Description

These classic Christmas Cut-Out Sugar Cookies are a festive treat made with a tender buttery dough that is easy to roll and shape. Perfect for holiday baking, they feature a simple sugar cookie base flavored with vanilla and topped with colorful, smooth icing. The cookies are soft yet sturdy, ideal for decorating with your favorite designs and sprinkles.

Ingredients

Scale

Cookie Dough

1 1/3 cups butter shortening (Crisco) or real butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Icing

1 Tablespoon softened butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
Food coloring (various colors as desired)

Instructions

Prepare the dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter shortening, sugar, milk, and vanilla extract using an electric mixer until smooth. Then add the eggs and mix well.
Mix dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
Combine wet and dry ingredients: Gradually add the flour mixture to the shortening mixture, mixing gently just until combined, to avoid overworking the dough.
Chill the dough: Divide the dough into two halves, wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least one hour to firm up for easier rolling.
Preheat oven and prepare baking sheets: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Spray baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
Roll out the dough: On a floured countertop, flour your rolling pin and one ball of dough at a time, rolling to an even 1/4-inch thickness.
Cut shapes: Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut shapes, placing cookies about 1-2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Re-roll scraps once for additional cookies.
Bake cookies: Bake the cookies for 6-8 minutes at 375°F until edges are lightly golden. Allow cookies to cool completely on wire racks before icing.
Make the icing: In a bowl, whisk together softened butter, powdered sugar, milk, and clear vanilla extract until smooth. Adjust thickness by adding more powdered sugar if needed. Divide into bowls and color with food coloring as desired.
Decorate and set icing: Ice the cooled cookies using colored icing and decorate with sprinkles if desired. Let the icing set for several hours before stacking or storing in an airtight container.

Notes

Use shortening or real butter depending on preference; shortening can yield slightly thicker, more stable cookies.
Be careful not to overmix the flour into the wet ingredients to keep cookies tender.
Chilling dough is essential for easy rolling and clean cookie shapes.
If the dough becomes too soft when rolling, return it to the fridge to chill again.
Leftover dough scraps can be rolled once more but may not hold shape well after multiple rollings.
Adjust icing consistency by adding powdered sugar to thicken or milk to thin as needed.
To get vibrant colors, use gel-based food coloring which won’t thin the icing.
Store cookies in an airtight container once icing is fully dry to maintain freshness.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes per batch
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Keywords: Christmas sugar cookies, cut-out cookies, holiday baking, decorated cookies, easy sugar cookies, cookie icing