Description
These Christmas Sugar Cookies are soft, buttery, and topped with festive red and green sugar crystals. Perfect for the holiday season, this easy recipe requires no chilling or rolling—just classic, quick cookies ideal for cookie exchanges, holiday trays, or cozy family baking nights. A must-have for your collection of holiday cookie recipes, breakfast ideas, dessert boards, or food gifts.
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons red and green sanding sugar
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing well.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
5. Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring just until combined.
6. Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough, roll into balls, and place on the prepared baking sheet.
7. Flatten each ball gently with a fork and sprinkle generously with red and green sanding sugar.
8. Bake for 9–11 minutes until edges are just golden.
9. Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Use softened, not melted, butter for the best texture.
Don’t overmix the dough once the flour is added to keep cookies soft.
Store with a slice of bread in the container to retain moisture longer.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 145
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 60mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 19g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 1.5g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
Keywords: Christmas sugar cookies, holiday cookies, soft sugar cookies, easy dessert, cookie exchange