Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
TASTE: Perfectly balanced sweetness with a hint of vanilla and almond, for that quintessential Christmas cookie flavor.
TEXTURE: These hold their shape perfectly while baking and don’t get too hard or crispy.
EASE: Super easy. This dough is a dream to work with.
PROS: Make-ahead friendly! See my tips for freezing the baked cookies below.
CONS: Cut-out cookies are a little time-consuming, but it’s totally worth the work when you see how pretty they look!
WOULD I MAKE THIS AGAIN? Every Christmas!
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Happy Holidays!! I’m so excited to share this recipe for Cut Out Sugar Cookies with an Easy Icing.
This simple sugar cookie dough is a joy to work with, it’s almost like rolling out Play-Doh. That’s because you roll the dough out first before chilling it. I find it’s SO much easier this way and makes it so you can have little ones join in on this festive baking project.
Best of all? These cookies are super delicious! They’re sweet without being cloying, and the vanilla extract and hint of almond really take the flavor over the top.
They also hold their shape beautifully and don’t spread while baking.
I’ve also included my ridiculously simple icing recipe to go along with it. It’s my easy alternative to royal icing for people who don’t like royal icing, or don’t want to deal with finding meringue powder or using raw egg whites.
However, if you prefer royal icing or even buttercream, feel free to use whatever you want!
If you want extra tips on making and decorating sugar cookies, I’ve added two of my YouTube videos below.
This truly is the perfect Christmas Sugar Cookie recipe! I hope you love it as much as I do.
How to Make Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
Tips for Perfect Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
- Measure your flour correctly – Make sure to weigh your flour for precision. If you add too much flour, your cookies may be hard and dry. If you don’t have a digital kitchen scale, use the spoon and level method instead. More on that here.
- Make sure your butter isn’t too warm – If your butter is too warm, your cookies may spread, and we don’t want that here! About 67°F is perfect. Learn more about that here.
- Use fresh baking powder – Did you know that leavening agents can lose their effectiveness before the expiration date printed on the packaging? Learn more about Baking Powder vs. Baking Soda, and how to test for freshness, here.
- Chill your dough before baking – After rolling out the dough, we’ll chill it for about an hour, to firm it up, and then cut out our shapes. At this time, you can re-chill the dough, to prevent spreading and ensure your cookies maintain their shapes perfectly. If you encounter any issues with the cookies not keeping their shape, it’s likely because the dough wasn’t cold enough when it hit the oven – try freezing the shaped dough for about 15 minutes before baking.
Can I Make Drop Cookies with This Recipe?
This recipe was designed for cutting out shapes, but if you want drop-style cookies, give my super popular Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies a try instead.
Tools for Homemade Sugar Cookies:
- Baking pan – This is my favorite pan for cookies. Learn more about cookie pans here.
- Parchment paper – I love these pre-cut sheets.
- Cookie cutters – Any should work, but I prefer metal cutters for perfect shapes. This is a great Christmas set.
- Food coloring – I highly recommend using gel coloring. Here’s my favorite set.
- For decorating – A squeeze bottle or a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip.
Easy Sugar Cookie Icing
I’ve included detailed instructions in the recipe below for both flood icing and border icing. All you need for the easy icing is powdered sugar, vanilla extract, water or milk, and food coloring (if using). Use a fork to beat all the ingredients in a bowl together. Add a little more powdered sugar to thicken, and a tiny bit more water/milk to thin it out, as needed.
How to Decorate Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
These cookies are SO fun to decorate! Get the kids involved and get creative decorating with fun colors and cute sprinkles.
Check out my videos for some more detailed decorating tips:
How to Store Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
Cut-Out Sugar Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 10 days. If you need to prep these Cut-Out Sugar Cookies further in advance, check out the freezing instructions just below.
How to Freeze Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
These cookies freeze particularly well after baking. Freeze the baked, cooled Cut-Out Sugar Cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 month. I prefer a sturdy airtight container for freezing baked cookies, to protect the cookies from other items in your freezer and prevent the cookies from breaking. Defrost to room temperature before decorating or serving.
More Christmas Cookie Recipes:
- Loaded Peanut Butter Christmas Cookie Bars
- Soft & Chewy Sugar Cookies
- Gingerdoodle Cookies
- Hot Cocoa Cookies
- Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
- S’mores Cookies
- Gingerbread Cookies
Be sure to check out my Christmas Headquarters page for more holiday baking recipes!
Easy Cut Out Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 3 sticks (339 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 4 1/2 cups (572 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
For the border icing:
- 1 cup (125 grams) powdered sugar, sifted (plus more as needed)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoons water or milk
- Food coloring, if desired
For the flood icing:
- 1 cup (125 grams) powdered sugar, sifted (plus more as needed)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 tablespoons water or milk
- Food coloring, if desired
Instructions
Make the cookies:
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until well-combined and smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract and beat until combined. On low speed, slowly add in the flour and baking powder and beat until incorporated.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Place one dough portion between two sheets of parchment paper and roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Repeat with the remaining portion of dough. Place the two sheets of dough on a baking sheet and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day. You can also freeze for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and cut into shapes with a cookie cutter, rerolling any scraps and cutting more shapes. Transfer the shapes to the prepared baking sheets.
- If the dough is too warm, freeze for 15 minutes or until firm again, to prevent spreading.
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cookies are set and beginning to brown. Be careful not to over-bake. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Baked un-iced sugar cookies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
For the border icing:
- In a small bowl, use a fork to beat together all the ingredients except the food coloring. Beat in the food coloring, a few drops at a time, until colored to your liking. The mixture should be very thick but still pourable. Add more powdered sugar as needed.
- Transfer the border icing to a squeeze bottle using a funnel. You can also scoop into a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip. Before you begin icing any cookies, take a few moments to practice on a piece of parchment paper to get the feel of the icing.
- Holding the bottle or bag tip directly over one corner of a cookie, begin tracing an outline of the cookie, squeezing gently and using both hands if needed to maintain consistent pressure. I prefer to allow a little slack in my icing line as I go. If you mess up, simply wipe the icing off and start again. Allow the icing to dry slightly before continuing with the flood icing.
For the flood icing:
- In a small bowl, use a fork to beat together all the ingredients except the food coloring. Beat in the food coloring, a few drops at a time, until colored to your liking. The mixture should still be pretty thick, but will drizzle more freely than the border icing. If needed, add additional water or milk to loosen until the consistency is pourable. Pour the flood icing into a squeeze bottle or into a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip.
- Prepare as many batches and colors of flood icing as you need to decorate your cookies.
- Begin filling the interior of the border drawn on each cookie with the flood icing, being careful not to add too much that it overflows the border icing. Use either the nose of the bottle or a small toothpick to push the icing evenly over the cookie and up against the corners.
- Leave the iced cookie to dry for 24 hours. The cookies are dry when the surface is completely smooth, dry, and resists smudging when touched. Store the dried cookies between sheets of parchment paper in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days.
Recipe Notes
This post was published in 2018 and has been updated with additional recipe tips and information. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
Can I make this dough and freeze it till I get to my daughters house
Hi Kathleen! Sure, you can do that – or you can bake them off and freeze the baked cookies. Check out Tessa’s tips on this in the pink tip box, just above the recipe 🙂
Hi, I was wondering if there was anything like a soft cut out sugar cookie that exists? I checked out your soft and chewy cookie recipe, and was wondering if it would work if I used a cookie cutter to shape them? Thanks!
Hi Savannah! This recipe yields cookies that are light and soft, yet sturdy enough to decorate. If you underbake them slightly, they’ll be even softer. Tessa’s Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookie recipe is designed to be a drop-style cookie only, and won’t hold its shape if used for cutout-style cookies. I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
I want to start by saying this is my go-to sugar cookie recipe! doesn’t spread and SO delicious!
That being said, I have a question. Last couple times I have made these, about half the cookies get a crinkly appearance on top. There’s no rhyme or reason to it. Doesn’t seem to be related to the rack used (on same pan, some cookies are normal and others are crinkly) or the location on the pan (one next to another will be different). Could this be related to the ingredients I’m using? or how it was mixed?
Again, this is my FAVORITE recipe! I know it’s something I’m doing on my end since it just started and I’ve made this dozens of times with no issue.
Hi Kimberly! We are so glad to hear that you enjoy this recipe so much! Your crinkley cookie issue sounds super strange! Without baking alongside you in the kitchen, it’s hard to say for sure what’s happening, but here are a few thoughts as to what could be happening:
– Your oven temp could be off a little, and/or perhaps the oven isn’t heating evenly. It’s a super common problem, surprisignly – and if you oven has hotter/cooler spots, this could be why just some of your cookies are becoming crinkly as they’re not receiving even heat distribution. Check out Tessa’s article here about ovens! If you don’t have an oven thermometer to ensure your oven is at the temperature it says it is, invest in one now! They are inexpensive and really help your baking so much! This oven thermometer is one of Tessa’s favorites.
– Is it possible that your ingredients aren’t getting mixed in quite enough? We’re all so paranoid about overmixing that sometimes it’s easy to undermix! When small pockets of unincorporated butter hit the heat, they can explode and cause weird textures. Be sure when you’re mixing that you’re scraping down your bowl frequently (sides and bottom) throughout the creaming process, and throughout the remaining ingredient additions, too.
– Just in case it’s helpful, check out Tessa’s article here about creaming butter and sugar.
– Although it seems unlikely because it’s only happening with some of your cookies, I wonder if your baking powder is not as active as it could be? Learn more about chemical leaveners and how to test for freshness here.
I hope something here proves helpful, and you can get to the bottom of this strange cookie mystery! Good luck and happy baking! 🙂
Hi,
I’m looking for a new recipe and would love for it to be a chewy sugar cookie cutout. I saw in your other recipe that you added an egg yoke to make it more chewy and wondered if I could do the same for these?
Hi Perryn! We haven’t tried that, and it may make these cookies a tiny bit sticker and therefore a bit more challenging to handle, but it should definitely make them a little chewier! Underbaking slightly will also help with this. I’m assuming this is the other recipe you have already checked out, but just in case, these Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies are super chewy, soft and soooo delicious, but they won’t hold a shape as well, so they’re better if you’re happy eating them plain, or okay decorating circles only 🙂 Let us know how your experiment goes if you try that out, Perryn! Happy baking 🙂
I have these cute shapes that form a 3d christmas tree but my cookies are too swollen for it to fit together. Is it possible i made them too thick? Of should i lessen the baking powder? Or not chilly enough? I followed the recipe exactly. Thank you in advance 🙂
Hi Eline! While I’m not familiar with your specific molds/cutters, it sounds like you may need to just roll your cookies a little thinner, and be sure they’re thoroughly chilled when they hit to oven, to prevent excess spreading. Good luck and happy baking 🙂
I would like the icing to set up quickly after decorating the cookies. What would happen if I substitute heavy whipping cream for some or all of the milk or water in each icing recipe? Thank you!
We haven’t tried that, but it should be fine 🙂 I don’t think that will shorten the drying time, but you could try using a dehumidifier or fan (carefully!) to see if that helps. We do recommend a longer period of dry time though to ensure the cookies won’t be damaged. Let us know how it goes!
Made these and they were super easy and delicious and will be my new go-to!
If I wanted to make this and give some to friends, can I put it in a container without having to worry about the icing melting?
Hi Cindy! This icing is quite soft already as it’s made to pipe the border of the cookies as well as used as a flood icing, which is a much thinner icing. You can definitely gift this icing to your friends, just let them know it’s an icing specifically for piping on to cookies 🙂 Hotter temps might make the icing a little more liquidy, but feel free to adjust the amount of powdered sugar needed depending on the humidity of your kitchen, as well as your desired consistency. I hope that helps!
What is the equivalent of 3 sticks of butter? We don’t buy our butter in sticks. I find it confusing because the rest of the recipe is in measurements except the butter.
Hi Steph! We do list the metric measurement for 3 sticks of unsalted butter in the ingredients list, it is 339 grams. Let us know what you think of this recipe 🙂
In the “ingredients you’ll need” section of the post, it says “baking soda.” But the actual recipe says baking powder. I assume it’s baking powder, but just checking. Looking forward to making these for Christmas!
Thanks for catching that, Lindsay! Yes, you are correct, I just updated that section 🙂
Hi, how can I replace egg in this recipe(sugar cookies)
Regards,
Roma
We don’t publish egg-free recipes, so I can’t say for sure!
I know the recipe says refrigerate for an hour or up to one day. will there be a huge difference if they are rolled flat and stored for a day and a half?
Hi Bonnie! That should be just fine – just wrap the dough well in plastic wrap, so it doesn’t dry out in the fridge. Let us know what you think of these cookies once you’ve given them a try 🙂
Thank you. They turned out great!
They look so fascinating, thank you very much!