Christmas sugar cookies on a white surface with some frosted and decorated and a few unfrosted with spilled sprinkles (with logo overlay)

Christmas Sugar Cookies Recipe

At the holidays, it’s traditional for many to make Christmas sugar cookies. Try this recipe for cookies that won’t lose shape and are delicious.

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Last year, I found a recipe for the best Christmas sugar cookies, and we tried it out. The recipe was perfect for making shaped cookies and decorating them for Christmas. They didn’t lose shape when cooked and taste delicious.

Of course, as I always do, I used it as a base to make our own. I’ve changed a few things here and there in the few times we’ve made it over the years.

Growing up, we didn’t make Christmas sugar cookies every year, but I do remember sometimes sitting around the table with my cousins and decorating cookies. We always had fun the years we did. It just wasn’t something that we made a tradition, like our Christmas Sandwiches.

Although it wasn’t something I always did, I wanted to start the tradition with my boys once they were old enough. Especially now, since Tyler loves helping in the kitchen so much, it’s great family time. And Ryan is old enough to help decorate and not just eat it all right away, so we made a big batch of cookies this week for friends and neighbors. And of course, for ourselves as well.

The recipe comes from another food blog called Num’s the Word, where you can read all about how she tried out six different methods to figure out what worked the best. She did blind taste tests with her family. In the end, this recipe won out. Anyways, I’ll let you read more about it on her blog, found here: https://numstheword.com/best-rolled-sugar-cookies/

Step by Step

Start by setting the oven to 400F and preparing two baking sheets. I like to use my baking stone as one, and used a regular baking sheet lined with parchment paper for the second. You want to have at least two pans in rotation so you can have one pan being prepared while the other is baking.

Cream together your sugar and butter, stirring it on high for about 3 minutes. You want it to get nice and fluffy!

Whisk attachment of stand mixer lifted to show butter and sugar creamed together over the mixing bowl

Then add the eggs, mixing after each one, followed by the salt and baking powder. Mix again until everything is incorporated.

Young boy pouring dry ingredients into a stand mixer on a white and grey marble surface
Whisk attachment with creamed butter and sugar mixed with eggs, salt, and baking powder over the mixing bowl sitting on a white and grey marble surface

Stir in 1/4 cup of buttermilk, vanilla, and almond extract. Then add in 2 1/2 cups of flour, stirring in 1/2 cup at a time. Add in the remaining 1/4 cup buttermilk and remaining 2 cups of flour.

Young boy pouring liquid ingredients into a stand mixer

Test our your dough, and see if it’s too sticky. I didn’t think mine was at first, but when I started to roll it, the dough was a mess. I had to put it back in the mixer and add another cup of flour. You want it to pull apart pretty easily but not be crumbly. I would take a small scoop and try to roll it out and see how it feels. When you add more flour, if it needs it, do it in small amounts so you don’t put in too much.

Whisk attachment with cookie dough stuck to it over the bowl of dough sitting on a white and grey marble surface

When you are ready to start making your cookie shapes, sprinkle the work surface with powdered sugar. As noted in the original recipe, these are sugar cookies, so it makes sense to roll them in powdered sugar. I like to use my sifter for this because it gives a nice light layer of powdered sugar and covers the counter.

Young boy using a wooden rolling pin to roll cookie dough out on a white and grey marble surface

Roll your dough out to about 1/4″ thickness, and use your cookie cutters to make the shapes.

Young boy using a red cookie cutter to make shapes in rolled cookie dough on a white and grey marble surface

Transfer the cookies to your prepared baking sheets and bake for about 10-12 minutes. The cookies should just start to get golden at the edges. If they are cooked too long, they lose the soft sugar cookie texture that you are aiming for. The tops should not get golden at all. I let the cookies sit on the pan for just a couple minutes when they come out of the oven, then carefully move them to a wire rack to cool.

Baked Christmas sugar cookies on a wire cooling rack over a white and grey marble surface

If you plan to frost and decorate the cookies (and really, who makes sugar cookies without the frosting and sprinkles), then you need to make sure they are completely cooled before trying to add anything to them. We baked these one day and then decorated the next.

Christmas Sugar Cookie Recipe

And, of course, eating them is always the best part!

Christmas Sugar Cookie Recipe
Christmas sugar cookies on a white surface with some frosted and decorated and a few unfrosted with spilled sprinkles (vertical)

Recipe

Originally Published On: December 9, 2017

Last Updated On: December 3, 2019

Christmas sugar cookies on a white surface with some frosted and decorated and a few unfrosted with spilled sprinkles

Christmas Sugar Cookies

At the holidays, it's traditional for many to make Christmas sugar cookies. Try this recipe for cookies that won't lose shape and are delicious.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course:
Dessert
Cuisine:
American
Keyword:
buttermilk
|
cookies
|
holidays
|
sugar
Servings: 30 cookies
5 from 2 votes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup salted butter (room temperature)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 4 1/2 – 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • Powdered Sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400F
  • Prepare 2 baking sheets and set aside.
  • Cream together sugar and butter for 3 minutes or until fluffy
  • Add eggs and mix again
  • Add salt, and baking powder then blend
  • Blend in 1/4 cup buttermilk, vanilla and almond extract
  • Add 2 1/2 cups flour (1/2 cup at a time)
  • Add remaining 1/4 cup buttermilk
  • Then add the remaining 2 cups of flour. The batter should be smooth, elastic-like and slightly sticky. If too sticky, add more flour a little at a time (up to 1 cup – be careful to not put TOO much flour in the dough).
  • When ready to roll out, sprinkle the surface with powdered sugar
  • Roll to 1/4 in thickness
  • Cut out with favorite shapes and transfer to prepared pan
  • Bake 10-12 minutes until the edges just start to get a hint of golden brown, making sure to not overcook
  • Allow cookies to cool completely then frost
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Nutrition Facts
Christmas Sugar Cookies
Amount Per Serving (1 each)
Calories 100 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 4g20%
Cholesterol 27mg9%
Sodium 101mg4%
Potassium 44mg1%
Carbohydrates 10g3%
Sugar 10g11%
Vitamin A 210IU4%
Calcium 23mg2%
Iron 0.1mg1%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

56 thoughts on “Christmas Sugar Cookies Recipe”

  1. What a perfect recipe for the holidays- so much more personal than the store bought versions (and I’m sure much tastier)! Such a great family tradition that I’m sure will leave many joyous memories!

  2. I think those cookies look very yummy! the thing I love most about baking cookies is when the kids get into it and help because it’s such a great bonding session ; )

  3. Christmas is one of my most favourite holidays and since I’ve been wondering which sweets to make for my family’s Christmas party, this article came across just the right time! The instructions look like something easy to follow! I really like your decorations too – still gonna figure out some more ways to decorate though lol! Thanks for sharing!

  4. Ooh, we may have to try this this weekend! Making sugar cookies IS a tradition in our family, going back to when I was a child and we’d roll them out on my Mama’s mama’s cookie/pastry board. But I’ve never had a recipe that I’m truly happy with, even my mama’s recipe. My girls and I made a batch of sugar cookies last weekend (along with my favorite shortbread cookies), and I didn’t double the sugar cookie recipe as I should have – we ran out of time to ice them last weekend, and they’re already almost all gone! So we may have to make another round, and NOT make other cookies at the same time, so we have time to do the icing this time!

    1. I’ve done that before, making too many things at once so I completely understand. This recipe tastes good, but I also really like that it doesn’t lose shape, which is important with sugar cookies. My family tradition has always been making our Christmas Sandwiches together 🙂

  5. These so good I’ll have to try it I will have to make them vegan for my My family but I am so interested in trying this out. This recipe seems easy.

  6. 5 stars
    Tis the season where our kitchen smell deliciously good with those cookies baking. Your boys are having a great time helping out. Later on, I will bake some with my younger daughter. This is one of the simple pleasure of the Holiday Season that I enjoy the most.

    1. These stay soft for a couple of days, too. As long as they are sealed well. I didn’t realize once that the boys didn’t close the container all the way and they did get stale overnight.

  7. My kids and I used to bake cookies a lot when they were younger. I think it’s a lovely tradition plus, as they get older, kids remember fun things like that.

    1. They definitely do. As I said, cookies weren’t my family tradition, though we did them some years. But I remember making Christmas Sandwiches every year and still do them even when we aren’t with my family at the holidays.

  8. There are 101 types of Christmas cookies but I always go back to sugar cookies. There’s just something about them. And decorating is a lot of fun!

  9. I love making sugar cookies at Christmas! I admit I sometimes buy the prepackaged dough. I’ll have to up my game this year. 😀

    1. I’ve bought the packaged dough before, too. They just don’t seem to keep their shape quite as well as these do, which is what I like best about this recipe. But in a pinch, the storebought dough still allows the fun Christmas memories!

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