Easy Christmas Sugar Cookies Recipe for Beginners

8 min read

Last updated November 6, 2026

These easy Christmas sugar cookies use butter, sugar, one egg, flour and vanilla. Chill the dough for one hour, roll it to a quarter inch and cut out shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, then decorate with a simple icing.

The recipe makes about 24 cookies and is perfect for beginners and kids.

Avoid eating raw cookie dough. Raw flour and raw eggs can carry germs.

Key Takeaways

You need just 7 basic ingredients for the dough.
Chilling the dough keeps cookies from spreading in the oven.
Roll the dough to a quarter inch for soft, even cookies.
Bake until the edges are set but not brown.
A 3-ingredient icing makes decorating easy.

On This Page

Ingredients
Step-by-Step Instructions
Easy Icing Recipe
Decorating Ideas
Storing and Freezing
Why Sugar Cookies Are a Holiday Favorite
Measuring Flour the Right Way
Softening Butter Properly
How to Roll Dough Evenly
Cutting Shapes Without Sticking
Tips for Even Baking
Royal Icing vs Simple Icing
How to Flood a Cookie
Make It a Family Baking Day
Sugar Cookie Flavor Variations

Ingredients

Ingredient	Amount
All-purpose flour	2 and 3/4 cups
Baking powder	1 teaspoon
Salt	1/2 teaspoon
Unsalted butter, softened	1 cup (2 sticks)
Granulated sugar	1 cup
Large egg	1
Vanilla extract	1 teaspoon

For extra flavor, add half a teaspoon of almond extract with the vanilla.

24 cookiesAbout how many cookies one batch of this dough makes with 3-inch cutters.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Do not eat raw cookie dough, as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns about raw flour and eggs.

1. Mix the Dry Ingredients

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set it aside.

2. Cream the Butter and Sugar

In a large bowl, beat the soft butter and sugar together for about 2 minutes. The mixture should look light and fluffy.

3. Add the Egg and Vanilla

Beat in the egg and vanilla until smooth.

4. Add the Flour Mix

Slowly mix in the dry ingredients on low speed. Stop as soon as the dough comes together.

Quick tip. Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper. It stops sticking and means less extra flour.

5. Chill the Dough

Split the dough in half and flatten each piece into a disk. Wrap them and chill for at least 1 hour.

Cold dough is easier to roll, and the cookies hold their shape better.

6. Roll and Cut

Heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a floured surface, roll the dough to about a quarter inch thick. Cut out shapes and place them about an inch apart.

7. Bake

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are just set. The cookies should still look pale.

Let them cool on the sheet for 5 minutes. Then move them to a wire rack to cool fully.

Use this calculator to plan how many batches you need.

Cookie batch planner

Cookies you want to make

Easy Icing Recipe

Whisk together 2 cups of powdered sugar, 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk and half a teaspoon of vanilla. Add milk a little at a time until the icing is smooth and thick.

FoodSafety.gov shares tips for giving homemade food gifts safely.

Split the icing into small bowls and add a drop or two of food coloring to each.

What is your favorite holiday cookie?

Sugar cookies
Gingerbread
Chocolate chip
Snickerdoodles

Decorating Ideas

Decorating is the fun part, especially with kids.

Pipe icing outlines with a small plastic bag with the corner snipped off.
Add sprinkles while the icing is still wet.
Make snowflakes with white icing and silver sugar pearls.
Turn round cookies into ornaments with colorful dots and stripes.

Let the icing dry for a few hours before stacking the cookies.

Good to know. Kids can help with cutting and decorating. Keep them away from raw dough, since raw flour and eggs can make people sick.

Storing and Freezing

Store decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Place parchment paper between layers.

The FoodKeeper app shows how long baked treats keep.

You can also freeze plain baked cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature, then decorate.

Unbaked dough disks freeze well too. Thaw them in the fridge overnight before rolling.

Soften the butter
Mix and chill the dough 1 hour
Roll to a quarter inch
Bake 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees
Cool completely
Decorate and let icing dry

Add to calendar

Why Sugar Cookies Are a Holiday Favorite

Sugar cookies are simple, sweet and easy to shape. That makes them perfect for decorating with kids.

The plain flavor works with almost any icing or topping. Each family can make the cookies their own.

They also hold up well in tins. That makes them a great homemade gift.

Measuring Flour the Right Way

Too much flour is the most common cookie mistake. It makes dough dry and cookies tough.

Spoon flour into the measuring cup, then level the top with a knife. Do not scoop straight from the bag.

A kitchen scale gives the most exact results. Many bakers weigh flour for this reason.

Softening Butter Properly

Butter should be soft enough to press with a finger. It should still feel cool and hold its shape.

Melted butter makes cookies spread into thin puddles. Cold butter will not cream well with the sugar.

To soften butter fast, cut it into small cubes. Leave them on the counter for about 20 minutes.

How to Roll Dough Evenly

Even dough bakes into even cookies. Thin spots burn while thick spots stay raw.

Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper.
Use rolling pin guides or two wooden spoons as spacers.
Turn the dough a quarter turn after each few rolls.
Chill the rolled sheet for 10 minutes if it gets soft.

Rolling between parchment also means you need less extra flour. That keeps the cookies tender.

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Cutting Shapes Without Sticking

Dip cookie cutters in flour before each cut. It helps them release cleanly.

Cut shapes close together to save dough. Gather the scraps, press them into a disk and chill before rolling again.

Each reroll adds flour and makes cookies a little tougher. Try to reroll scraps only once or twice.

Use a thin spatula to lift shapes onto the baking sheet. Fingers can stretch the shapes out of form.

Tips for Even Baking

Small changes help every batch bake the same way.

Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack.
Group cookies of the same size on each sheet.
Use light-colored baking sheets, which brown less.
Let sheets cool before you add the next batch.
Check the first batch early, since ovens vary.

An oven thermometer shows whether your oven runs hot or cool. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) explains how appliance thermometers work.

Royal Icing vs Simple Icing

There are two main icings for sugar cookies. Each gives a different finish.

Icing	Made With	Finish	Best For
Simple glaze	Powdered sugar and milk	Soft, slightly shiny	Kids and quick decorating
Royal icing	Powdered sugar and meringue powder	Hard and smooth	Detailed designs and stacking

Royal icing dries hard, so cookies stack without smudging. Use meringue powder instead of raw egg whites for safety.