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Iced Christmas sugar cookies shaped like trees, stars and snowflakes on a wire cooling rack

Christmas Sugar Cookies

Soft, buttery cut out sugar cookies made with a no-spread dough, finished with an easy glaze icing that dries firm for decorating and stacking.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Chilling 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours
Servings: 30 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 165
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cookies
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled (375 g)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened to cool room temperature (226 g)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract optional
Icing
  • 3 cups powdered sugar (360 g)
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons milk
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • gel food coloring as desired

Method
 

Cookies
  1. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
  2. Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed for about 1 minute, just until smooth. Beat in the egg, vanilla and almond extract.
  3. Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed until a soft dough forms.
  4. Divide the dough in half and roll each piece between parchment to 1/4 inch thick. Refrigerate the sheets for at least 1 hour.
  5. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Cut shapes, place 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets and chill for 10 minutes.
  6. Bake one sheet at a time for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are set but not browned. Cool 5 minutes on the sheet, then cool completely on a rack. Reroll scraps and repeat.
Icing
  1. Whisk the powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, corn syrup and vanilla until smooth, adding more milk a few drops at a time for a thinner flooding consistency.
  2. Tint with gel coloring, decorate the cooled cookies and let the icing dry uncovered for 6 to 8 hours before stacking.

Notes

Yield: About 30 cookies with a 3-inch cutter, including rerolled scraps.
Make ahead: Refrigerate rolled dough up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months. Freeze undecorated baked cookies up to 3 months.
Nutrition is an estimate per iced cookie.