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Best Soft Christmas Cookies

I make these Christmas cookies every year! They're soft cut-out sugar cookies that I sprinkle with colored sugar before baking. You can frost them with icing when cool if you prefer.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 48 people
Calories 4622.8 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Electric Mixer For creaming butter and sugar efficiently.
  • 2 Mixing Bowls One for dry ingredients, one for wet.
  • 1 Rolling Pin For evenly rolling out dough.
  • 1 Christmas Cookie Cutters For festive shapes.
  • 2 Baking Sheets For baking multiple batches.

Ingredients
  

Main

  • 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cups white sugar
  • 1 cup butter or margarine softened
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Gather all ingredients. ALLRECIPES / BAHAREH NAITI
  • Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside. ALLRECIPES / BAHAREH NAITI
  • Beat sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth.
  • Beat first egg into butter mixture. Beat second egg into mixture along with vanilla extract; add flour mixture and stir until dough is just combined. ALLRECIPES / BAHAREH NAITI
  • Wrap dough; chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. ALLRECIPES / BAHAREH NAITI
  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease two cookie sheets. ALLRECIPES / BAHAREH NAITI
  • Roll out dough on a clean floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out shapes using Christmas cookie cutters; arrange them on the prepared cookie sheets. Gather scraps and repeat this step. ALLRECIPES / BAHAREH NAITI
  • Bake in batches in the preheated oven until edges are golden, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet briefly before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. ALLRECIPES / BAHAREH NAITI
  • Serve and enjoy! ALLRECIPES / BAHAREH NAITI

Notes

For the softest texture, ensure butter and eggs are at room temperature before mixing to create a smooth, emulsified dough. Avoid overmixing once the flour is added, as this can develop the gluten too much, resulting in tougher cookies. Chilling the dough thoroughly (at least 2 hours) is crucial; it helps prevent the cookies from spreading excessively in the oven and makes them easier to handle. Bake until just the edges are lightly golden to maintain the 'soft' quality. Adding colored sugar before baking creates a lovely sparkle, or consider a simple royal icing or cream cheese frosting for decoration once cooled.