20 Christmas Sugar Cookies From Soft Frosted to Crisp Cutouts Everyone Asks For

Sugar cookie dough is the one Christmas recipe that forgives a kitchen full of children and flour on the ceiling. One base batch, differently flavoured and finished twenty ways, buys an entire dessert table without learning twenty separate recipes.

Most of what follows starts from the same handful of pantry staples: butter, sugar, flour, egg, vanilla. The rest is the turn, chai spice here, brown butter there, a window of melted candy somewhere else, so you can pick one recipe or work through several in an afternoon without buying anything new each time.

A few of these use eggs, dairy, wheat flour or tree nuts, so check the list against anyone’s allergies before you bake. Nothing here needs alcohol, so the whole lineup suits a classroom party or a grandparent’s coffee table equally. If the kids need a project for the waiting-on-the-oven stretch, simple handmade ornaments fill the gap nicely, and once the cookies are iced, a gingerbread-style decorating table gives the finished tray somewhere pretty to sit.

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Classic Cutout Sugar Cookies

A cookie tray without at least one classic cutout feels unfinished, like a tree with no star on top. This dough rolls clean, holds crisp edges once baked, and takes royal icing or a simple glaze equally well. Make the dough two days ahead and keep it chilled, so cutting and decorating happen on separate, calmer evenings.

Prep time: 1 hour 20 minutes. Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes. Yield: 24 cookies.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, optional

Instructions

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the egg, vanilla and almond extract if using, and beat until fully combined.
4. Lower the mixer speed and add the flour mixture in two batches, mixing just until no dry streaks remain.
5. Divide the dough in half, pat each half into a disc, wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll one disc to 1/4 inch thickness and cut out shapes with cookie cutters.
7. Transfer the cookies to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart, and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 8 to 10 minutes until the edges just turn pale gold.
8. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

Soft Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

Not every night has room for rolling pins and flour everywhere. These bars skip the cutter entirely: mix, spread into one pan, bake, frost in big swoops, then cut into squares once cool. They stay soft for days under a tight lid, so bake this one first and forget about it.

Prep time: 15 minutes. Total time: 45 minutes. Yield: 24 bars.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, for frosting
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, for frosting
• red and green sprinkles, for topping

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13 inch baking pan.
2. Beat the butter and sugar until light, then add the eggs, vanilla and almond extract.
3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a separate bowl.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in three parts, alternating with the sour cream, mixing just until smooth.
5. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 20 to 24 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool the bars completely in the pan on a wire rack.
7. Beat the frosting butter until creamy, then add powdered sugar, milk and vanilla and beat until smooth and spreadable.
8. Spread the frosting over the cooled bars, scatter with sprinkles, and cut into squares.

Sprinkle-Rolled Sugar Cookies

Give a child a bowl of sprinkles and a ball of dough and the job practically does itself. No rolling pin, no cutters, just roll, coat, flatten and bake, and the mess stays contained to one bowl. If a piping bag feels like one tool too many tonight, the same hands-only logic behind cookies decorated without a piping bag applies here too.

Prep time: 15 minutes. Total time: 25 minutes. Yield: 30 cookies.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup red and green sprinkles, for rolling

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy, then mix in the egg and vanilla.
3. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, then stir into the wet ingredients until a soft dough forms.
4. Scoop the dough into tablespoon-sized balls and roll each one in sprinkles until fully coated.
5. Place the balls 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets and flatten each slightly with your palm.
6. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes until the edges are set but the centers still look soft.
7. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack.

Brown Butter Sugar Cookies

Plain butter tastes like any other Tuesday; browned butter tastes like something worth a second batch. The nutty, caramel note it leaves behind turns an ordinary dough into the cookie people ask who made. Watch the pan closely once it starts to foam, since brown butter crosses into burnt butter in about thirty seconds.

Prep time: 45 minutes. Total time: 57 minutes. Yield: 24 cookies.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for rolling
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, swirling often, until it turns amber and smells nutty, about 5 minutes, then pour into a bowl to cool for 15 minutes.
2. Whisk the browned butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth.
3. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract.
4. Stir in the flour, baking soda and salt until a soft dough forms, then chill for 30 minutes.
5. Roll the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and coat each one in granulated sugar.
6. Place on parchment-lined sheets and bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges turn golden.
7. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack.

Peppermint Sugar Cookies

Peppermint in a cookie reads as Christmas faster than almost any other flavour, and the crunch of crushed candy cane on top does half the decorating for you. The dough itself needs nothing more than a drizzle of icing and a scatter of pieces while it is still wet.

Prep time: 1 hour 10 minutes. Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes. Yield: 28 cookies.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup crushed candy canes
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, for icing
• 2 tablespoons milk, for icing

Instructions

1. Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy, then mix in the egg, peppermint extract and vanilla.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, then stir into the wet mixture until a dough forms.
3. Fold in half of the crushed candy canes and chill the dough for 1 hour.
4. Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into rounds or candy cane shapes.
5. Bake at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes until the edges just set, then cool completely.
6. Whisk the powdered sugar with milk until smooth and drizzle over the cooled cookies.
7. Scatter the remaining crushed candy canes over the icing while it is still wet.

Eggnog Sugar Cookies

For the version of Christmas that tastes like the carton in the fridge door, eggnog goes straight into both the dough and the glaze. Ground nutmeg does the heavy lifting, so lean on a shop-bought eggnog with plenty of spice rather than a thin one.

Prep time: 1 hour 10 minutes. Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes. Yield: 24 cookies.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup eggnog
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons eggnog, for glaze
• pinch of ground nutmeg, for topping

Instructions

1. Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy, then mix in the eggnog, egg yolk, vanilla and nutmeg.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, then stir into the wet mixture until a soft dough forms.
3. Chill the dough for 1 hour, until firm enough to roll.
4. Roll to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into rounds.
5. Bake at 350°F for 9 to 11 minutes until the edges turn pale gold, then cool completely.
6. Whisk the powdered sugar with eggnog until a thick glaze forms.
7. Spread the glaze over the cooled cookies and dust lightly with nutmeg.

Stamped Embossed Sugar Cookies

A cookie stamp does the decorating before the cookie even sees the oven, which matters on a night when icing bags are the last thing you want to wash. This dough bakes stiffer on purpose, just enough so the snowflake or reindeer pattern survives baking instead of puffing away.

Prep time: 40 minutes. Total time: 51 minutes. Yield: 20 cookies.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, for dusting stamps

Instructions

1. Beat the butter and sugar together until smooth and pale, about 2 minutes.
2. Mix in the egg yolk and vanilla extract until combined.
3. Stir in the flour and salt until a firm, slightly stiff dough comes together.
4. Chill the dough for 30 minutes, just until it is easy to handle without being hard.
5. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls, dip a cookie stamp into granulated sugar, and press firmly onto each ball to flatten and emboss the design.
6. Place the stamped cookies on parchment-lined sheets and bake at 325°F for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges turn the faintest gold.
7. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a rack; the pattern holds best once fully cool.

Sugar Cookie Sandwiches with Jam

Two thin cookies and a spoon of jam read as effort, but the work is really just cutting twice instead of once. A small window cutter on half the rounds lets the jam peek through, and a dusting of powdered sugar around it does the rest.

Prep time: 1 hour 15 minutes. Total time: 1 hour 23 minutes. Yield: 16 sandwich cookies.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
• powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

1. Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy, then mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, then stir into the wet mixture until a dough forms.
3. Chill the dough for 1 hour, then roll to 1/8 inch thickness.
4. Cut out 32 rounds; use a small cutter to punch a window from the center of half of them.
5. Bake all the rounds at 350°F for 7 to 9 minutes until just set, then cool completely.
6. Dust the windowed cookies with powdered sugar once cool.
7. Spread about a teaspoon of jam on each solid cookie and top with a windowed one, pressing gently so the jam shows through.

Chocolate-Dipped Sugar Cookies

Half a cookie in melted chocolate looks like a bakery case, not a Tuesday kitchen, and it costs one bowl of chocolate and five minutes of patience. Let the dipped edge set on parchment rather than a plate, or the chocolate pools instead of staying clean.

Prep time: 1 hour 15 minutes. Total time: 1 hour 34 minutes. Yield: 24 cookies.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
• red and green sprinkles, for finishing

Instructions

1. Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy, then mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, then stir into the wet mixture until a dough forms.
3. Chill the dough for 1 hour, then roll to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into rounds or short sticks.
4. Bake at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes until the edges just set, then cool completely.
5. Melt the chocolate in short bursts in the microwave, stirring between each, until smooth.
6. Dip half of each cookie into the melted chocolate, letting the excess drip off.
7. Scatter sprinkles over the wet chocolate and set the cookies on parchment until the chocolate hardens.

Stained Glass Window Cookies

Crushed hard candy melts into a sheet of edible glass right inside the cookie, and children find this genuinely magical to watch through the oven door. Keep red and green candies sorted and crushed separately, since the colours bleed into mud if they melt together.

Prep time: 1 hour 15 minutes. Total time: 1 hour 25 minutes. Yield: 20 cookies.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups crushed hard candy, red and green, sorted by color

Instructions

1. Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy, then mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, then stir into the wet mixture until a dough forms.
3. Chill the dough for 1 hour, then roll to 1/4 inch thickness.
4. Cut out shapes with a larger cutter, then cut a smaller shape from the center of each to create a window.
5. Place the cookies on parchment-lined sheets and fill each window with crushed candy, keeping it inside the cutout.
6. Bake at 325°F for 9 to 11 minutes, until the candy has fully melted and the cookie edges are set.
7. Cool completely on the sheet, at least 15 minutes, before lifting; the candy centers are fragile while warm.

Cake Mix Sugar Cookies

On the night there is no energy left for measuring flour and baking powder separately, a box of white cake mix already does that job. Four ingredients, no chilling, dough to oven in the time it takes a kettle to boil!

Prep time: 10 minutes. Total time: 19 minutes. Yield: 24 cookies.

Ingredients

• 1 box (15.25 oz) white cake mix
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup red and green sprinkles, for rolling

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment.
2. Beat the cake mix, butter, egg and vanilla together until a soft, scoopable dough forms.
3. Scoop the dough into tablespoon-sized balls and roll each one in sprinkles.
4. Place the balls 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets and flatten slightly with your palm.
5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the edges are set but the centers still look soft.
6. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack.

Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

A gluten intolerance in the house does not mean sitting out the cookie tray. A good 1:1 gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum already built in swaps in at the same measure as wheat flour, though the dough feels a touch more crumbly while rolling.

Prep time: 1 hour 10 minutes. Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes. Yield: 20 cookies.

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups gluten-free 1:1 baking flour, with xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Whisk the gluten-free flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy, then mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
3. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until a soft dough forms; gluten-free dough will feel slightly more crumbly than wheat dough.
4. Chill the dough for 1 hour, as it helps the dough hold together while rolling.
5. Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment to 1/4 inch thickness, then cut into shapes.
6. Bake at 350°F for 9 to 11 minutes until the edges turn pale gold.
7. Cool on the sheet for 10 minutes before moving, as gluten-free cookies are more fragile while warm.

Sugar Cookie Truffles

Broken cookies, leftover ends, anything that did not survive decorating intact, all of it works here. Crushed into crumbs, bound with a little frosting, rolled into balls and dipped in white chocolate, they disappear faster than the whole cookies do. Tip a bowl of them out next to a quick party game and they vanish before the round is over!

Prep time: 20 minutes. Total time: 45 minutes. Yield: 24 truffles.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups crushed sugar cookies, about 20 cookies
• 1/3 cup vanilla frosting
• 12 ounces white chocolate melting wafers
• red and green sprinkles, for topping

Instructions

1. Pulse the sugar cookies in a food processor until they turn into fine crumbs.
2. Mix the crumbs with the frosting until the mixture holds together when pressed.
3. Roll the mixture into 1 inch balls and place them on a parchment-lined tray.
4. Freeze the balls for 20 minutes to firm them up before dipping.
5. Melt the white chocolate in short bursts in the microwave, stirring between each, until smooth.
6. Dip each ball into the melted chocolate using a fork, letting the excess drip off.
7. Set the dipped truffles on parchment and scatter with sprinkles before the chocolate sets.

Slice-and-Bake Tree Cookies

Shaping the dough log into a triangle rather than a cylinder means every slice already looks like a tree before a single sprinkle goes on. Square the edges with a ruler while the dough is still soft, then chill it hard before slicing.

Prep time: 2 hours 15 minutes. Total time: 2 hours 24 minutes. Yield: 30 cookies.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• green gel food coloring
• white and red sprinkles, for decorating

Instructions

1. Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy, then mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, then stir into the wet mixture until a dough forms.
3. Tint the dough green with gel food coloring, kneading until the color is even.
4. Shape the dough into a triangular log about 2 inches wide, wrap tightly, and chill for 2 hours until firm.
5. Slice the log into 1/4 inch rounds; each slice will already look like a triangle tree.
6. Place the slices on parchment-lined sheets and press a few sprinkles onto each before baking.
7. Bake at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes until the edges are set, then cool completely before adding more sprinkles if you like.

Sugar Cookie Pinwheels

Two colours of the same dough, rolled flat, stacked and rolled up into a log, slice into cookies that look complicated and are mostly just patience in the freezer. A firm chill before slicing is the one step not worth skipping.

Prep time: 2 hours 15 minutes. Total time: 2 hours 25 minutes. Yield: 28 cookies.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• red gel food coloring

Instructions

1. Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy, then mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, then stir into the wet mixture until a dough forms.
3. Divide the dough in half and tint one half red, kneading until the color is even.
4. Roll each half of dough between parchment into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.
5. Stack the red rectangle on top of the plain one, then roll both up together tightly into a log.
6. Wrap the log and chill for at least 2 hours, until firm enough to slice cleanly.
7. Slice the log into 1/4 inch rounds and bake at 350°F for 9 to 11 minutes until the edges just set.

Chai Spiced Sugar Cookies

Cardamom, ginger, cinnamon and a pinch of black pepper turn a plain dough into something that tastes like the first mug of chai of the season. The pepper sounds like a mistake until it is missing, then the whole spice blend falls a little flat.

Prep time: 1 hour 10 minutes. Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes. Yield: 26 cookies.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, for rolling

Instructions

1. Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy, then mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and black pepper together in a separate bowl.
3. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until a soft dough forms.
4. Chill the dough for 1 hour, until firm enough to handle.
5. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and coat each one in the cinnamon sugar.
6. Place on parchment-lined sheets and flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass.
7. Bake at 350°F for 9 to 11 minutes until the edges turn golden, then cool on the sheet for 5 minutes.

Sugar Cookie Wreaths with Sprinkles

Green-tinted dough piped into rings and dotted with red sprinkles reads as a wreath from across the room, no fondant or complicated tools required. No piping bag in the drawer: roll a rope of dough and loop the ends together instead.

Prep time: 30 minutes. Total time: 41 minutes. Yield: 18 wreaths.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• green gel food coloring
• red nonpareils or sprinkles, for berries

Instructions

1. Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy, then mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, then stir into the wet mixture until a soft dough forms.
3. Tint the dough green with gel food coloring, kneading until the color is even throughout.
4. Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe 3 inch rings onto parchment-lined sheets.
5. Press a few red sprinkles onto each ring to look like berries.
6. Bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are set but the color stays bright.
7. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a rack.

Almond Sugar Cookies

Almond extract pulls these toward marzipan rather than vanilla, and a few sliced almonds pressed on top before baking give a bit of crunch against the soft centre. Leave the almonds off for a nut-free tray and nobody loses much.

Prep time: 1 hour 10 minutes. Total time: 1 hour 21 minutes. Yield: 24 cookies.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, for topping

Instructions

1. Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy, then mix in the egg and almond extract.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, then stir into the wet mixture until a dough forms.
3. Chill the dough for 1 hour, until firm enough to roll.
4. Roll the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on parchment-lined sheets.
5. Flatten each ball slightly and press a few sliced almonds on top.
6. Bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges turn golden.
7. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack.

Vegan Sugar Cookies

No butter, no egg, and still a dough that rolls, cuts and holds its shape the same way the classic version does. A flax egg stands in for the real one, and the finished cookie keeps the buttery flavour from a good dairy-free block.

Prep time: 1 hour 10 minutes. Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes. Yield: 24 cookies.

Ingredients

• 1 cup vegan butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed plus 3 tablespoons water)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons plant milk, if needed

Instructions

1. Stir the ground flaxseed and water together and let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken into a flax egg.
2. Beat the vegan butter and sugar together until fluffy, then mix in the flax egg and vanilla extract.
3. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, then stir into the wet mixture until a dough forms, adding plant milk a teaspoon at a time if the dough feels dry.
4. Chill the dough for 1 hour, until firm enough to roll.
5. Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into shapes.
6. Bake at 350°F for 9 to 11 minutes until the edges turn pale gold.
7. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a rack and icing with a dairy-free glaze if you like.

Sparkling Sanding Sugar Stars

A brush of egg white and a heavy hand with coarse sanding sugar turns a plain star into something that actually catches the light on a dessert table. Red, green and cream sugars side by side keep the whole tray on palette without any icing at all.

Prep time: 1 hour 10 minutes. Total time: 1 hour 19 minutes. Yield: 24 cookies.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten, for brushing
• 1/2 cup red, green and cream sanding sugar

Instructions

1. Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy, then mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, then stir into the wet mixture until a dough forms.
3. Chill the dough for 1 hour, then roll to 1/4 inch thickness and cut out star shapes.
4. Place the stars on parchment-lined sheets and brush each one lightly with egg white.
5. Sprinkle the sanding sugar generously over the wet egg white, covering the stars completely.
6. Bake at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes until the edges are just set and the sugar sparkles.
7. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I keep my sugar cookies from spreading?

Cookie spreading happens when the butter in the dough melts faster than the flour can set around it, so anything that slows that melt helps. Chilling the dough solidifies the butter again, and baking on parchment-lined, not greased, sheets keeps the edges from sliding before they set.

How thick should I roll sugar cookie dough?

For a thick, bakery-style cookie, roll to about 1/4 inch, since that extra thickness is what gives the puffy, tender bite rather than a thin, crisp one. For a traditional tender-crisp cutout that holds fine detail, roll closer to 1/8 inch instead.

Can I freeze Christmas sugar cookies?

Yes, and it is one of the easiest ways to get ahead of the holiday rush. Undecorated cookies freeze especially well for up to two months, so bake now and let them thaw completely before icing or dipping.

How do I know when sugar cookies are done baking?

Judge by the edges rather than the top of the cookie. They should still look pale with just the faintest golden tinge starting around the rim, which usually happens somewhere between 8 and 10 minutes depending on size.

How far in advance can I make Christmas sugar cookies?

Dough keeps well in the refrigerator for a couple of days before you need to roll it, which spreads the job across two calmer evenings instead of one long one. Baked, undecorated cookies can also be frozen well ahead and decorated once they are completely cool.

Do I have to chill sugar cookie dough before baking?

Most doughs benefit from it: a rest in the fridge is widely considered the single biggest help for cookies holding their shape in the oven. A few recipes are deliberately formulated to skip the step and still hold up, so check which kind of dough you are working with before you decide to skip the fridge.