These soft Christmas Cut-Out Sugar Cookies are easy, taste great, and retain shape with no chilling required. They’re the perfect cut-out sugar cookie to decorate with your kids this holiday season.
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Christmas Cut-Out Sugar Cookies (with Icing) - No Spread & No Chill
Decorating Christmas cut-out sugar cookies is a holiday tradition! But, finding a homemade sugar cookie recipe that is quick, easy, and actually retains shape can be difficult.
Which is why I created this recipe! These one bowl, no chill, Christmas Cut-Out Sugar Cookies are ready to decorate in less than a half hour.
They keep their shape while baking. (No spreading!) The edges remain clean and crisp. AND they taste GREAT.
They're the perfect sugar cookies for decorating.
I also use this recipe for my Frozen-Inspired Sugar Cookies (pictured above).
A Christmas Tradition
Every year, my best friend would throw a Christmas Cut-Out Sugar Cookie Decorating Party.
We would all come together to eat, laugh, and decorate HUNDREDS of cookies.
Seriously, we decorated way too many cookies.
But, it was a BLAST. Unfortunately, she moved far away last year. So, we can no longer have the party.
I encourage you to make this recipe and decorate these cookies with your loved one though. They're easy enough to do with kids. You can even do them by yourself.
We all need a little extra Christmas cheer this year.
For other Christmas ideas, check out:
- How to Make DIY Reindeer Candy Canes
- How to Make DIY Reindeer Gift Bags
- DIY Cinnamon Salt Dough Ornaments (No Applesauce)
- How to Make Salt Dough Ornaments (and Handprints)
How to Make Perfect Christmas Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
I was always told that the perfect sugar cookie recipe was equal parts butter and sugar. My taste-testers (my family) rejected this idea. They thought my first batch (with equal butter and sugar) tasted like play-dough. Eek.
For the second batch, I increased the amount of sugar and everyone LOVED them!
I have received so many compliments on them! People love the taste and texture.
These Christmas Cut-Out Sugar Cookies are soft, chewy, and moist.
And best of all...
These Christmas Cut-Out Sugar Cookies retain shape after baking!!!
I was concerned about how the added sugar would affect the dough and the cut-out process. The dough STILL retained it’s shape after baking. The edges were perfect.
Every time I use this recipe, whether it's for Christmas Cut-Out Sugar Cookies or my Frozen-Inspired Sugar Cookies, the cookies look EXACTLY the same after baking.
If you ever had cookies spread and distort, you know how much of a victory this is! 🥳
Cutting Out Shapes
The dough easily spreads with minimal cracks.
If you encounter any cracks or dryness, I recommend sticking your finger in some softened butter then rubbing it over the crack. It instantly fixes it!
The dough also cuts clean and smooth! It’s very easy to cut the shapes you want!
I personally use cookie cutters from this Wilton Cookie Cutters Set. I also LOVE this Christmas Cookie Cutter Set. It has a sweater cookie cutter, so you can make ugly sweater cookies! It also had an adorable reindeer!
No Chill Christmas Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
I hate chilling dough. Despise it with a passion. When I start something, I just want to keep going and get it done!
Chilling the dough is a common step in a lot of sugar cookie recipes... but NOT THIS ONE! Woo woo!
There is NO chilling required with this recipe. It's not needed.
This saves SO much time.
After mixing all the ingredients, which can easily be done in one bowl (like one from my favorite set - Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls with Airtight Lids), you can immediately roll out the dough, cut out your cookies, and bake them.
It really is an easy recipe. The easiest Christmas Cut-Out Sugar Cookies you will ever make!
Different Icings
I’m including the recipe for a very simple icing that is NOT made with corn syrup in my recipe card. But, I will include a Royal Icing recipe right above it.
The Simple Sugar Cookie Recipe includes:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 to 4 tbsp. Milk
- Food coloring of your choice
You can easily and carefully dip the top of the cookie in this icing.
For the Christmas Cut-Out Sugar Cookies in the photo below, I skipped food coloring. I just dipped the cookies in the icing then sprinkled holiday sprinkles on them, like the ones in this Wilton Holiday Mix.
Ingredients for Royal Icing
Professionals use a thick royal icing to outline designs and a thin royal icing to "flood" in between the lines.
It takes time and effort to make all the different colors and types. In my experience, it can definitely be frustrating.
I use this recipe in my Easy, No Chill, Citrus 4th of July Sugar Cookies. As you can see in that post, I'm still working on my cookie decorating skills. 😂
I recently bought this piping set on Amazon, so I'll be adding new photos of Christmas designs to this post soon! I'm excited!!
For Royal Icing, you need -
- 3 Egg Whites
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 4 cups Confectioner’s Sugar
Royal Icing Directions
This is to design sugar cookies like we buy at the store.
A firmer royal icing is used to draw lines or outlines on the sugar cookies.
A thinner royal icing is used to "flood" the area between the lines. To thin the royal icing, you'll add about ½ teaspoon of water in increments until you have your desired consistency.
- Beat the egg whites until foamy.
- Add the vanilla extract.
- Stir in the confectioner’s sugar.
- Mix until smooth. For stiffer royal icing, add more sugar. For thinner royal icing, add some water. I described this step above.
- Separate the icing into separate bowls to make different colors.
- Add food coloring to each bowl, according to which colors you would like. Stir well.
- Add red gel food coloring to one. Stir well. This is your red royal icing.
- Transfer the icing from the bowls into separate piping bags.
- When your Christmas Cut-Out Sugar Cookies are completely cooled, transfer them to another sheet of parchment paper.
- Start decorating! Have fun with it!
For other easy Holiday Cookie Recipes, check out:
- Easy Hot Cocoa Cookies – Made with Hot Chocolate Mix
- Cranberry Bliss Bar Cookies – A New Way to Enjoy the Starbucks’ Favorite
- Easy Funfetti Cookies from Scratch (with Red, Green, & White Sprinkles instead of Rainbow)
No Chill, Cut-Out Christmas Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For Cookies:
- 1 ¼ cups Sugar Granulated
- 1 cup Butter softened
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ teaspoon Almond Extract
- 1 Egg
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 3 cups Flour
Simple Sugar Cookie Icing (For Royal Icing, see above)
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 2-4 tablespoon Milk
- Food Coloring optional
Instructions
Christmas Cut-Out Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened butter and granulated sugar. Do not melt the butter completely. This changes the dough’s ability to retain shape during baking.
- Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, and egg. Stir!
- Add the baking powder and flour. Mix it well! I usually abandon my spatula and massage the dough by hand.
- On a sheet of parchment paper, sprinkle a little flour. Plop the sugar cookie dough on the paper. Spread the dough out and roll it to your desired thickness with a rolling pin. If you have a wooden rolling pin, spread flour on it first! This prevents sticking.
- Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. I mostly use cutters in this Wilton Cookie Cutters Set.
- Place the cutouts on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 7-9 minutes.
- Let cool completely.
Simple Sugar Cookie Icing (For Royal icing, see above)
- In a small mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk. Mix it well. If the icing is too dry, add more milk. The icing should look like Elmer’s Glue.
- If you want colored icing, add food coloring and mix. If not, skip to the next step.
- Spread the frosting on your baked sugar cookies! If I’m using the same color for the whole cookie or doing a tie-dye pattern, I dip my cookie, face down, into the icing.
- If you are using sprinkles, sprinkle them on while the icing is still wet.
- Let the icing dry.
- ENJOY!
Which type of Icing do you prefer on Sugar Cookies? If you made this recipe, I'd love to see pics! Tag @lovemischka on Instagram, FB, or Pinterest.
[…] ideas, please check out – Easy Chocolate Peppermint Cookies – The BEST Christmas CookieChristmas Cut-Out Sugar Cookies (with Icing) – No Spread & No ChillCranberry Bliss Cookies – Just like Starbucks’ Cranberry Bliss […]