Christmas Sugar Cookie Recipe
Easy Christmas Sugar Cookies made with simple ingredients. These soft cutout cookies keep clean edges and are perfect for decorating with royal icing.
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter - cold and cut into small cubes
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract - optional
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Royal Icing
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons meringue powder
- 6-8 tablespoons warm water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
Sugar Cookie Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cornstarch in a large bowl and set aside.
- Add the cold cubed butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth.
- Mix in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
- Add the flour mixture in two additions, mixing on low speed just until the dough comes together. If the dough is sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour.
- Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment to ¼-inch thickness. Remove the top sheet and cut out shapes with cookie cutters.
- Transfer the cut cookies to the prepared baking sheets and bake for 7 to 9 minutes, or until the edges are set but not browned.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Royal Icing Directions
- Combine powdered sugar and meringue powder in a bowl.
- Add 6 tablespoons warm water and mix on medium speed for 2–3 minutes until thick and glossy.
- Add vanilla or almond extract. Adjust icing with additional water, ½ teaspoon at a time, to reach piping or flooding consistency.
- Tint with gel food coloring if desired. Keep icing covered with plastic wrap touching the surface to prevent crusting.
- Decorate cookies once fully cooled.
- Allow icing to dry completely before stacking.
Notes
- Roll dough between parchment for even thickness.
- Dip cookie cutters in flour for cleaner edges.
- Store decorated cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Dust iced cookies with cornstarch befores stacking and freezing to prevent color bleed.
- Freeze unfrosted cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Let the container come to room temperature before opening to prevent condensation on the cookies.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookieCalories: 244kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 86mgPotassium: 29mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 28gVitamin A: 257IUCalcium: 22mgIron: 1mg
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
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