Description
Classic Christmas sugar cookies that are soft, buttery, and perfect for holiday decorating. This recipe yields 40 festive cookies with a tender texture and a subtly sweet flavor, ideal for cookie cutters and icing decoration.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, measured correctly
- 1 Tbsp baking powder, aluminum free
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350 °F and position a rack in the center for even baking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Using a stand-up or handheld mixer, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar until creamy and well combined.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Mix in the vanilla extract and the egg, beating until the mixture is smooth and uniform.
- Incorporate Flour: Gradually add the flour mixture in three parts to the butter mixture, mixing after each addition until fully combined and forming the dough.
- Roll and Cut Dough: Divide the dough into two equal parts. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out desired shapes.
- Bake Cookies: Arrange the cutouts on a parchment or silicone baking sheet. Bake at 350 °F for 10 minutes or until the cookie edges just begin to turn golden.
- Cool Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
Notes
- Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature for easier mixing and a tender texture.
- Use aluminum-free baking powder to avoid any metallic taste in your cookies.
- Roll dough evenly to ensure cookies bake uniformly.
- Chill the dough briefly if it becomes too soft to handle, making rolling and cutting shapes easier.
- Decorate cooled cookies with icing or sprinkles to personalize your holiday treats.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature to maintain freshness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 90 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 55 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
