These easy Christmas sugar cookies hold their shapes! Use our simple icing recipe to decorate with a smooth finish.
This is the best sugar cookie recipe because the cookies are thick and soft, and the dough is very easy to work with. It takes just an hour or two of refrigeration (or quickly freeze for 45 minutes) then roll it and cut it - bake it then frost it. Simple as that!
The Best Christmas Cookies
We love this sugar cookie recipe because the shape holds and the flavor is spot-on! They are thicker and puffy, not thin and crispy. You can use this easy sugar cookie recipe for any occasion or holiday. My favorite is Christmas cookies because I make a big batch then have the neighbor kids over to decorate them for a fun event!
How do you make sugar cookies keep their shape?
This easy sugar cookie recipe is great at holding the shape of the sugar cookies, but here are a few steps to further insure a perfectly shaped sugar cookie:
- Use room temperature butter, and not warmer. Not too slimy or melted, but room temperature where a finger poked in the butter dents it easily.
- It is important to refrigerate the dough and not skip this step, because the chill process helps the sugar cookie keep their shape. If you are in a hurry, you can freeze the dough for 45 minutes instead. I prefer using the fridge for a more even chilling.
- Use parchment paper instead of a silicone mat (Silpat). The greasy surface of the silicone mat tends to make my cookies spread. I've started using solely parchment paper when baking cookies.
- Allow your cookie sheet to cool between batches. This doesn't take long, but it helps keep the shape of your cookies.
How to Make the Best Sugar Cookies
There are no secret tricks to this recipe. This is an easy sugar cookie recipe and one of the best! To make this sugar cookie dough follow these easy steps:
First, in a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, then the vanilla and mix until combined. Stir in the sour cream. Beat on high for 2 minutes, then scrape the sides of the bowl.
Next, in another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and beat on low until just combined.
Then, after making the dough, divide it in half and wrap each tightly in plastic wrap, in a round flat thick disc shape. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days. This lets you work with one half at a time so while you are cutting out shapes and baking them, the other half can stay chilled in the fridge.
Tips for roll out cookies
- When rolling out the sugar cookie dough, keep it thick at no less than ¼- to ½-inch thick. Do not try to roll it too thin to stretch the amount of cut-outs you get, because the thickness is key here. You'll get enough cookies, trust me. I believe I got about 30-40 cookies this last weekend when I made them for my parents' visit. I brought half of them to a Christmas party and left the other half at home to munch on during the weekend. Plenty enough.
- Flour your cookie cutters. Trust me. I have quite the collection of cookie cutters from over the years, and I always dip mine in flour while using them to help keep them from sticking to the sugar cookie dough. I keep a small pile of flour off to the side for this reason so I can quickly dip the cookie cutter after so many cut outs.
- Use a dessert spatula with a beveled edge to transfer cut out cookies to cookie sheet. The angle helps get under the cookie and carefully remove from the cutting board without ruining its shape. I have a Pampered Chef one, but this one is cheaper and great reviews.
Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe
The icing (or frosting) recipe for these sugar cookies is another favorite of mine because it's extremely easy to mix up with a handheld mixer (or stand mixer) and is very versatile. It makes plenty so you can divide into separate bowls to use different colors if you wish. I love the AmeriColor Gel Paste Food Color because it only takes a drop or two to get a nice potent color.
Make Ahead
Because this sugar cookie dough needs to be chilled for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days, this is the best sugar cookie dough for prepping in advance. It's so easy to whip up the dough and store in the fridge until it's time to roll out and cut! You can also freeze the already baked cookies until ready to decorate. So many options for prepping these in advance!
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
Are you soaking in the holidays with cookie baking? Try these favorite Christmas cookie recipes.
- Gingerbread Men Cookies
- Candy Cane Blossoms
- Peppermint Biscotti
- Christmas M&M Cookie Bars
- Hot Cocoa Cookies
Made this Recipe?
Leave a star rating and tag me on Instagram @seededtable so I can see. I love hearing from you!
This recipe was originally published December 15, 2014.
Recipe Card
The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
For the Sugar Cookies:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter , at room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the Easy Icing:
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter , melted
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons milk
- Food coloring , optional
- Sprinkles and other decorations , optional
Instructions
For the Sugar Cookies:
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, then the vanilla and mix until combined. Stir in the sour cream. Beat on high for 2 minutes, then scrape the sides of the bowl.
- In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and beat on low until just combined. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half tightly with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days.
When ready to roll out, cut and bake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Working with one half of dough at a time and leaving the other chilling in the fridge, roll the dough to about ½-inch thick (no less than ¼-inch thick) on a clean floured surface. I recommend flipping the dough at least once while rolling and adding more flour to the work surface and rolling pin.
- Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and carefully transfer to prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, or until cookies just start to look dry, rotating pans halfway through the baking time. Do not over-bake! They might not look done, but they are! Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting. Frost the cookies using my Easy Icing recipe.
For the Easy Icing:
- Beat the sugar, butter, vanilla and 4 tablespoons of the milk in a mixing bowl on low speed until combined. Add the remaining milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until smooth.
- Switch to high speed and beat until the frosting is a spreadable consistency, but still thick enough so it's not too runny. Add more milk, if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time. If it gets too runny, add more powdered sugar, as needed, ¼ cup at a time. Use an offset spatula to spread frosting on the cookies, leaving ¼-inch edge. Decorate with sprinkles immediately before frosting dries.
Notes
- Nutritional value is an estimate only and varies based on ingredients used.
- Serving size varies based on size of cookie cutters.
- If high humidity climate, add up to ½ cup more flour.
Nutrition
Lindsay says
The dough is very very sticky even after chilling. Any thoughts? Thanks!
Nikki Gladd says
It shouldn't be sticky, especially after chilling, so I wonder if you accidentally mismeasured the flour. Try adding a little more flour at a time, but unfortunately it might not turn out this late in the process.
amber says
I make these cookies every year for christmas and the dough is always too sticky for me too! I just add flour to the dough until it's the texture I like. They always turn out perfect after that. Hope this helps!
Nikki Gladd says
Thanks, Amber!
Kelly Shetima says
Do I really need to use the sour cream? Can I make the recipe without the sour cream? I want to try recipe but I don't have sour cream.
Nikki Gladd says
Hi Kelly, I have not tested this recipe without sour cream.
Amanda says
these are delicious! they are the softest sugar cookies i’ve ever made. however this only made 18 cookies for me, they were a bit thick but even if i made them thinner i can’t see this recipe making more than 24. the dough will be a bit sticky before refrigerating. will bake again 🙂
Nikki Gladd says
Thanks for your feedback, Amanda! What size cookie cutters did you use? The yield will vary depending on the size of cutters. I've made around 3 dozen when using smaller cutters (not tiny) and re-rolling scraps. But, about 2 dozen when using larger cutters. 🙂
Angie says
We love this recipe and have used it the last two holidays. It’s so easy and also tastes delicious! There’s nothing worse than a beautiful sugar cookie that tastes gross! The frosting is also so easy, beautiful and tasty! Thank you, Nikki!
Nikki Gladd says
Thanks for your feedback, Angie! I'm so glad you love these sugar cookies as much as we do!
Lauren says
I just tried these, they tasted fine, but would not hold their shape. I live in a very humid climate, perhaps this is the reason? I tried rolling them thin, and thick, but they poofed out. Maybe with less baking powder? More flour?
Nikki Gladd says
Hi Lauren,
Baking can be such a fickle thing and hard to figure out why a recipe works in one kitchen but not another. I also live in a humid climate (Mississippi) although not as humid during the winter. I'm assuming you did refrigerate the dough first (keeping one half of the dough still chilling while working with the other)? Also, if you live in a warmer humid climate, the dough might warm up more quickly while working with it so maybe you can try working with 1/4 of the dough at a time instead. Or, is it possible you accidentally measured an ingredient incorrectly? (Someone once added 2 tablespoons powder instead of teaspoons). Hopefully one of these tips helps!
Nancy Dunbar says
I accidentally used 1tlbs baking power instead of 2 teas. i tried to remove some, maybe 12 teas. what so i do?
mp says
Is the dough supposed to be a bit sticky before it is chilled?
Nikki Gladd says
Yes! 🙂
Flowerfam says
Omg! My kids and I made this last week as a test run for Valentine's day cookies and we absolutely love this recipe. Just wondering if you can freeze the dough and if you how long?
Nikki Gladd says
That's great! I've never tried freezing the dough, but I'm sure you can for at least a month or two. But, let it thaw in the fridge overnight.
Amanda Hall says
Hey Nikki. Question. I put 1 tsp of vanilla extract in the cookie mix and 1 tbs in the icing mix. The icing tasted really strong of vanilla not sure if that was the correct measurement.
Nikki Gladd says
Hi Amanda! You used the correct amount. 🙂 It might just be a taste preference. You can definitely use less if you thought it was too strong. I make and enjoy it the way it's listed. 🙂
Anonymous says
Can I use salted butter?
Nikki Gladd says
Yes. But, omit the salt.
Margie says
Can you use cream cheese instead of sour cream? And how much?
Nikki Gladd says
Hi Margie,
No, I don't think you can as they are different consistencies.
Jason Hill says
My wife, son and I just used your recipe and they turned out great! These taste just like the ones I used to help my mom and grandmother make when I was a child. (1971). Thanks for the memories!
Nikki Gladd says
I love this! Thank you for the feedback, Jason!
Alicia says
Do the cookies need to be refrigerated since there's milk in the icing? Never used milk in icing before so just making sure...
Nikki Gladd says
I do not refrigerate the cookies, but you can if you'd like to. 🙂
Peggy says
Your cookies are sooo pretty! Thank you for sharing and inspiring the rest of us. Especially me!
Merry Christmas!
Jessie says
Hi Nikki, Do you know if I can freeze the dough?
Nikki Gladd says
I think you could, but I haven't tested to be sure.
Hailey says
I found this recipe earlier this week, and today I made them! They were so delirious! Thanks for sharing!!
Nikki Gladd says
Thrilled to hear it! Thanks, Hailey!
Kim says
Hi,
Does the frosting dry hard? I am making favors for a shower and usually use royal icing but this sounds yummy.
Kim
Nikki Gladd says
Hi Kim, The frosting dries somewhat soft with a crusted layer.
Shannon Hayes says
Where did you get the adorable light sprinkles?
Nikki Gladd says
Hi Shannon,
I actually found them at Walmart in the Christmas section (not the baking aisle). It's Wilton brand. 🙂