What if the secret to perfectly soft, no-spread Christmas cookies wasn’t a complex, time-consuming ordeal? Imagine creating bakery-quality holiday treats with a simple method that guarantees success every single time. This is more than just a recipe; it’s your new holiday tradition.
Get ready to master the art of holiday baking with our definitive, easy Christmas Sugar Cookie Recipe. We’ve tested and refined this process to eliminate common frustrations, leaving you with nothing but pure, delicious, and beautifully shaped cookies.
Ingredients List
The magic of this recipe lies in its simplicity and the quality of its components. Using room temperature ingredients is key for a smooth, homogenous dough. Here’s what you’ll need to create approximately 3 dozen delightful cookies.
- All-Purpose Flour: 3 cups (360g), plus more for dusting. The structural backbone of your cookies.
- Baking Powder: 1 teaspoon. This provides a subtle lift, ensuring a soft texture without causing the cookies to spread.
- Salt: ½ teaspoon. Essential for balancing the sweetness and enhancing all the other flavors.
- Unsalted Butter: 1 cup (226g), softened to room temperature. Using unsalted butter gives you full control over the salt content.
- Granulated Sugar: 1 cup (200g). Provides the classic sweetness and contributes to the tender crumb.
- Large Egg: 1, at room temperature. This acts as a binder, holding everything together beautifully.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: 2 teaspoons. For that warm, aromatic essence that screams “classic sugar cookie.”
Ingredient Substitutions: For a gluten-free version, a high-quality 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour blend works wonderfully. You can also swap vanilla for almond or peppermint extract for a festive twist. Vegan butter and a flax egg can be used for a plant-based alternative.
Timing
Proper time management is the secret to stress-free holiday baking. This recipe is designed for efficiency without sacrificing quality. The chilling step is mandatory, so plan accordingly!
- Preparation Time: 20 minutes (for mixing the dough)
- Chilling Time: 1 hour (minimum)
- Baking Time: 10-12 minutes per batch
- Total Time: Approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes
Our total time of under two hours is significantly faster than many traditional recipes requiring overnight chilling. This streamlined process means you can decide to bake cookies in the morning and be decorating them by the afternoon.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Follow these detailed steps for flawless sugar cookies. We’ve included pro-tips to guide you through the process, ensuring your baking adventure is a complete success from start to finish. This is the heart of our easy Christmas sugar cookie guide.
Step 1: Combine the Dry Ingredients
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Whisking them first ensures the baking powder is evenly distributed, which is crucial for a uniform texture in every single cookie.
Step 2: Cream Butter and Sugar
In a separate large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed. Continue for about 2-3 minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color. This process, called creaming, incorporates air into the dough, which is the foundation for a tender cookie.
Step 3: Add the Egg and Vanilla
Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the room temperature egg and vanilla extract. Mix until they are just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure all ingredients are fully incorporated. Avoid overmixing at this stage.
Step 4: Gradually Mix in Dry Ingredients
With the mixer still on low, slowly add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients in three batches. Mix until the flour is almost fully incorporated, but you can still see a few streaks. This prevents the overdevelopment of gluten, which can make cookies tough.
Step 5: Form and Chill the Dough
Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and gently bring it together with your hands into a cohesive ball. Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a 1-inch thick disk, and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. This is the most critical part of this Sugar Cookie Recipe: chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. This solidifies the butter, which is the secret to preventing your cookies from spreading in the oven.
Step 6: Roll and Cut Your Cookies
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly flour your work surface and a rolling pin. Unwrap one disk of chilled dough and roll it out to an even ¼-inch thickness. Use your favorite Christmas cookie cutters to cut out shapes, placing them about 1-2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Step 7: Bake to Golden Perfection
Bake one sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are lightly golden brown. The centers may look slightly underdone, but they will set as they cool. This is the key to a soft, chewy center. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 8: Decorate and Enjoy!
Once the cookies are completely cool, it’s time for the fun part! Decorate them with your favorite royal icing, buttercream frosting, sprinkles, and colored sugars. Let your creativity shine and turn these delicious cookies into festive works of art.
Nutritional Information
While these are holiday treats, it’s helpful to have an idea of their nutritional content. The following is an estimate for one undecorated cookie, assuming the recipe yields 36 cookies. Please note that actual values will vary based on the exact size of your cookies and your chosen decorations.
- Calories: Approximately 110 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fat: 5g
- Protein: 1.5g
- Sugar: 7g
Healthier Alternatives for the Recipe
Want to enjoy these festive treats with a slightly healthier profile? This recipe is wonderfully adaptable. Here are a few simple swaps you can make without sacrificing the classic flavor and texture.
For a fiber boost, substitute up to one-third of the all-purpose flour with white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour. To reduce the sugar content, you can decrease the granulated sugar by about 25% (down to ¾ cup) without a major impact on the texture. You can also experiment with natural sweeteners like coconut sugar, though this may alter the color and flavor slightly.
Serving Suggestions
These Christmas sugar cookies are stars on their own, but they also play well with others. Set up a “Hot Cocoa and Cookie Bar” at your next holiday gathering. Offer a variety of cookie shapes alongside mugs of hot chocolate, whipped cream, and extra sprinkles.
Name: Yumi Hwag
Byline: Founder & Recipe Developer, Yumimeals
Bio : Yumi tests weeknight-friendly air fryer, slow cooker, and BBQ recipes in a small home kitchen. She focuses on simple steps, real-family testing, and clear food-safety guidance. Contact: [email protected]