4.87 from 61 votes
By Kristy Richardson on | Updated | 21 Comments
This soft Christmas sugar cookie recipe requires no chill time and makes cutout cookies that are perfect for decorating for Christmas or any holiday. Whether this is your first time making cutout cookies, or a holiday tradition, you will love these buttery soft sugar cookies with sweet frosting.
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Table of Contents
Why We Love Cutout Sugar Cookies
- Dough Holds It Shape– Cut out your cookies into any cookie shape you prefer, these cookies hold their shape when they are baking. No blob cookies with this simple recipe!
- No Chill Dough– No long chill times for this cookie dough, with the help of a stand mixer you can make the dough and be rolling out buttery cookies in no time.
- Customize!– Christmas cookies, Halloween cookies, Easter bunnies, hearts, stars, or circles too, this perfect sugar cookie recipe can make them all. These cookies are perfect for leaving out on Christmas Eve for Santa or cookie trays. You’re only limited by your favorite cookie cutters and what kind of sprinkles you have for the perfect cookie.
- Sweet Memories– Making classic Christmas cookies and decorating them is a tradition for my family, and can be for your family too!
A stand mixer is the best way to make this no chill cookie dough. We start with cold butter which will break a hand electric mixer and mixing by hand is possible, but takes a lot more effort. I highly recommend using a higher power stand mixer for these cutout cookies.
Ingredients For No Spread Sugar Cookies
For The Cookies
- 1cupbutter – use unsaltedbutter, cold
- 1cupgranulated sugar
- 2large eggscold
- ½teaspoonvanilla extract – you can also use almond extract, which gives these cookies great flavor
- 3cupsflour plus more for dusting, use all purpose flour
- ½teaspoonsalt
For The Frosting
- 1cupbutter– unsalted,softened
- 1teaspoonvanilla
- ½teaspoonsalt
- 4cupspowdered sugar
- Food coloring
- Sprinkles
Use this recipe to make these pretty and delicious stained-glass cookies. These cookies have a soft cutout sugar cookie on the outside, with a gummy center cut out with a small cookie cutter that you can see through. Or try the frosted sugar cookie bars, skip the rolling and make a whole pan of buttery cookies all at once! Don’t miss the sugar cookie fudge too!
How To Make Cutout Sugar Cookies For Christmas
Making The Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Lay parchment paper on your cookie sheets and clean off a big area of counter space to roll out the cookie dough.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes with a stand mixer on low-medium.
- In a small bowl crack the eggs and beat with a fork or a whisk. Add the eggs and vanilla to the butter and sugar mixture, then mix until well blended.
- To your wet mixture add the flour and scatter the salt around the bowl. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients well for a few minutes with a strong wooden spoon or a stand mixer on low (I use the paddle attachment) and then medium until a dough forms. (Don’t try mixing this part of the dough with a hand mixer—the dough is very thick and may break your mixer!)
- Lightly flour the counter and a rolling pin, keeping a small pile of flour at the edge of your workspace. Roll out your dough to a thickness of about ⅜ of an inch on the floured surface, adding dustings of flour as needed. Use holiday cookie cutters between 3-4 inches and cut out your favorite shapes from the rolled dough like circles, Santa, reindeer, stars, or trees.
- Place all cookies on baking sheets and bake cookies for 9 to 11 minutes. Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting for best results.
Making The Frosting
- Place butter in a large mixing bowl. Cream butter on medium speed for 4 to 5 minutes with a stand mixer or hand mixer. Add vanilla and salt, then mix for one more minute until fully mixed.
- Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing first on low speed, then on medium until well mixed. Scraping down the sides of the bowl each time before you add more sugar until a creamy sugar cookie frosting forms.
- Split the frosting into smaller bowls, then mix in food coloring until you get your desired color. The frosting can also be left white if you prefer. You can then spread this frosting with a knife, or place it in a piping bag to frost the cookies and top with sprinkles. Enjoy!
This Is Our Family’s Go-To No Spread Sugar Cookie Dough
My mother-in-law loved Christmas, and was known far and wide for all the Christmas cookies she would sell by the dozen every year. Everyone loved her cutout cookies, but making the dough was always an event that involved prepping dough a full day or two in advance.
When I created my cookbook “Kid Chef Bakes For The Holidays” I knew I wanted to include cutout homemade sugar cookies that were delicious but simpler than my MIL’s recipe. I wanted kids to get faster to the fun cutting and decorating part of making sugar cookies, the best part. This recipe first appeared in that cookbook and is our family’s go-to recipe now for cutout cookies year round, even for my husband.
Can I Freeze This Cookie Dough?
Yes you can freeze this cookie dough! Allow the cookie dough to fully defrost (usually overnight) before attempting to roll it out on the counter.
Can I Freeze The Sugar Cookies Once Baked?
You can also freeze already frosted cookies or plain cookies that have been baked but are unfrosted.
Can I Freeze The Frosting?
The frosting freezes all right also. I recommend if freezing a batch of frosting that you pull it out to defrost completely (usually overnight) before spreading it.
Once defrosted, re-whipping the frosting in a stand mixer can help bring it back to the right consistency. If needed, thin the frosting with a tablespoon of milk at a time or thicken it with 1/2 cup of powdered sugar at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
How Do You Store Sugar Cookies?
Store sugar cookies in an airtight container once they have fully cooled. Once frosted let the frosting fully harden before stacking in a container.
If you frost these sugar cookies with a knife you can stack these cookies. If you create a fancier frosting decoration with a piping bag and tip I recommend storing these cookies in a single layer so the decorations stay intact.
You can chill sugar cookies to extend their freshness, but you can also store on the counter in a sealed covered container.
How Long Do Sugar Cookies Last?
These easy sugar cookies will taste their best if eaten within 4-5 days. I have eaten them up to a week later though and they are still delicious, but they taste a little less fresh at that point.
Can I Use Royal Icing For These Cookies?
Yes you can use royal icing instead of the buttercream frosting recipe I’ve included to decorate these sugar cookies. I have several recipes in my cookbook that include my royal icing with meringue powder which I love, or you can use this royal icing recipe which uses egg whites.
Other Recipes You Will Love
Peppermint Bark Brownies – Fudgy chocolate brownies topped with white chocolate and peppermint, these festive brownies are always a holiday hit!
Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies– A sweet, soft butter cookie with a dollop of raspberry jam in the center. Delicious!
Candy Cane Cookies– Long ropes of red and white sugar cookie dough are rolled into a twist then shaped into a candy cane that looks adorable on cookie trays!
– Perfect for a crowd, these chewy and buttery M&M Cookie bars make a lot of chocolatey cookies! Use M&Ms to match the holiday or party!
Soft Christmas Sugar Cookies
Author Kristy Richardson
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 1 hour hour
Cook Time 9 minutes minutes
Total Time 1 hour hour 9 minutes minutes
This soft Christmas sugar cookie recipe requires no chill time. Make buttery, no spread cutout cookies that are perfect for decorating with sweet buttercream frosting for Santa, or any time of year!
Equipment
1 stand mixer You must use a stand mixer for this recipe. The dough is very thick and will break an electric hand mixer. I've also mixed this recipe by hand, but it takes some effort.
Ingredients
For The Cookies
- 1 cup butter unsalted, cold
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs cold
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups flour plus more for dusting, use all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
For The Frosting
- 1 cup butter unsalted, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- food coloring
- sprinkles
Instructions
Making The Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Lay parchment paper on your cookie sheets and clean off a big area of counter space to roll out the cookie dough.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes with a stand mixer on low-medium.
In a small bowl crack the eggs and beat with a fork or a whisk. Add the eggs and vanilla to the butter and sugar mixture, then mix until well blended.
To your wet mixture add the flour and scatter the salt around the bowl. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients well for a few minutes with a strong wooden spoon or a stand mixer on low and then medium until a dough forms. (Don’t try mixing this part of the dough with a hand mixer—the dough is very thick and may break your mixer!)
Lightly flour the counter and a rolling pin, keeping a small pile of flour at the edge of your workspace. Roll out your dough to a thickness of about ⅜ of an inch adding dustings of flour as needed. Use holiday cookie cutters between 3-4 inches and cut out your favorite shapes like circles, Santa, reindeer, stars, or trees.
Place all cookies on baking sheets and bake for 9 to 11 minutes. Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting.
Making The Frosting
Place butter in a large mixing bowl. Cream butter on medium speed for 4 to 5 minutes with a stand mixer or hand mixer. Add vanilla and salt, then mix for one more minute until fully mixed.
Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing first on low speed, then on medium until well mixed. Scraping down the sides of the bowl each time before you add more sugar until a creamy frosting forms.
Split the frosting into smaller bowls, then mix in food coloring until you get your desired color. The frosting can also be left white if you prefer. You can then spread this frosting with a knife, or place it in a piping bag to frost the cookies and top with sprinkles. Enjoy!
Notes
This recipe makes about 18 total 4 inch cookies cookies or 24 total 3 inch cookies.
Rolling The Cookies To The Right Thickness
Placing two chopsticks on either side of the dough while you roll can help you roll the dough to about the right thickness, ⅜ of an inch in slightly thicker than most chopsticks.
Frosting Consistency
The frosting on these cookies is on the thicker side but is pipeable using a frosting bag. If you feel like it’s too thick, you can adjust with a teaspoon or two of milk to make it spread easier.
How thick the frosting is can vary a little bit depending on the butter each person uses, and how packed full the cups of powdered sugar are, so don’t be hesitant to thin it a little if you need to. If it gets too thin, whip in more powdered sugar! I usually start with 1/2 cup of powdered sugar at a time until I get my desired thickness.
Placing the frosting in the refrigerator also will make the frosting thicken, but it can be rewhipped with a mixer as needed after refrigerating to be more spreadable again.
Nutrition
Calories: 308kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 105mg | Potassium: 27mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 493IU | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg
Did You Make This?
I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!
