Description
Classic Christmas sugar cookies bring festive cheer to holiday gatherings with their buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Decorated with royal icing and sprinkles, you’ll create memories that sparkle like winter’s first snowfall.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups (240 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons (22.5 ml) meringue powder
- 34 tablespoons (510 ml) water
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) almond extract (optional)
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) salt
- Food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- Mixture Preparation: Whip butter and sugar into a cloud-like consistency, creating a smooth, pale foundation for the dough.
- Wet Ingredient Integration: Fold egg and fragrant vanilla and almond extracts into the butter blend, ensuring complete incorporation.
- Dry Ingredient Combination: Gently merge sifted flour, baking powder, and salt with the wet mixture, forming a unified, tender dough.
- Dough Chilling: Divide dough into two discs, wrap securely, and refrigerate for at least one hour to enhance flavor and texture.
- Oven Preparation: Heat oven to 350F and line baking sheets with parchment paper for pristine cookie performance.
- Rolling and Cutting: Unveil chilled dough on a flour-dusted surface, rolling to a delicate 1/4-inch thickness, then use festive cutters to craft holiday-inspired shapes.
- Baking Process: Carefully transfer cookie shapes to prepared sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes, watching for subtle golden edges that signal perfect doneness.
- Cooling and Finishing: Allow cookies to rest briefly on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack for complete cooling and potential decorative embellishments.
Notes
Chill Dough Thoroughly: Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour to prevent spreading and ensure crisp, defined cookie shapes during baking.
Control Flour Dusting: Lightly dust work surface with flour to prevent dough from sticking without making cookies dry or tough, using minimal extra flour.
Monitor Baking Closely: Watch cookies carefully during final minutes of baking; golden edges indicate perfect doneness without risking burnt bottoms or overdried texture.
Customize for Dietary Needs: Swap all-purpose flour with gluten-free blend for celiac-friendly version, and use plant-based butter for vegan-friendly Christmas sugar cookies without compromising delicate texture.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 25
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg