The BEST Christmas Cookies EVER (and How to Decorate Them)
The BEST Christmas Cookies EVER begin and end with this soft, chewy, simple sugar cookie recipe. Decorate them with royal icing and you have the perfect gift for neighbors and friends!
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 217kcal
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter (1 cup = 2 sticks) keep the butter COLD until ready to use
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- royal icing see recipe links below
- Christmas sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees. In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir until well combined.
- Cut COLD butter into cubes (they don't need to be perfect) and add to the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large mixing bowl if you are using a hand mixer). Add sugar and mix together until smooth and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed.
- Add 1 egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix until well combined. Add the flour/cornstarch mixture in and mix on low speed until crumbles form (if you are at a higher elevation and the crumbles seem a little too dry you can add a tablespoon or two of water, not too much though, you want it to be crumbly, not sticky).
- Remove crumbles from mixer and knead into a ball.
- Place between two pieces of parchment paper and roll out to about 3/8-1/2" thickness (however thick you want the cookies to be is how thick you want to roll it out-- these cookies aren't going to rise very much, if at all).
- Use Christmas cookie cutters to cut shapes out of the dough.
- Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with a baking mat or parchment paper.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool COMPLETELY before icing with royal icing or cream cheese frosting, (see links below for icing/frosting recipes)
Video
Notes
- Try our Royal Icing Recipe and Flood Icing Recipe by clicking the link (This is the icing we used in the pictures above. Royal icing is ideal for beautiful, detailed decorating.)
- Or try our Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe (Cream cheese frosting is great for those who care less about the fancy decorating and instead prefer thick, creamy frosting that you can eat by the spoonful)
- Store these cookies for up to a month in the freezer. When ready to eat, bring to a cold temperature - not all the way to room temperature. They are best eaten cold.
Nutrition
Calories: 217kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 137mg | Potassium: 25mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 245IU | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.8mg