A family recipe passed through generations to spread Christmas joy throughout the holiday season!
Best Sugar Cookies
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – Christmas! I am in the midst of trying to figure out what picture to use for our Christmas card, which treats I’ll make for my son’s Christmas program, what gifts we are going to exchange at a Christmas party, and how many of these super soft and amazingly delicious Christmas Cutout Sugar Cookies to decorate for our friends, family, and neighbors!
I just love the holidays! The Christmas lights and carols, sappy Hallmark movies, the warmth of Hot Cocoa, Christmas parades, and time with our favorite people. The whole season makes me feel extra cheery and snuggly!
Every year we try to keep our same traditions. Some of my favorite Christmastime memories are made in my kitchen! From making Reindeer Oreos to Melted Snowman Bark, we have lots of fun making a huge mess decorating! If your family loves decorating cute and easy kid food, too, then be sure to try making Reindeer Pretzels, Gnome Cookie Cups, Reindeer Graham Crackers, or Oreo Ornament Cookies!
What You Need for the Cookie Dough:
- 2 cups Brown Sugar
- 1 cup Butter, Softened
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 5 cups Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 cup Milk
And the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz Cream Cheese, Softened
- 1/2 cup Butter, Softened
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3 (or 3 1/2 cups) Powdered Sugar
How to Make the Best Soft Christmas Cutout Sugar Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Mix 2 cups brown sugar, 1 cup softened butter, and 2 eggs together. Add 1 tsp vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine 5 cups flour and 2 tsp baking powder.
- In another separate bowl, dissolve 1/2 tsp baking soda in 2 tbsp hot water.
- Alternate adding 1/3 of the flour mixture, 1/3 of the hot water mixture, and a 1/3 of the milk into the brown sugar mixture. (The total amount of milk you will use is 1/2 cup) Repeat until mixtures and all ingredients are well combined.
- Using 1/3 of the dough at a time, spoon onto generously floured countertop and gently fold so the dough isn’t sticky. (Be careful not to use too much flour, that will make the cookies tough.)
- Roll out to desired thickness and cut out with desired cookie cutters.
- Transfer the cutouts onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. (Depending on the thickness of the cutouts, you may need to decrease or increase the baking time. For thinner cutouts, decrease the baking time. For thicker cutouts, increase the baking time.)
- To make the cream cheese frosting, combine 8 oz softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup softened butter, and 1 tsp vanilla. Beat until well mixed.
- Add 3 to 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar and beat until smooth. (The amount of powdered sugar depends on the consistency you desire. The more powdered sugar you use, the thicker the frosting will be.)
- Spread frosting over the cookies and decorate with Christmas sprinkles.
Tips:
- Flour – Be careful not to sprinkle too much flour on the countertop, that will make the cookies tough.
- Chilling the dough – This recipe does not require you to chill the dough before baking.
- Baking time – Depending on the thickness of the cutouts, you may need to decrease or increase the baking time. For thinner cutouts, decrease the baking time. For thicker cutouts, increase the baking time.
- Number of cookies – The number of cookies you get from a batch depends on the size cookie cutter you use.
- Frosting – You can use any frosting with these cookies, but we recommend cream cheese frosting! The amount of powdered sugar you use depends on the consistency you desire. The more powdered sugar you use, the thicker the frosting will be.
- Easy to spread frosting – Make sure your frosting is at room temperature before spreading on the cookies.
More Christmas Cookies:
- Andes Mint Cake Mix Cookies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Star Cookies
- Santa’s Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
- Gingerbread Cookie Bars
- 2-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cup Christmas Cookies
- Gingersnap Cookies
- Chewy Sugar Cookies
- 2-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Christmas M&M Cookie Bars
- Reindeer Oreos
- No Bake Avalanche Cookies
- 20 Best Christmas Cookie Exchange Recipes
- Christmas Sprinkle Cake Mix Cookies
- Oreo Ornament Cookies
- Gnome Cookie Cups
Free Christmas Printables:
- Grinch Christmas Gift Tags
- Christmas Gift Tags
- Letters to Santa
- Christmas Coloring Book
- Christmas Memory Game
- A Little Extra Dough for Christmas
- Wishing You a Sparkling Holiday Season
- Reindeer Noses Bag Topper
- Teacher Appreciation Amazon Gift Card Tags
- Gnome Christmas Gift Tags
- Elf Kisses Bag Topper
- Grinch Pills Bag Topper
Best Soft Christmas Cutout Sugar Cookies
Best Soft Christmas Cutout Sugar Cookies, a family recipe passed through generations to spread Christmas joy throughout the holiday season!
Ingredients
- 2 cups Brown Sugar
- 1 cup Butter, Softened
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 5 cups Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 2 tbsp Hot Water
- 1/2 cup Milk
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz Cream Cheese, Softened
- 1/2 cup Butter, Softened
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 3 (or 3 1/2) cups Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Mix brown sugar, butter, and eggs together. Add vanilla. Mix until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder.
- In another separate bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
- Alternate adding 1/3 of the flour mixture, 1/3 of the hot water mixture, and a 1/3 of the milk into the brown sugar mixture. Repeat until mixtures and all ingredients are well combined.
- Using 1/3 of the dough at a time, spoon onto generously floured countertop and gently fold so the dough isn't sticky. (Be careful not to use too much flour, that will make the cookies tough.)
- Roll out to desired thickness and cut out with desired cookie cutters.
- Transfer the cutouts onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. (Depending on the thickness of the cutouts, you may need to decrease or increase the baking time. For thinner cutouts, decrease the baking time. For thicker cutouts, increase the baking time.)
- To make the cream cheese frosting, combine softened cream cheese, softened butter, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed.
- Add 3 to 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar and beat until smooth. (The amount of powdered sugar depends on the consistency you desire. The more powdered sugar you use, the thicker the frosting will be.)
- Spread frosting over the cookies and decorate with Christmas sprinkles.