Description
Classic Christmas sugar cookies that are buttery, sweet, and perfect for decorating. These vanilla biscuits are easy to make and bake into crisp, golden edges with a soft center. Ideal for festive occasions and to decorate with icing, chocolate, or sprinkle with icing sugar.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 225g / 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (or use salted, skip salt)
- 1 cup caster/superfine sugar (granulated/ordinary white sugar ok too)
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg (55-60g / 1.9-2oz)
- 3 cups plain/all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
Decorating Options
- Icing for Sugar Cookies (optional)
- Melted chocolate for dipping (optional)
- Icing sugar and silver balls for decoration (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Beat the softened butter and sugar in a large bowl until creamy, about 1 minute at medium speed.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until fully combined.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the mixture. Start mixing slowly, then beat until the flour is incorporated and the dough becomes clumpy.
- Shape Dough: Dust a work surface with flour, scrape the dough out of the bowl, and pat it together. Cut the dough in half and shape each half into a disc.
- Roll Out Dough: Roll each disc out to 0.6cm / 1/4" for thicker, softer cookies or 0.3cm / 1/8" for thinner, crispier cookies, sprinkling flour under and over to prevent sticking.
- Cut Shapes: Use cookie cutters to press out shapes, then transfer the shapes to the prepared baking sheets using a knife or spatula. Keep unused dough in the fridge.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, swapping trays halfway through baking to ensure even cooking. Cookies should be pale golden with edges just turning golden.
- Cool: Allow the cookies to cool completely on the trays as they will finish cooking while cooling.
- Decorate (Optional): Decorate with icing, melted chocolate, icing sugar, or silver balls as desired, or serve plain.
Notes
- The yield of cookies depends on size and thickness of cut-outs; this recipe fills approximately 3 baking trays and makes about 40 cookies.
- Swapping baking trays halfway ensures even baking since the top shelf bakes faster than the bottom.
- This recipe is adapted from Sugar, Spun, Run's Sugar Cookies recipe.
- Store cookies in an airtight container for up to one week; they remain edible past this but may dry out slightly.
- For softer cookies, roll dough thicker (0.6cm / 1/4"); for crispier cookies, roll thinner (0.3cm / 1/8").
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 80 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
