Sugar Cookie Recipe

This sugar cookie recipe is your go-to for perfectly shaped Christmas cut-outs every year. A tried-and-true Christmas tradition, these cookies roll out easily, hold their shape beautifully, and stay tender for days. They’re perfect for decorating or gifting.

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Flavor: Sweet and buttery with soft centers, lightly crisp edges, and perfect vanilla icing that makes every bite taste cozy and homemade.
Technique: Chilled dough ensures cookies hold crisp holiday shapes without spreading.
Prep Note: Make dough up to 4 days ahead, or freeze in discs for stress-free holiday baking.
Swaps: Switch vanilla for almond or peppermint extract for festive flavor.
Serving Suggestions: Decorate with frosting, royal icing, easy sugar cookie icing, or sprinkles for Christmas cookie trays.

Ingredient Notes

Butter: Unsalted butter adds rich flavor; softened but not melted butter creates the best texture.
Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla makes the cookies aromatic and cozy; swap a little for almond extract for that bakery-style flavor.
Egg: Bring eggs to room temperature before adding, to help the dough mix evenly. (Quickly warm up cold eggs by placing them in a glass of warm water for 5 minutes.)
All-Purpose Flour: Properly measured flour is important for baking. Lightly spoon into the measuring cup, then level to avoid dense dough.

eggs added to butter and sugar in a mixer for sugar cookies

How to Make Sugar Cookies

Make the Dough: With an electric mixer or stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, then mix in the egg, vanilla, and dry ingredients until a soft dough forms. Chill until firm.
Roll & Cut: Roll the dough to ¼-inch thickness, cut into festive shapes, and place on baking sheets.
Bake & Decorate: Bake until lightly golden on the edges, cool completely, then decorate with icing or sprinkles.

If the dough seems powdery or isn’t holding together, it has not mixed long enough. Continue mixing for up to 5 minutes more, and the dough will hold together.

sugar cookies recipe dough mixed and ready to roll

sugar cookies recipe cutouts on a baking tray

Holly’s Pro Tips for Holiday Baking Success

Use room temperature butter and egg for smooth dough.
It is important to measure flour correctly. Avoid scooping the flour with a measuring cup, or it can pack the flour, resulting in a dry dough. Instead, lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cup and use the straight edge of the back of a knife to level it.
Roll dough between parchment sheets to prevent sticking. When rolling the dough, if it gets too soft, put it in the fridge for a few minutes. Don’t add too much flour when rolling the dough.

Don’t skip chilling the sugar cookie dough. This allows the butter to firm up a bit, keeping the cookies from spreading too much and looking flat. Chilling in the refrigerator helps them to keep their shape as they bake.

No parchment – Skip baking the cookies on parchment paper or a silicone mat for this recipe. They hold their shape best on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake one tray at a time for even color.
Do not place new batches on a warm cookie sheet. This will cause the dough to spread.
For uniform cookie-cutter sugar cookies, roll to ¼-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. When rolling the dough, if it gets too soft, don’t add more flour. Instead, put it in the fridge for a few minutes.
Freeze baked cookies, undecorated, for easy gift trays later.

Decorating Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies are one of the most popular cookie recipes for decorating. When my kids were small, we’d have fun with Christmas cookie cutters, stamped rolling pins, and colored frosting with plenty of Festive sprinkles and jimmies!
To make Christmas sugar cookies, or any time of year cut-out cookies, ensure they’re completely cooled on a wire rack before decorating (or the icing will melt).
You can decorate the baked cookies with soft frostings like buttercream frosting and embellishments, but our favorite is to use a simple sugar cookie icing or royal icing that finishes shiny and firm. Tip: Use gel food coloring for the prettiest colors.
Another option is to melt chocolate chips and dip half of each cookie.

sugar cookies recipe baked and iced in a stack

Storing & Freezing Christmas Cookies

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Refrigerate dough for up to 4 days before baking.
Freeze dough disks or baked cookies (undecorated) in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Place a piece of parchment paper between layers to protect the frosting when storing decorated cookies.

Classic Christmas Cookies

Did you try this sugar cookie recipe? Leave a rating and comment below!

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text

close up of Sugar Cookie Recipe with sprinkles

4.89 from 102 votes

Author Holly Nilsson

Sugar Cookie Recipe

Author Holly Nilsson

Servings 48 cookies

This Christmas sugar cookie recipe makes perfectly shaped cookies for decorating and sharing.

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Servings 48 cookies

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 9

Chill Time 2

Total Time 2 24

Equipment

Mixing Bowls
Stand Mixer
Baking Sheet ungreased, no parchment

Ingredients

▢ 3 cups all purpose flour *see note
▢ 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
▢ 1 cup unsalted butter softened
▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
▢ 1 large egg room temperature
▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), add the butter and sugar. Beat on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes or until fluffy.
Add the egg and vanilla and mix until smooth.
Gradually add the flour mixture with the mixer on low. Continue adding until all of the flour is added. Let mix until the dough holds together, about 5 minutes. If the dough is powdery or not holding together, mix it longer.
Divide the dough in half, and form each half into a flat 5-inch disk. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for 2 hours or up to 4 days.
Preheat oven to 375°F. While the oven is preheating, remove the dough from the fridge. If it has been in the fridge longer than 3 hours, it may need to sit out 15 minutes before rolling as the dough will be very firm.
Sprinkle the work surface with a light dusting of flour (or powdered sugar) to keep the dough from sticking. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to ¼-inch thickness.
Cut out shapes with cookie cutters. The scraps can be re-rolled; chill them in the fridge if they soften too much.
Place the sugar cookies 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or just until cookies begin to brown on their edges.
Cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet, transfer to a cooling rack, and cool completely before decorating.
Once cooled, decorate with sugar cookie icing.

Video

Notes

If the dough is powdery or not holding together, keep mixing it until it forms a dough.
When using a stand mixer, make sure to use the paddle attachment instead of the wire whisk. The mixture may take up to 5 minutes of beating before it comes together.
When mixing, all ingredients, including the egg and butter, should be at room temperature.
Avoid scooping flour with the measuring cup. Lightly spoon flour into the cup, then level it with the straight edge of a knife.
Chill the dough before rolling so the cookies do not spread and lose their shape. Roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness. If the dough becomes too soft, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate it. Do not add too much flour while rolling the dough.
Do not place new batches of cookies on a warm pan, or the dough will spread.

4.89 from 102 votes

Nutrition Information

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American

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