Recipe for Homemade Sugar Cookies

close up shot of Christmas Sugar Cookies on top of each other on a plate with one having a bite taken out of it

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 Time55

Cook Time20

Chill Time12

Total Time13 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Christmas Sugar Cookies, Christmas Sugar Cookies Recipe

Servings:

Calories: 607kcal

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.

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