frosting.

SHORTENING: You can substitute shortening instead of butter for a whiter frosting as well.

GEL COLOR: Use gel food coloring to make colored icing for decorating these holiday sugar cookies.

DECORATIONS: You can use colored sugar, sprinkles, or nonpareils to decorate.

How to Make Sugar Cut Out Cookies

For The Cookies

STEP ONE: In a large bowl, add the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and cream of tartar. Whisk together, then set aside.

STEP TWO: In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar, butter, and shortening. Use a hand mixer to beat together until light and fluffy.

Add the vanilla extract and the whole egg. Beat together until combined.

Add the egg white and continue beating until well combined. Turn off the mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the mixing bowl.

STEP THREE: Turn the hand mixer on low and gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.

Mix until no flour pockets remain. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.

PRO TIP:

It’s important not to skip the chilling step. The chilled dough will help prevent your cookies from spreading too much.

STEP FOUR: Preheat the oven to 375°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

STEP FIVE: Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator and roll the dough out on a flat work surface with a rolling pin to about ½-inch thickness.

Cut out the desired cookie shapes with floured cookie cutters. Place six cookies on one baking sheet and six on another.

STEP SIX: Place one cookie sheet in the oven at a time and bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes.

You want the edges of the cookies to be firm without turning brown. Let the baked cookies cool for two to three minutes on the baking sheet.

Place the other baking sheet in the oven and bake.

PRO TIP:

Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your cookies at the lower end of the recommended baking time.

For The Frosting

STEP ONE: In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, beat together one cup of butter and four cups of powdered sugar.

vanilla and heavy cream added to the sugar mixture in a bowl

STEP TWO: With the beater turned on, drizzle heavy cream and vanilla extract into the butter/sugar mixture and beat until fluffy.

STEP THREE: Add more cream to thin out the frosting to a desired spreadable consistency.

frosting spread on the cookie with a knife

STEP FOUR: Spread the frosting onto cooled cookies and decorate with sprinkles.

PRO TIP:

If you’re adding sprinkles, be sure to add them right away after frosting. If you wait too long, the frosting will dry enough that the sprinkles will not stick as well.

There are plenty of different shapes that you can use to cut out your sugar cookies. Try classics such as Christmas trees, candy canes, reindeer, or gingerbread men. Of course, any shape that you have on hand would be perfect!

How To Serve Christmas Cutout Cookies

This holiday season, make sure these soft sugar cookies are on your baking list.

They are just the thing to enjoy with a warm mug of homemade hot chocolate. These would also be a great idea to share at cookie exchanges along with our peppermint snowball cookies.

You’ll also want to try these bright Christmas pinwheel cookies or our Italian cookies. Grandma’s Christmas sugar cookies are another family favorite we make each year — they have the iconic fork criss-cross on top and are sprinkled with red and green sugar!

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Christmas Cutout Cookies Recipe Storage

FRIDGE: You can store decorated or plain classic sugar cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

FROSTING: The frosting will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks or in the freezer for up to three months. Just bring it to room temperature and mix when you’re ready to use.

How To Freeze Decorated Christmas Cookies

You can keep decorated or plain cookies in a freezer-safe, airtight container in the freezer for up to three months.

These iconic festive Christmas sugar cookies are irresistible! A rich, homemade sugar cookie dough is chilled, rolled out, cut into shapes, and baked. They’re topped with a delicious frosting and decorated with bright sprinkles. You’ll love the sugary sweet flavors, just like grandma used to make.

Cut Out Sugar Cookies Recipe FAQs

Can I freeze these cookies?

These cookies can be frozen for up to three months in an airtight container. Just make sure to thaw them on the counter before serving.

What are the best cookie cutters to use for sugar cookies?

Stainless steel cookie cutters work well for this easy sugar cookie recipe. Cover them in flour before using them so they don’t stick to the dough.

Does sugar cookie dough need to be chilled?

The dough for these Christmas cookies does need to be chilled to ensure it is the right consistency to roll out and cut.

How long do decorated sugar cookies last?

The decorated sugar cookies will keep in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to three months.

How thick should cut-out sugar cookies be?

The cut-out sugar cookie dough should be rolled out to a ½-inch thickness.

How do you get cut-out cookies to keep their shape?

By refrigerating the dough, the resulting cookies will keep their shape much better as they won’t spread as much during baking.

What is the difference between cut-out sugar cookies and drop sugar cookies?

Cut-out sugar cookies are generally thinner and hold their shape when cut with cookie cutters, while drop cookies are simply dropped onto a cookie sheet in a ball and tend to be thicker and softer.

How do you make sugar cookies without cutters?

We have plenty of recipes that allow you to make soft sugar cookies without having to roll out the dough and cut out the shapes.

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Recipe for Homemade Sugar Cookies

5 from 2 votes

These classic Christmas sugar cookies are cute and festive cutouts made with a delicious homemade dough, then topped with a made-from-scratch frosting and sprinkles.

Prep Time 55

Cook Time 20

Total Time 13 15

Servings

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Ingredients

Cookies

2 cups cake flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
½ cup salted butter, softened
¼ cup butter flavored shortening, softened
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 egg white
⅓ cup sugar, for dusting the top of the cookies after they bake

Frosting

1 cup salted butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon clear imitation vanilla, or vanilla extract
4 to 5 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, add the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and cream of tartar. Whisk together then set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar, butter, and shortening. Use a hand mixer to beat together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and the whole egg. Beat together until combined. Add egg white and continue beating until well combined. Turn off the mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the mixing bowl.
Turn the hand mixer on low and gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until no flour pockets remain. Cover the mixing bowl with saran wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and roll the dough out on a flat surface to about ½ inch thick. Cut out desired shapes with floured cookie cutters. Place 6 cookies on one baking sheet and 6 on another.
Place one cookie sheet in the oven at a time and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. You want the edges to be firm without turning brown. Let the cookies cool for 2 to 3 minutes on the baking sheet. Place the other baking sheet in the oven and cook.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat together 1 cup butter and 4 cups powdered sugar. With the beater turned on, drizzle heavy cream and vanilla extract into the butter/sugar mixture and beat until fluffy. Add more cream to thin out the frosting to the desired spreadable consistency. Spread frosting onto cooled cookies and decorate with sprinkles.

Video

Notes

It’s important not to skip the chilling step. The chilled dough will help prevent your cookies from spreading too much.
Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your cookies at the lower end of the recommended baking time.
If you’re adding sprinkles, be sure to add them right away after frosting. If you wait too long, the frosting will dry enough that the sprinkles will not stick as well.

Nutrition

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This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

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Stefanie Knaus Photographer
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Christmas Cut Out Sugar Cookies

Cut Out Cookies Ingredients

Substitutions And Additions

How to Make Sugar Cut Out Cookies

How To Serve Christmas Cutout Cookies

Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars

Christmas Wreath Cookies

Christmas Cutout Cookies Recipe Storage

How To Freeze Decorated Christmas Cookies

Cut Out Sugar Cookies Recipe FAQs

More Recipes You’ll Love