Best Christmas Sugar Cookies

5 from 40 votes

Grandma's Christmas sugar cookies are a soft, buttery treat that will be a new holiday favorite.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Chill Time2

Total Time2 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Grandma's Christmas Sugar Cookies Recipe

Servings: cookies

Calories: 97kcal

In a large bowl, add butter, cream cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and almond extract. Using a hand mixer, beat until light and fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Turn the hand mixer to low speed and combine the ingredients until a soft dough forms.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Once the dough has been chilled for 2 hours, remove it from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
Use a 1-inch cookie scoop to portion the dough and use your hands to roll into 1-inch dough balls. Place the balls on the parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, at least 1 inch apart.
Using a fork make a criss cross pattern pressing down lightly into the cookie dough.
Sprinkle sugar with green or red sugar.
Bake for 9 to 11 minutes. Make sure not to overcook these cookies. They should not brown on the edges at all. You want them to be soft, and they should look a bit undercooked when you pull them out of the oven.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature so that you don't end up with any lumps in your soft cookies.
This is a fantastic cookie dough to make ahead! The dough can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours after you make it, then baked when you are ready. Or form the dough into a ball and wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then form the dough balls and bake as directed.
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.