Christmas Sugar Cookies with Frosting
Bake the best Christmas Sugar Cookies with Frosting — soft, sweet, and full of holiday cheer. An easy, festive recipe everyone will love.
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 180kcal
Equipment
- cookie cutters
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Dough:
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour plus a little more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Sugar Cookie Frosting:
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 3 Tablespoons water or milk start with 2
- 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract optional but classic
- tiny pinch of fine salt optional
Instructions
Sugar Cookie Instructions:
- Using a hand or stand mixer beat butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.½ cup unsalted butter, 3 ounces cream cheese, 1 cup granulated sugar
- Mix in egg, vanilla, and almond extract.1 large egg, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon almond extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to wet ingredients in two additions, mixing until just combined. Dough will be soft but not sticky.2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Divide dough in half, flatten into discs, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Using one chilled disc at a time, on a lightly floured surface, roll dough to ¼ inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters, transferring to parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Bake 8-10 minutes, until edges look set but not browned. They’ll look slightly underdone in the center that's what keeps them soft.
- Let cool on the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Decorate once fully cooled.
Frosting Instructions:
- In a medium bowl, whisk powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons water or milk, corn syrup, vanilla, almond extract, and a tiny pinch of salt until smooth.2 cups powdered sugar, 3 Tablespoons water or milk, 2 teaspoons light corn syrup, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon almond extract, tiny pinch of fine salt
- Check the ribbon: lift the whisk and let icing fall back into the bowl. If the ribbon sits on the surface for 2 to 3 seconds before melting in, it is ready for piping and flooding. If too thick, whisk in water ½ teaspoon at a time. If too thin, whisk in 1 to 2 tablespoons more powdered sugar.
- Divide and color as desired. Transfer to piping bags or zip-top bags.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 67mg | Potassium: 47mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 189IU | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg