I still remember the first time I nailed these sugar cookies. It was a snowy December night, kitchen warm with the smell of vanilla and butter, my mom’s old radio playing Bing Crosby. One bite of a freshly iced snowflake cookie—crisp edge, soft center, that sweet almond-kissed icing—and I actually teared up a little. These aren’t just cookies. They’re tiny edible hugs that say “Christmas is here.”
Easy Christmas Sugar Cookies with Icing. That’s what we’re making today. The kind you cut into stars, bells, trees, whatever shape makes your heart happy. They hold their edges like champions, taste like pure nostalgia, and the royal icing dries hard enough to stack but melts in your mouth. Let’s do this properly—no hockey-puck cookies, no bleeding colors, no sad runny icing. Just perfection you can actually achieve at home.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here’s exactly what you need for about 4 dozen medium cookies (depending on cutter size). I always double it because they disappear.
| Ingredient | Amount (Imperial) | Amount (Metric) | Notes & Substitutions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsalted butter, softened | 1 cup (2 sticks) | 225 g | European-style butter (82%+ fat) gives richest flavor. Vegan butter works 1:1 |
| Granulated sugar | 1 cup | 200 g | Don’t sub brown sugar—it spreads too much |
| Large egg | 1 | 1 | Flax egg (1 Tbsp flax + 3 Tbsp water) for egg-free |
| Pure vanilla extract | 2 teaspoons | 10 ml | Use the good stuff. Or scrape a vanilla bean for extra wow |
| Almond extract | ½ teaspoon | 2.5 ml | This is the secret weapon. Skip if nut allergy, add extra vanilla |
| All-purpose flour | 3 cups | 375 g | Spoon & level—don’t scoop! Gluten-free 1:1 blend works beautifully |
| Baking powder | 1 teaspoon | 4 g | Keeps them soft in the middle |
| Fine salt | ½ teaspoon | 3 g | Diamond Crystal kosher if you have it |
For the Royal Icing (makes enough to flood 4 dozen cookies with plenty left for details)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes & Substitutions |
|---|---|---|
| Powdered sugar | 4 cups (480g) | Sift if lumpy |
| Meringue powder | 3 Tablespoons | Or 2 pasteurized egg whites |
| Warm water | 6-8 Tablespoons | Start with 6, add more for flow |
| Vanilla or almond extract | 1 teaspoon | Clear extract if you want snow-white icing |
| Gel food coloring | As desired | Americolor or Wilton—liquid coloring seizes icing |
Pro tip on flour: King Arthur or Gold Medal all-purpose is perfect here. Higher protein breads flours make tougher cookies. Been there, cried over that.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Cream the butter and sugar first. Not just “mixed”—beat on medium for a solid 3 minutes until it’s pale and honestly looks like buttercream frosting. That’s how you get the soft centers.
Add the egg, vanilla, and that magic half-teaspoon of almond extract. Scrape the bowl. Don’t skip scraping—you’ll have streaks otherwise.
Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Add it all at once to the butter mixture and mix on low until it just comes together. Overmix and they get tough. The dough should feel like soft play-doh.
Divide in two, flatten into discs, wrap in plastic. Chill at least 2 hours, overnight is better. Cold dough = sharp edges.
Roll on a lightly floured counter (or between parchment—game changer) to ¼ inch thick. Thicker than you think—⅛ inch cookies are crisp all the way through, ¼ inch gives you that perfect bite.
Cut your shapes. Press straight down, no twisting—twisting seals the edges and they won’t puff evenly. Dip cutter in flour if it sticks.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 8-12 minutes depending on size. Watch for the tiniest golden rim on the bottom—that’s your cue. The tops stay pale. Cool completely on the sheet for 5 minutes, then to a rack. Rush this and they break.
For the icing: Whisk meringue powder with 6 Tbsp warm water. Add sifted powdered sugar and extract. Beat on low until smooth, then medium-high for 5-7 minutes until it forms stiff peaks. That’s your piping consistency. Scoop some out for borders, then thin the rest with extra water, a teaspoon at a time, until it flows like thick honey (10-15 second ribbon).
Pipe borders first. Let crust 20 minutes. Flood the centers. Use a toothpick to nudge icing into corners. Pop big bubbles with a pin. Let dry completely—4-8 hours—before stacking.
Cooking Techniques & Science (The Nerdy Stuff I Love)
Chilling the dough isn’t optional. Cold fat stays solid longer in the oven, which means slower spread and sharper edges. It also lets flour hydrate fully so cookies stay tender.
The almond extract? It’s a flavor potentiator. Even a tiny bit amplifies the butter and vanilla so the cookies taste more “Christmas” than plain sugar cookies ever could.
Baking powder + no leavener overload keeps them from puffing too much. Baking soda would brown them more (and spread more), but we want pale beauties.
Royal icing with meringue powder dries hard because the proteins set up like tiny invisible scaffolding. Egg white version tastes slightly better but needs longer to dry and isn’t shelf-stable as long.
Storage, Reheating & Make-Ahead Magic
Un-iced cookies stay perfect in an airtight container at room temp for 2 weeks. Seriously. They actually get better after a couple days.
Fully iced and dried? Up to a month in layers separated by parchment. Perfect for shipping care packages.
Freeze un-iced dough discs up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in fridge before rolling.
Freeze baked un-iced cookies up to 3 months too. Ice after thawing.
The icing itself freezes beautifully in piping bags—thaw, re-whip, good as new.
Variations That Actually Work
Gluten-free: Use Cup4Cup or King Arthur Measure-for-Measure. Chill dough longer—GF spreads more.
Vegan: Vegan butter + flax egg + vegan meringue powder (Wilton makes it). Tastes identical.
Chocolate sugar cookies: Replace ½ cup flour with Dutch-process cocoa. Roll a little thinner—they spread slightly more.
Spiced Christmas version: Add 1 tsp cinnamon + ½ tsp ginger + ¼ tsp nutmeg to the dough. Tastes like gingerbread’s gentler cousin.
Lemon sugar cookies: Swap almond extract for 1 tsp lemon extract + zest of one lemon. Ice with lemon juice instead of water for bright, tangy icing.
Serving & Pairing Suggestions
Stack them on a footed cake stand with fairy lights behind. Instant magic.
Or tie three in a cello bag with red ribbon—best neighbor gift ever.
Serve with cold milk (obviously), but also try hot cocoa with peppermint schnapps for the grown-ups. Or a dry prosecco—the bubbles cut the sweetness perfectly.
For a full cookie platter, add: chocolate crinkle cookies, gingerbread men, peppermint bark, and these sugar cookies as the snowy centerpiece.
When These Cookies Shine Brightest
These are December cookies. The minute the tree goes up, they belong. Cookie decorating parties with kids (give them squeeze bottles of icing—less mess), late-night wrapping sessions with cocoa, Christmas morning breakfast—they’re the smell and taste of the season.
But honestly? I make them year-round when I need comfort. July can have snowflakes if it wants.
Final Love Note
You’ve got this. The first batch might not be perfect—edges a little wonky, icing a tad thick—but the second? Pure magic. That’s the beauty of these cookies. They forgive. They teach. And every single one tastes like love, even the ugly ones.
Troubleshooting quickies: Cookies spread too much? Dough wasn’t cold enough. Icing too runny? Add more powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time. Colors bleeding? Let base layer crust completely before adding wet-on-wet details.
Now go preheat that oven. Your house is about to smell like Christmas, and someone you love is about to have the best cookie of their life.
FAQs
Can I make the dough without a stand mixer?
Absolutely. Cream butter and sugar with a wooden spoon (arm workout!) or hand mixer. Just don’t melt the butter—softened is key.
My icing is grainy—what happened?
You probably used liquid food coloring or didn’t sift the powdered sugar. Start over with gel colors and sifted sugar. It’s worth it.
How thick should I really roll them?
¼ inch. Use rolling pin rings or two ¼-inch dowels on either side of the dough. Too thin and they’re crisp all the way through; too thick and they’re cakey.
Can I skip meringue powder and use fresh egg whites?
Yes, but only pasteurized whites for safety. And drying time doubles. I keep meringue powder in the pantry for this exact reason.
Why do my cookies have little air bubbles on top after baking?
You probably mixed the dough too long after adding flour. Next time, stop as soon as it comes together. They still taste amazing, promise.
