Easy & Delicious Christmas Sugar Cookies
For YEARS I’ve been on the hunt for that PERFECT sugar cookie recipe. You know, that one that is simple, holds its shape when cut, and is soft and flavorful! I stumbled upon a version of this recipe a few years ago, and after some tweaking, it has become a family favorite! These cookies really do taste amazing! They are soft, buttery, and have just the right amount of sweetness. Kids and adults alike LOVE them, and the thing I love the most is how great they hold their shape once baked. A lot of sugar cookies that hold their shape end up tasting like cardboard (ew, no thanks)! So yesterday, when hubby got home, we all got together in the kitchen and made Christmas Sugar cookies.
The dough itself just has a few ingredients, so it’s super fast to make. The most time-consuming part is cutting out the shapes. I’ve made these before, though, where I just rolled them into balls and flattened them with my hands to save time, and they turned out great that way, too.
You can see how well they hold their shape once baked. How cute are they!?
Once you cut out the shapes and bake them, you have to dip them into the icing and then add the sprinkles. This icing is SO easy and takes just a minute to mix together, and the sprinkles stick to it so easily.
Instead of giving the kids the whole container of sprinkles (been there, done that, had to sweep the floors for days after), I just poured some of each kind into little muffin tin liners and let them use their fingers to sprinkle them on the cookies. Much easier cleanup!
Ingredients:
For Cookie Dough:
1 cup Butter
1 Egg
1 1/4 cups Confectioners Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp Almond Extract
2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
For Icing:
1 cup Confectioners Sugar
1 tbsp Milk
Decorative Sprinkles
Preparation notes:
Preheat oven to 375º F.
Mix together butter and confectioners’ sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add in egg, salt, vanilla, and almond extract. Gradually incorporate flour until well combined. Don’t overmix!
Flour your surface, roll the dough into a ball, sprinkle with a little more flour, then roll it out with a rolling pin. Cut into shapes, then place on a cookie sheet, leaving about an inch between each cookie.
Bake for 8-10 minutes (don’t let them brown or they will be hard) and then remove from the oven to cool completely.
Arrange a wire rack over a baking sheet. Whisk together confectioners’ sugar and milk until well combined and smooth in a small bowl. Once cookies are cooled, dip each cookie into the icing and place on the wire rack. Sprinkle with sprinkles as desired and allow to dry completely.
Freezing Notes:
You can actually freeze the dough until you’re ready to use it. Just wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Then follow the directions for baking once ready.
