Christmas cookie cutouts are a family favorite at our house. Making Christmas cookies is always a highlight for the kiddos – rolling the dough, cutting out cookies, waiting (not at all patiently) for the cookies to bake, decorating with frosting…it’s a delicious tradition. There’s nothing quite like seeing little faces glued to the oven window. Classic.
We make several batches of these Christmas cookies, and box them up as gifts for family and friends. Then, we make another batch so we have a few extra to give to Santa Claus. What are your favorite Christmas cookies to make and EAT?
The Classic Christmas Cookie Cutout
Our family has been using this cookie recipe for over 30 years! It’s an easy sugar cookie recipe to make – a quick dough to whip up, chill in the fridge, roll, cut, and bake! It’s love…in cookie form. The easy recipe yields a great sugar cookie with soft centers and crisp edges.
The Easiest, Egg-Free Cookie Icing (That Hardens!)
I’m a cookie lover. (You know this.) And, since I was a kid, I’ve enjoyed decorating Christmas cookies. But, I’m kinda fuss-free when it comes to royal icing. That’s why I like this recipe. This sugar cookie icing doesn’t contain egg whites or meringue powder. The way I figure it, I can use the time I would have spent finding meringue powder (or worrying about the food safety of egg whites) to decorate more cookies! The other benefit of this recipe – it’s so easily customizable. Need it thinner or thicker for “flooding” or decorating? Add more corn syrup for a thinner consistency.
It’s my personal preference that the best-tasting sugar cookie cutouts are always (without question) slathered with buttercream frosting. But, since these beauties get packed up in boxes, the decoration has to withstand a little jostling. So, I decorate our “special” Christmas cookies with this simple icing. (And then we use buttercream frosting for the “family batch” and Jolly ol’ Saint Nick. hehe! Need a recipe for buttercream frosting? Check out “American Buttercream” per the Buttercream Test on Food Science Secrets.)
After dozens of cookies and several pounds of icing, my counters are finally clean again! So, onto the next thing on the Christmastime to-do list. 😉
Grandma's Christmas Cookie Cutouts
Ingredients
- 1 c. Butter Softened
- 1-1/2 c. Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 1 tsp. Vanilla
- 4-1/2 c. Flour
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Baking Soda
Instructions
-
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
-
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking soda with a fork. Set aside.
-
Add eggs to the mixture one at a time, and mix to combine. Add vanilla, and mix to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
-
Add the dry ingredients (flour, salt, and baking soda) to the bowl of the stand mixer, and mix to combine.
-
Separate dough into 2-3 balls, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours, or until needed.
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
-
To make cookie cutouts, dust the counter generously with flour. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out flat, about 1/4" thick. Sprinkle your favorite cookie cutters with flour, and press into the dough. Gently transfer the cookie cutout to the baking sheet.
-
Bake cookies at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes. Cool cookies completely before decorating!
Easy Icing for Sugar Cookie Cutouts
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Powdered Sugar
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 c. Light Corn Syrup approximate. Use more or less to thin as you wish!
- 1/2 c. Milk approximate. Use more or less to thin as you wish!
Instructions
-
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. To make icing thinner, add more corn syrup. To make icing thicker, add more powdered sugar.
