Description
Classic Christmas sugar cookies that are soft, buttery, and perfect for holiday decorating. Easy to make with simple ingredients and a buttery flavor, these cookies bake to a golden edge and hold their shape well for festive cutters and colorful icing.
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 aluminum-free baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 350 °F and position the oven rack in the center to ensure even baking.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, aluminum-free baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar: Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add wet ingredients: Beat in the vanilla extract and egg until fully combined with the butter-sugar mixture.
- Incorporate flour: Add the flour mixture in three parts to the wet ingredients, mixing thoroughly between additions until the dough is fully combined.
- Roll and cut dough: Divide the dough into two equal parts. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion out to ¼-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut your favorite shapes from the dough.
- Bake cookies: Place the cut cookies onto a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 °F for 10 minutes, or until the edges start to turn golden brown.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely, ready for decorating.
Notes
- Ensure butter is softened but not melted for best texture.
- Use aluminum-free baking powder to avoid any metallic aftertaste.
- Roll dough evenly to ¼-inch thickness to ensure consistent baking.
- If dough becomes too soft to handle, chill it briefly in the refrigerator before rolling.
- Store baked cookies in an airtight container to maintain freshness.
- Decorate with royal icing or your favorite cookie icing once cookies are completely cooled.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
