Christmas Cookie Ideas (Cut Out Sugar Cookies)
By Emily Carter ·
Published
Quick answer
Beat 1 cup of butter with 1 cup of sugar until fluffy, mix in 1 egg, vanilla and almond extract, then fold in 3 cups of flour, baking powder and salt. Chill the dough 1 hour, roll to 1/4 inch thick, cut into shapes and bake at 350 degrees for 9 to 11 minutes until just set at the edges. Cool completely, then decorate with royal icing and sprinkles.
These christmas cookie ideas all start from one perfect dough: a buttery roll out sugar cookie that cuts cleanly, bakes up with sharp edges and tastes like a bakery cookie thanks to a little almond extract. Bake a batch of trees, stars and snowmen, then set out the royal icing and sprinkles and turn decorating into the main event. One dough, endless Christmas cookies, all season long.
Why you’ll love it
- One master dough behind dozens of Christmas cookie ideas, from simple iced trees to gift worthy platters.
- Cuts cleanly and holds sharp edges, no spreading into blobs.
- Buttery bakery flavor from the almond extract trick.
- A perfect kid friendly project, cutting and sprinkling are the fun parts.
- Makes about 36 cookies, enough for the tin, the neighbors and the tree.
Ingredient notes
Butter: room temperature, not melted and not cold. It should give when pressed but hold its shape. Properly softened butter creams with the sugar into a fluffy base, which is what keeps the cookies tender instead of dense.
Almond extract: the small ingredient with the big payoff. Half a teaspoon turns plain sugar cookies into bakery tasting cookies. If you have a nut allergy in the house, swap it for extra vanilla.
Flour: spooned and leveled, not scooped from the bag, since scooping packs in extra flour and makes dry, crumbly dough. Three cups is the right amount for a dough that rolls without sticking too much.
Baking powder, not soda: baking powder gives just enough lift for a soft bite without puffing the cookies out of shape. Baking soda would spread them, which is exactly what cut out cookies do not want.
Meringue powder: what makes the royal icing set firm and glossy with no raw egg. Find it in the cake decorating aisle, and the icing keeps for days once set.
The chill and roll rule that makes or breaks it
Two rules decide these cookies, and both are about temperature. First, chill the dough the full hour and keep it cold while you work. Cold dough rolls cleanly, cuts sharply and goes into the hot oven without spreading, which is the whole secret of pretty cut out cookies. If it softens on the counter, back into the fridge it goes for 10 minutes. Second, roll to an even 1/4 inch and bake just until set. Pull the cookies when the edges are barely golden, since they keep firming as they cool, and overbaked sugar cookies turn hard instead of tender. Cool completely before a single drop of icing touches them.
Variations
- Classic iced trees: flood green tinted icing over tree shapes, then dot with tiny candy ornaments while wet for the timeless Christmas look.
- Chocolate dipped: dip half of each plain baked cookie in melted white or dark chocolate and add sprinkles for an easy no piping option.
- Stained glass: cut a small shape from the center of each cookie before baking, fill the hole with crushed hard candy and bake, the candy melts into a jewel like window.
- Thumbprint jam: skip the cutters, roll the dough into balls, press a thumbprint in each and fill with raspberry or apricot jam before baking.
- Gift tin mix: bake stars, trees and snowmen undecorated, then pack with a small bag of powdered sugar for dusting at serving time, a lovely homemade gift.
What we learned testing it
- The 1 hour chill beat a 20 minute chill clearly. The short chill batch spread and lost its tree points, while the full chill batch held crisp, sharp edges.
- Almond extract was the flavor difference. The batch with it tasted like a bakery cookie, while the vanilla only batch tasted plain in comparison, so do not skip it.
- Meringue powder icing beat egg white icing for ease. It set firm and glossy without any raw egg worry, and it piped smoothly straight from the bag.
Read how we test recipes.
Christmas Cookie Ideas (Cut Out Sugar Cookies)
Makes About 36 cookies · 1 hr 31 min total · Easy
Ingredients
Equipment
Stand mixer or hand mixer · Mixing bowls · Rolling pin · Cookie cutters · Rimmed baking sheets · Parchment paper · Wire rack
Instructions
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Mix the dough and chill it
Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg, vanilla and almond extract. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together, then add to the butter mixture on low speed just until a soft dough forms. Divide in half, flatten into disks, wrap and chill for 1 hour. Cold dough rolls cleanly and holds its shape in the oven.
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Roll out the dough
On a lightly floured surface, roll one disk to 1/4 inch thick, lifting and turning the dough as you go so it does not stick. If the dough softens and gets sticky, slide it back into the fridge for 10 minutes. An even thickness is what bakes every cookie at the same rate.
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Cut shapes and bake
Press cookie cutters straight down into the dough without twisting, and transfer the shapes to parchment lined baking sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart. Gather and re roll the scraps once. Bake at 350 degrees for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are just set and barely golden. Cool on the pan 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
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Decorate with icing
Whisk the powdered sugar, meringue powder and water until smooth and glossy, adding water a teaspoon at a time for a piping consistency. Tint portions with gel coloring, pipe outlines and flood the centers, then add sprinkles while wet. Let the icing set at room temperature for at least 4 hours, or overnight, before stacking.
Notes
- Chill the dough the full hour. Warm dough spreads in the oven and blurs the pretty cut edges, while cold dough bakes up sharp and defined.
- Roll to a true 1/4 inch. Thinner cookies overbake and turn crisp, thicker ones stay doughy in the middle. A rolling pin with guide rings makes this foolproof.
- Bake one test cookie first. Every oven runs a little different, and one test cookie tells you the exact minute for the whole batch.
- Decorate on completely cool cookies. Warm cookies melt the icing into a puddle, so patience here pays off in pretty results.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition information is being calculated.
Substitutions
- Almond extract
- Use an extra 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. The cookies will still be delicious, just with a simpler, classic sugar cookie flavor.
- Meringue powder
- Use a simple glaze of 2 cups powdered sugar whisked with 3 tablespoons of milk and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. It will not set as hard, but it tastes great.
- Butter
- Use a good baking margarine or a plant based butter stick for dairy free cookies. The flavor is a touch less rich, but the texture still works.
Storage and make-ahead
Store undecorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week, or freeze the baked cookies up to 3 months. Decorated cookies keep at room temperature up to 5 days once the icing is fully set; layer them between parchment so the designs do not stick. The raw dough also freezes well up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my Christmas sugar cookies spread and lose their shape?
The dough was too warm. Chill it the full hour, roll it cold, and if your kitchen is warm, chill the cut shapes on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before they go in the oven. Cold dough going into a hot oven holds its shape.
Can I make this Christmas cookie dough ahead?
Yes. The dough keeps in the fridge up to 3 days, or frozen up to 3 months. Thaw frozen dough overnight in the fridge, then let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes so it rolls without cracking.
How do I get smooth royal icing on my cookies?
Pipe an outline first, then flood the center with slightly thinner icing and use a toothpick to guide it to the edges. Work one cookie at a time and add sprinkles while the icing is wet. Thin the icing a teaspoon of water at a time until it flows like honey.
Can kids help with these Christmas cookie ideas?
Absolutely, this is a great kid project. Let kids cut the shapes and do the sprinkle decorating, while an adult handles the oven and the piping bags. The dough is forgiving and the decorating is the fun part.
How many cookies does this dough make?
About 36 cookies with 3 inch cutters, rolled 1/4 inch thick. Smaller cutters make more, larger cutters make fewer. One batch fills two cookie tins, which is plenty for gifting.
