The festive season just wouldn’t be the same without a batch of classic Christmas Sugar Cookies with Icing Recipe to share with friends and family. These cookies combine the perfect balance of warm spices and tender crumb that melts in your mouth, all beautifully decorated with smooth, luscious icing. Whether you’re an experienced baker or just looking for a joyful holiday activity, this recipe brings that charming homemade touch that fills your kitchen with holiday cheer, making every bite feel like a cozy celebration.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This Christmas Sugar Cookies with Icing Recipe uses simple, everyday ingredients that come together in harmony to create a wonderful taste, texture, and festive touch. Each element, from the tender butter to the fragrant spices, plays an important role in crafting these delightful holiday treats.
- 2 ¾ cups all purpose flour: Provides the sturdy structure needed for perfectly shaped cookies.
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder: Helps the cookies rise just enough to remain soft and tender.
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon: Adds a classic warm spice, essential for that Christmas flavor.
- ½ teaspoon salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances all the other flavors.
- ½ teaspoon ginger: Brings a subtle zing that’s signature to holiday baking.
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg: Adds a fragrant depth to the sugar cookie spice profile.
- â…” cup salted butter, room temperature: Creates rich, tender cookies and adds a buttery flavor.
- ½ cup granulated sugar: Sweetens the dough just right providing crunch and flavor.
- ¼ cup brown sugar: Adds a hint of molasses flavor and keeps the cookie moist.
- 1 large egg: Binds everything together while keeping the texture soft.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract: Infuses warmth and sweetness into the dough.
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar: The base for that smooth, glossy icing everyone loves to decorate with.
- 1 tablespoon meringue powder: Helps the icing to harden perfectly, making it ideal for decorating.
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract: Adds flavor to the icing for a harmonious taste with the cookies.
- Pinch of salt: Balances the sweetness in the icing.
- 5 tablespoons + 1 ½ teaspoons water: Creates the perfect consistency for piping and spreading icing.
How to Make Christmas Sugar Cookies with Icing Recipe
Step 1: Preheat and Prepare the Oven
Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). This ensures it’s hot and ready for your cookies to bake evenly. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat—this prevents sticking and helps cookies bake with beautiful bottoms.
Step 2: Mix Dry Ingredients
Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. This evenly distributes the spices and leavening agents, ensuring every cookie has an even, lovely flavor and texture.
Step 3: Cream Butter and Sugars
In your stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the room temperature salted butter with granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium-high speed. Whip it until the mixture is smooth, creamy, and pale. This step incorporates air for lightness and gives your cookies their tender crumb.
Step 4: Add Egg and Vanilla
Next, beat in the large egg and vanilla extract until they’re fully incorporated. This forms a smooth batter that will bind the dry ingredients and provide moisture and flavor.
Step 5: Combine Dough
Slowly add your flour and spice mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing just until blended. Be careful not to overwork the dough here; over-mixing can lead to tough cookies. Once combined, turn the dough out onto a floured surface ready for rolling.
Step 6: Roll and Cut
Roll your dough out to about ¼-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to create your favorite festive shapes—stars, trees, snowmen, whatever speaks to your holiday spirit. Gather the scraps, re-roll, and keep cutting until all the dough is used.
Step 7: Bake Cookies
Place your cutouts on the lined baking sheet, spacing them just right so they don’t spread into each other. Bake on the center rack for approximately 10 minutes, or until the edges appear set and just beginning to turn golden.
Step 8: Cool Cookies
Remove the cookies and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 8 minutes to firm up a bit. Then transfer them carefully to a wire rack to cool completely—this is essential before decorating so the icing doesn’t melt.
Step 9: Make Icing
In a clean bowl with your mixer whisk, combine powdered sugar, meringue powder, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. This base is what will turn into the beautifully glossy icing for your cookies.
Step 10: Add Water and Whisk
With your mixer running, slowly add the water and whisk for several minutes until the icing is smooth, thick, and glossy. This texture is ideal for both spreading and piping onto your Christmas cookies.
Step 11: Fill Piping Bag
Spoon the icing into a piping bag, snip a small hole at the tip, and start decorating your cooled cookies. This fun step transforms your cookies into charming holiday delights ready to impress and enjoy.
How to Serve Christmas Sugar Cookies with Icing Recipe
Garnishes
Once iced, you can add festive sprinkles, edible glitter, or finely chopped nuts to your cookies for an extra sparkle or crunch. These little touches make your Christmas Sugar Cookies with Icing Recipe even more magical and eye-catching on your holiday table.
Side Dishes
A warm cup of mulled cider, a frothy mug of hot chocolate, or spiced eggnog complement these cookies perfectly. Offering these cozy drinks alongside your sugar cookies creates a festive spread that everyone will love.
Creative Ways to Present
Arrange your decorated cookies on a rustic wooden board or in a glass jar tied with a ribbon for a charming holiday display. They also make wonderful gifts—simply stack in a tin with parchment paper, or wrap in cellophane with a personalized tag for thoughtful Christmas presents.
Make Ahead and Storage
Storing Leftovers
Place cooled cookies in an airtight container layered between sheets of parchment paper to keep them fresh. Stored this way, they stay soft and delicious for up to a week—perfect for nibbling throughout the season.
Freezing
You can freeze both baked cookies and unbaked dough! Freeze baked cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer to a sealed bag. Unbaked dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen for up to three months. Thaw overnight before rolling and baking.
Reheating
If you want that freshly-baked warmth, pop your cookies in a preheated oven at 300°F (150°C) for about 5 minutes. This lightly warms them without melting the icing and revives their softness.
FAQs
Can I use a different type of flour?
All-purpose flour is ideal for this recipe because it provides the right balance of protein for structure. Using cake or bread flour may change the texture, making cookies too crumbly or dense.
What if I don’t have meringue powder for the icing?
Meringue powder helps the icing harden nicely for decorating, but if you don’t have it, you can use a simple glaze of powdered sugar and water or milk. The icing will be softer and less stable but still delicious.
How thick should I roll the dough?
Rolling the dough to about ¼-inch thick ensures your cookies bake evenly and hold their shape well. Thinner dough may burn easily, while thicker dough will require longer baking.
Can I add food coloring to the icing?
Absolutely! Gel food coloring works best to maintain the icing’s consistency without thinning it out. This lets you get creative with your Christmas Sugar Cookies with Icing Recipe decorations.
How long do decorated cookies last?
Properly stored in an airtight container at room temperature, decorated sugar cookies will stay fresh for up to a week. The icing may harden further but will remain tasty and festive.
Final Thoughts
I truly hope you enjoy making and sharing this Christmas Sugar Cookies with Icing Recipe as much as I do. There’s something so joyful about gathering in the kitchen, rolling dough, and decorating cookies that brings warmth and wonder to the holiday season. Whether you keep them all for yourself or gift them to loved ones, these cookies are sure to become a cherished tradition in your festive celebrations.
Print
Christmas Sugar Cookies with Icing Recipe
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes per batch (total approx. 30 minutes)
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 28 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Delight in these classic Christmas Sugar Cookies with Icing, perfect for holiday celebrations. Soft yet crisp sugar cookies are infused with warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, then topped with smooth, glossy royal icing made from powdered sugar and meringue powder. An ideal recipe for festive cookie-cutting fun and deliciously decorated treats.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Wet Ingredients
- â…” cup salted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon meringue powder
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 5 tablespoons + 1 1/2 teaspoons water
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silicone baking mat to prepare for baking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and nutmeg to evenly combine all dry spices and leavening agents.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the room temperature salted butter with granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Beat in the large egg and vanilla extract until fully incorporated, forming a smooth batter base for the dough.
- Combine Dough: Gradually add the flour and spice mixture to the wet ingredients in the mixer bowl and mix just until combined. Avoid over-mixing to prevent a crumbly texture. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface for rolling.
- Roll and Cut: Roll the dough out to a ¼-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Gather scraps, re-roll, and continue cutting until all dough is used.
- Bake Cookies: Place the cut cookies on the prepared baking sheet and bake on the center oven rack for about 10 minutes, or until the edges have just set.
- Cool Cookies: Remove cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5–8 minutes to set up slightly, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely before icing.
- Repeat Baking: Continue baking remaining cookies in batches, letting each batch cool completely before decorating.
- Make Icing: In a clean mixing bowl fitted with a whisk attachment, combine powdered sugar, meringue powder, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.
- Add Water and Whisk: While the mixer runs, gradually add the measured water and whisk for 4–5 minutes until the icing is smooth and glossy.
- Fill Piping Bag: Spoon the prepared icing into a piping bag, cut a small hole at the tip, and use it to decorate the cooled cookies as desired.
Notes
- Ensure butter is at room temperature for easier creaming with sugar and smooth dough texture.
- Do not over-mix the dough to prevent tough or crumbly cookies.
- Use parchment paper or silicone mats to avoid cookie sticking during baking.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before decorating to prevent icing from melting.
- Adjust icing consistency by adding more water for thinner icing or more powdered sugar for thicker icing.
- The recipe yields about 28 cookies, depending on the size of your cookie cutters.
