Say hello to the classic holiday cookie recipe, Cut Out Sugar Cookies. They are made with whole grain flour and lightened up using less butter and less sugar. A fun activity for the whole family and perfect for a holiday cookie exchange.
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If you love holiday cookie recipes, check out Vegan Gingerbread Cookies, Eggnog Cookies, or Holiday Cookies For Cookie Exchange.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Get in the Christmas spirit was an easy, simple, holiday cookie recipe!
- Don’t let December go by without decorating sugar cookies for the holidays!
- Fun way to get people of all ages in the kitchen!
- Make ahead friendly and freezer friendly, too!
Recipe Ingredients
These holiday sugar cookies are made with just a handful of simple ingredients. Here’s what we need:
- whole wheat white flour – I like to use whole wheat white flour for extra fiber and a chewy sugar cookie.
- unbleached all-purpose flour – all-purpose flour balances the texture when combined with the whole wheat flour.
- baking powder – for extra lift and tender crumb. Make sure to use baking powder and not baking soda.
- salt – to enhance the flavor of these Christmas sugar cookies.
- unsalted butter – you can’t have a sugar cookie recipe without butter. Make sure it is softened to room temperature for best results.
- granulated sugar – sugar gives these cookies just the right sweetness.
- egg – one large egg binds the sugar cookie dough.
- vanilla extract – to round out the flavor.
- almond extract – optional, but the almond extract adds another level of flavor. You could also try a dash of lemon extract or lemon zest, too.
- powdered sugar – confectioner’s sugar creates a smooth, sweet icing.
- milk of choice – I used almond milk, but you can use cashew milk, coconut milk, or whole milk instead.
- food coloring – food coloring is the best way to color the icing. I like to use Natural Food Coloring instead of the artificial kind.
- Christmas sprinkles – would they really be sugar cookies without some holiday sprinkles? Have fun with decorating and get your kids in the kitchen, too!
Find the full detailed instructions with measurements in the recipe card below, at the end of this post.
How to Make Holiday Cut Out Sugar Cookies
Cut-out cookies are much easier than you think. Here are the step-by-step instructions:
mix dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, combine flours, baking powder, and salt.
cream butter and sugar
In a large bowl using a hand mixer (or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment), cream butter until light and fluffy.
Add sugar and continue creaming on high speed for 2-3 minutes, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary.
make cookie dough
Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using), mixing on medium speed until combined.
Slowly add the flour mixture, mixing on low-medium speed. Then, mix on high to fully combine. Dough should be soft, but not sticky. Add 1-2 more tablespoons of flour if the dough seems too soft.
roll the dough
Divide the dough in half. Roll out each piece of dough until 1/4 inch with a rolling pin on a lightly floured work surface.
Place one piece of rolled out dough on a parchment lined (or silicon mat) baking pan. Place another piece of parchment paper on top and top with the other sheet of dough.
Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
cut out cookie dough
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Press your favorite cookie cutters into the dough, each shape as close together as possible.
Lift cut out cookie dough with a thin spatula and place on lined baking sheet.
Continue piecing together dough scraps and rolling out to cut out more cookies. Dust your work surface lightly with flour after each time.
bake cookies
Bake cookies for 9-11 minutes, until they have crisp edges.
Allow cookies to set on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
make the frosting
In a large bowl, mix together confectioners sugar and almond milk.
Evenly divide the colorful icing into smaller bowls. Add desired food coloring to each separate bowl and mix until even in color.
FROSTING TIP: If the frosting is too thin, add 1/4 cup more powdered sugar.
Decorate the Sugar Cookies
Transfer each color frosting to piping bags. Decorate cookies with frosting and top with desired sprinkles.
STORAGE TIP: If you plan on stacking and storing, frosting will need to set for at least 12 hours.
Tips for Decorating Cut Out Sugar Cookies
Here are my expert tips for decorating the best sugar cookie recipe with frosting:
- Stick with 3-4 frosting colors for a cohesive look
- Create texture by adding various forms of sprinkles over top of the frosting.
- If you want to create two layers with the frosting, wait for the first layer to set completely, about 30 minutes.
- Use a small squeeze bottle for easy decorating if you don’t feel comfortable with a knife.
- If you want to make royal icing (which sets faster than regular icing), mix together 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons meringue powder (you can find this on Amazon), and 4-5 tablespoons room temperature water.
Serving Suggestions
Nothing is quintessentially more Christmas than decorating sugar cookies.
I find this a fun activity to get the whole family in the kitchen, but it’s also great for holiday parties, too!
Serve these on Christmas day, as part of your holiday cookie exchange, or anytime during the holiday season.
How to Make Ahead & Store
Make Ahead: Sugar cookie dough can be made 1-2 days in advance. Do not roll out the dough and store cookie dough discs tightly wrapped with plastic wrap in an airtight container in the fridge.
Leftover sugar cookies will keep covered in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. I like to layer them in between pieces of parchment paper or wax paper to prevent the decorations from being smushed.
Recipe FAQs
Can you reroll the sugar cookie dough?
Absolutely! Reshape the dough scraps into a flat disc, roll it out, and cut more shapes. You can roll and cut the dough 3 times (two rerolls per sheet).
How long do you chill sugar cookie dough?
This sugar cookie recipe needs to chill for at least one hour, or overnight. If you plan to chill the dough longer than 2 hours, I recommend not rolling it out, wrapping the dough disks in plastic wrap, and placing them in a Ziplock bag to ensure no air can get to them.
Can you freeze sugar cookie dough?
Yes, you can either freeze the wrapped discs of dough in an airtight, freezer-friendly container. Then, thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight, roll, and bake! Or, place cut cookie dough on a baking sheet, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, cover with foil, and freeze. Allow the cookies to thaw to room temperature before baking.
Can you freeze decorated sugar cookies?
Yes! Frozen cookies will last up to 2 months in the freezer, stored in an airtight container or wrapped very well.
More Holiday Cookie Recipes You’ll Love:
If you make this Holiday Cut Out Sugar Cookies recipe, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing from you and it helps others learn more about the recipe too! Xx Ashley
Holiday Cut Out Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 2 TBSP whole wheat white flour
- 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract, nice flavor addition but can omit
Frosting
- 2 cups confectioners sugar
- 2-3 tbsp almond milk
- food coloring
- holiday sprinkles
Instructions
- Make the dough:In a medium bowl combine flours, baking powder and salt; set aside. In large bowl using an electric mixer, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add in granulated sugar and continue creaming on high speed for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add in egg, vanilla and almond extracts, mixing on medium speed until combined. Slowly start to incorporate flour mixture, mixing on low-medium speed. Mix on high at the end to fully combine if needed. Dough should be soft, but not sticky. Add 1-2 more tablespoons of flour if it seems too soft.
- Prepare the dough:Divide evenly into two balls of dough. On a flat lightly floured surface roll out each piece of dough until 1/4 inch thick all around – any thinner and you'll have crispy cookies. Place one piece of rolled out dough on parchment lined baking sheet then top with the other (with parchment paper underneath). Cover dough and place in fridge to chill for at least 1 hour – or overnight. When you're ready to bake the dough, preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Cut out cookie dough: Use desired cookie cutter shapes to press into dough. Place close together so you don’t have to handle the dough as much when you put the dough scraps back together. Use thin spatula to lift cut out cookie dough and place on lined baking sheet. Continue piecing together dough scraps and rolling out to cut out more cookies. Use a light dusting of flour as needed each time rolling out.
- Bake cookies for 9-11 minutes – do not over-bake or cookies will be very crunchy. Allow cookies to set on baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
- After the cookies have cooled completely, make the frosting: in a large bowl mix together confectioners sugar with almond milk. Be patient while mixing together – you don't want the glaze too thin so keep stirring until frosting comes together. If the frosting is too thin for you, add 1/4 cup more powdered sugar. Evenly divide the frosting into smaller bowls and add desired food coloring until the frosting is the color you'd like.
- Decorate cooled cookies with frosting and top with desired sprinkles. See notes in blog post for tips on decorating holiday sugar cookies. Allow frosting to set completely – at least 12 hours if you plan on stacking and storing.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information
This post was originally sponsored in partnership with Almond Breeze. As always, all opinions expressed are my own. This post has since been updated.
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