This simple cut out frosted Christmas sugar cookie recipe keeps things traditional. The buttery cookies get topped with a classic royal icing to make cookies perfect for the holiday season.
Frosted Christmas Sugar Cookies
Decorating sugar cookies might be my new obsession. I don't celebrate Christmas, so decorating sugar cookies was never really a thing I did during the holiday season. Hanukkah is more about making latkes and jelly donuts, so cookies were never really in the mix. I was going all-in on cookies this year, so I knew sugar cookies would be a must.
Since I don't celebrate Christmas, I had to gather the right supplies. I am now the proud owner of holiday cookie cutters and many holiday sprinkles. I also had to stock up on more gel food coloring so I could have a variety of colors.
For the sugar cookie dough recipe, I used a recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction. The recipe is simple to make, and the dough is easy to work with when using a lot of cookie cutters. Not only do the cookies look beautiful, but they also taste great. The recipe suggests adding a little almond extra to the dough. It doesn't add much, but it gives the cookies a brightness and gives them a little edge over plain sugar cookies.
The dough is also great if you want to make it ahead. I made this dough about a week before and stuck it in the freezer. I placed it in the refrigerator for a few hours to thaw the day I wanted to use it. Then, it was ready to go as if I had baked it that day.
Looking for more holiday cookie ideas? Try my chocolate orange cookies or hot chocolate cookies.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Kid Friendly - The recipe is easy and a great activity to do with your little chefs in the kitchen.
- Freezer Friendly - The dough is great to put in the freezer and have ready to go when you want to make the cookies.
- Flavors - These are decorative cookies that you actually want to eat. They are sweet and not overly frosted.
Ingreidents Needed For Cut Out Frosted Sugar Cookies
- Flour - The base for the cookie recipe.
- Butter - Leave the butter out to soften.
- Meringue Powder - The powder stabilizes the royal icing for a clean look.
- Almond Extract - A small splash adds a lot of flavor.
- Powdered Sugar - What creates the royal icing.
Directions For How To Make Frosted Sugar Cookies
- Make the cookies.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Cream the butter with the sugar, add in the eggs and extras, and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Gradually add in the dry ingredients and beat on low until incorporated.
- Roll the dough.
Prepare a piece of parchment paper with flour. Roll out the dough on the parchment paper to about a quarter inch thick. Then, slide the parchment paper on a baking sheet and refrigerate the dough for 1-2 hours.
- Preheat the oven.
Just before you pull the dough out of the fridge, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut the cookies.
On a floured surface, start to cut out the dough using cookie cutters of your choice. Re-roll the extra dough and continue to cut out different shapes.
- Bake the cookies.
Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Let the cookies cool completely before decorating.
- Make the royal icing.
Combine the powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water and mix using a stand mixer or whisk.
- Decorate the cookies.
Decorate the cookies to your liking. If dyeing the icing in different colors, separate the icing in different bowls and add it to zip locs or piping bags for decorating.
Serving Suggestion
The cut out frosted sugar cookies are great for Christmas. The sugar cookie dough is an excellent recipe to report for plain cookies or decorate for another holiday.
Tips and Variations
- Flavoring - The cookies have a slight nutty flavor from the almond extract. If you prefer to flavor the cookies with a distinct flavor, switch out the almond extract for peppermint, lemon, or your preferred extra flavor.
- Cooling - Let the cookies cool completely before icing. If the cookies are not cool, the icing will slide right off.
- Icing Setting - The icing will take a total of about 2 hours to completely dry. Set the iced cookies on a cooling rack to let them dry properly.
FAQs
If your cookies are losing their cut-out shape in the oven, the dough is too soft. Place the cookies back in the fridge or freezer before baking for 5-10 minutes to help them regain their shape.
Cut out sugar cookie freezer super well! You can freeze the dough before use or bake and freeze the cookies once baked.
Adding more water to your mixture will make the icing thin. More powdered sugar will thicken up the icing. Add more or less depending on how thick or thin you want the icing to be.
Frosted Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl with a hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and extracts and continue to mix on low speed until combined. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed, making sure everything is incorporated.
- Slowly add in the flour mixture and beat on low. The dough will be soft, but if it looks too sticky, add about a tablespoon of flour.
- If you are freezing the dough, split it into two equal discs and wrap it in plastic wrap. If you will use the dough immediately, roll it out on a floured surface using a rolling pin. You want the dough to be thin but not paper-thin. About ¼ inch thick. When the dough is ready, place it on a cookie sheet with parchment. Continue with the remaining dough. Stack the pieces of dough on top of each other and place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours to chill.
- When the dough is just about ready to go, preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a sheet pan with parchment.
- Start cutting out the dough on a floured surface using cookie cutters of your choice. Re-roll the extra dough and continue to cut out different shapes. If the dough starts to get soft at any point, place it back in the refrigerator for a few minutes to set.
- Bake the cookies for about 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely before decorating.
- Mix the powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water in a medium-sized bowl or in the stand mixer using the whisk attachment for the royal icing. Beat everything together for about 1-2 minutes. You want the icing to have a smooth but thick consistency. It should drop down smoothly from the whisk when ready to use. Add more water if it is too thick or more powdered sugar if it is too thin.
- The icing will take about 2 hours to completely dry. Let the icing dry on the cookies before adding multiple layers. If needed, you can put the cookies with the icing in the refrigerator to speed up the drying process.
- Extra cookies can be frozen and kept in the freezer for 3 months.
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