Get ready to create the most memorable holiday treats with these perfect Christmas sugar cookies. This recipe is your ultimate guide to baking soft, delicious, and beautifully shaped cookies that won’t spread in the oven. Say goodbye to puffy, unrecognizable shapes and hello to crisp edges and professional-looking results. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or starting a new tradition, this will be your go-to recipe for years to come.
Why You’ll Love This Christmas Sugar Cookie Recipe
There are countless sugar cookie recipes out there, but this one truly stands out. It has been tested and perfected to ensure it’s not just delicious, but also completely foolproof. The dough is a dream to work with and, most importantly, it holds its shape perfectly, providing a clean canvas for your beautiful decorations.
No-Spread Formula: The precise ratio of ingredients guarantees your intricate cookie cutter shapes stay sharp.
Incredibly Soft Texture: These cookies have a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture that perfectly complements the sweet icing.
Rich Buttery Flavor: Using high-quality butter and a touch of vanilla gives these cookies a classic, irresistible flavor.
Perfect for Decorating: The flat, stable surface is ideal for decorating with royal icing, buttercream, or a simple glaze.
The Secret to Perfect No-Spread Sugar Cookies
The magic behind no-spread cookies lies in a few key principles. First, using cold ingredients, especially butter, is crucial. Cold fat creates steam pockets as it bakes, which helps with leavening without causing the cookie to spread outward. Second, this recipe omits baking powder, which is a leavening agent that causes cookies to puff up and spread. Instead, we rely on the creaming of butter and sugar to incorporate air. Finally, chilling the dough is a non-negotiable step. It solidifies the fat, ensuring the cookies bake up tall instead of spreading wide.
Key Ingredients and Their Roles
Unsalted Butter: Use cold, cubed butter for the best texture. This is the foundation of our no-spread dough.
Granulated Sugar: Provides sweetness and contributes to the tender crumb.
Egg: Acts as a binder, holding the dough together.
All-Purpose Flour: The structure of our cookies. Be sure to measure it correctly by spooning and leveling, not scooping.
Vanilla Extract: For that classic, warm sugar cookie flavor.
Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the overall flavor.
Notice the sharp edges? That's the sign of a perfect no-spread sugar cookie.
How to Make Christmas Sugar Cookies Step-by-Step
Making these classic Christmas sugar cookies is a simple and rewarding process. Just follow these steps carefully for perfect results every time. We’ll walk through making the dough, chilling it properly, and baking the cookies to a perfect golden brown.
Making the Cookie Dough
In a large bowl, using a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream together the cold, cubed butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and salt.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a 1-inch thick disk, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
Chilling and Rolling
This is the most important step for no-spread cookies! Chill the dough disks in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days. This step is critical for preventing the cookies from spreading. Once you’re ready to bake, lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll one disk of dough out to a 1/4-inch thickness. If the dough is too hard, let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.
Baking to Perfection
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut out shapes with your favorite cookie cutters and carefully transfer them to the prepared baking sheets, placing them about 1 inch apart. For extra insurance against spreading, you can chill the cut-out cookies on the baking sheet for another 10-15 minutes in the freezer. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. If you love holiday baking, you should try our amazing gingerbread cookie recipe next!
The Ultimate Guide to Sugar Cookie Icing
Once your cookies are completely cool, it’s time for the best part: decorating! You can choose from several types of icing, depending on the look you want to achieve.
The secret to perfect cookies starts with well-chilled, evenly rolled dough.
Classic Royal Icing
Royal icing is the top choice for intricate, detailed decorations. It dries hard, which makes the cookies easy to stack and transport. You can make it with meringue powder, egg whites, or purchase a pre-made mix. It’s perfect for outlining and flooding techniques.
Simple Buttercream Frosting
For a softer, richer topping, a simple buttercream frosting is delicious. It won’t dry hard like royal icing, but it’s easy to whip up and has a wonderful buttery flavor. This is a great option for kids to decorate with. For another festive treat, check out these adorable Snowman Oreo Balls.
Creative Decorating Ideas
Let your creativity shine! Use a variety of sprinkles, sanding sugar, and nonpareils to add color and texture to your Christmas sugar cookies. You can use piping bags with different tips to create lines, dots, and swirls with your icing. Don’t be afraid to mix colors and experiment with different designs like snowflakes, Christmas trees, and ornaments. For those who love festive desserts, our Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes are a must-try.
Storing Your Cookies
Proper storage is key to keeping your cookies fresh. Undecorated cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. If you’ve used royal icing and it has fully hardened, you can stack the cookies between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container. Cookies with buttercream frosting should be stored in a single layer in the refrigerator. You can also freeze the baked, undecorated cookies for up to 3 months.
The key is to use cold butter, a recipe without baking powder, and most importantly, to chill the dough for at least 2 hours before rolling and cutting. Chilling the cut-out cookies on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes in the freezer before baking also provides extra insurance.
The secret to soft cookies is to not overmix the dough once the flour is added, and to not overbake them. Pull the cookies from the oven when the edges are just beginning to turn a light golden brown. They will continue to set on the hot baking sheet.
Absolutely! This dough is perfect for making ahead. You can wrap the dough disks tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for up to 3 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen dough in the refrigerator overnight before rolling.
For detailed, intricate designs that need to harden for stacking and storing, royal icing is the best choice. For a softer, richer topping that’s great for a simple spread-and-sprinkle approach, a classic buttercream frosting is a delicious option.
Christmas Sugar Cookies: The Perfect No-Spread Recipe
This foolproof recipe for Christmas sugar cookies guarantees a soft, flavorful cookie that holds its shape perfectly. Ideal for decorating, this is the only cut-out cookie recipe you'll ever need!
In a large bowl, using a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream together the cold, cubed butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and salt.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a 1-inch thick disk, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
Chilling, Rolling, and Baking
Chill the dough disks in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll one disk of dough out to a 1/4-inch thickness.
Cut out shapes with your favorite cookie cutters and carefully transfer them to the prepared baking sheets, placing them about 1 inch apart.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
Nutrition
Calories: 120kcalProtein: 1gFat: 6gFiber: 0.5g
Notes
Chill Time is Crucial: Do not skip the chilling step! This is the most important part of making sure your cookies don't spread. Measuring Flour: For best results, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife. This prevents the dough from becoming too dry. Even Thickness: Try to roll your dough to a consistent 1/4-inch thickness to ensure all cookies bake evenly.
Keyword Christmas Cookies,cut out cookies,sugar cookies
We can’t wait to see your beautiful Christmas sugar cookies! Snap a photo and share it with us on Pinterest. Happy baking, and may your holidays be filled with sweet moments and even sweeter treats.
Get the foolproof recipe for these perfect no-spread Christmas sugar cookies!
Hi, I’m Emily Carter, and welcome to FL Recipes! I share simple, healthy recipes that make cooking easy, fun, and delicious for everyone. more about me »
