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Our favorite best-loved Christmas sugar cookies recipe uses an easy no-chill dough and looks as magical as it tastes!
Our Favorite Christmas Cookie!
These Christmas sugar cookies are the ones we make EVERY year during the holidays. We start with our BEST-LOVED sugar cookies (the ones with a hint of almond and no chill required) then simply add our festive flair to bring the Christmas spirit. They’re a personal favorite and ones we get asked for the recipe EVERY time we make them.
For more festive Christmas treats, try Gingerbread Cookies, Christmas Cookies and Italian Christmas Cookies.
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- Bring the Christmas spirit! These Christmas cookies are insanely fun to decorate and great for parties and get-togethers.
- Ready in about 30 minutes. They come together in no time, with no chilling required!
- Our tastiest sugar cookie. They are soft and delicious and so addicting – everyone loves this cookie.
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 25 minutes
COOK TIME: 10 minutes
Sugar Cookies
- ¾ cup butter – We used unsalted butter but salted works. Just make sure it’s softened.
- 8 ounces cream cheese – Softened cream cheese helps the dough come together and makes for a soft cookie.
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg – room-temperature incorporates better
- 1 teaspoon almond extract – or swap for vanilla extract
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour – How to Measure Flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt – Omit if using salted butter.
Frosting & Toppings
- ⅓ cup butter – How to Soften Butter Quickly
- 4½ cups powdered sugar – sifted
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- food coloring
- Christmas sprinkles & colored decorating gel
How to Make Christmas Sugar Cookies
- PREP. Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a cookie sheet.
- DOUGH. In a large bowl use an electric mixer (or Kitchen Aid with the paddle attachment) to mix ¾ cup butter, 8 ounces cream cheese, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup powdered sugar, 1 egg, and 1 teaspoon almond extract until creamy.
- In a separate bowl sift 2¾ cups flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture. Combine until soft dough forms.
- ROLL & CUT. On a lightly floured surface use a rolling pin and roll the sugar cookie dough to about ⅜ inches. (For a crispier cookie roll the dough thinner.) Once the dough has been rolled cut with holiday cookie cutters.
- BAKE. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the bottom of the cookie has just barely browned. Let cool on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack.
For the Frosting
- CREAM. Add ⅓ cup butter, 4½ cups powdered sugar, ¼ cup milk, ½ teaspoon vanilla, and ½ teaspoon almond extract to a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to combine.
- DIVIDE & COLOR. Make all the frosting one color or divide it into separate bowls and mix it with different food coloring.
- DECORATE. Frost the cookies. Use colored decorating gel to add embellishments. Add any holiday sprinkles you wish.
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Collections
Christmas Sugar Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- Christmas Cookie Cutters
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- ¾ cup butter, softened
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Frosting & Toppings
- ⅓ cup butter, softened
- 4½ cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- food coloring
- Christmas sprinkles, colored decorating gel
Instructions
Sugar Cookies
- Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a cookie sheet.
- In a large bowl mix butter, cream cheese, sugars, egg, and almond until creamy. Use a Kitchen-Aid or hand mixer.
- In a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture. Combine until soft dough forms. If the dough is too sticky, mix in a bit more flour.
- Lightly flour the counter and roll out the dough to about ⅜ inches. (For a crispier cookie roll the dough thinner.) Once the dough has been rolled cut with holiday cookie cutters.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. Let cool before decorating.
Frosting
- Add the butter, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and almond extract to a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to combine.
- Make all the frosting one color or divide it into separate bowls and mix it with different food coloring.
- Frost the cookies. Use colored decorating gel to add embellishments. Add any holiday sprinkles you wish.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 days or freeze for 2-3 months. See How to Freeze Cookie Dough for tips.
Allow the frosting to set and store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days, in the refrigerator for 6-7 days, or in a freezer-safe container and freeze for 3 months. If needed, separate layers with parchment paper or wax paper.
These are so yummy! The almond extract gives the perfect flavor, and they come out so tasty.
This Sugar Cookie recipe is the best! Great flavor and a soft cookie. Easy to make! Yummy!
Wanted to try something different from the traditional Betty Crocker cutouts, that dough is difficult to work with. Turns out this dough is somewhat difficult to work with as well, keeps sticking although I had to add flour and added an abundance of flour to roll out. But they are tasty and the frosting is amazing! Kid says they taste like pop tarts!
Thanks for the feedback!! Glad the kiddos enjoyed and thanks for giving this recipe a try!
These look so yummy!!
So cute and festive and easy to make. The cream cheese sends this recipe over the top. I could eat a dozen at one sitting. Lol
I’m not sure but I think that it’s the cream cheese in these that make them stand out above the rest but these cookies are absolutely amazing
Love making these sugar cookies for my family during the holidays! Yum 😋
I can’t wait to make these!
Love this recipe. It’s perfect for this time of year.
My go to sugar cookie recipe! The family loves them!
My favorites by far!
I make Christmas Sugar Cookies every year for my Grandkids. I’ve never used cream cheese in the sugar cookie. I’m saving this recipe and giving it a try this year! Sounds yummy!😋
Soft and moist cookies. These are so easy to make!
Does the type of milk matter – skim, 1%, 2% or whole? For butter – salted or unsalted?
I screwed up I see the cream cheese is in the cookie
Your frosting recipe says cream cheese frosting but there is no cream cheese in the list of ingredients
The recipe says cream cheese frosting but I don’t see cream cheese in the frosting ingredients. I only see it listed in the cookie recipe.
Thanks for catching that. Our favorite frosting recipe for Sugar Cookies actually doesn’t include cream cheese. But if you do love the cream cheese frosting flavor, you can use the same frosting recipe and add around 4 oz of cream cheese to it. 🙂
These turned out fantastic.
Love love love this cookie recipe!!! Perfect for any holiday.
Hi I’m going to make these next week. I was just wondering if the frosting dries hard?
Not super hard, but you can increase the powdered sugar if you want it to be hard so you can stack on each other for transporting. 😉
My oldest is 15 and I’ve only actually made sugar cookies once. But my 4 kids are no longer deprived we made these cookies for “santa” this year. They were soft but held their stamped shape really well. Above all they were delicious!
Hi Kristyn, I’m only a teenager and I love to bake. My parents never let me try any recipes that call for food coloring. I wanted to make Christmas sugar cookies for Christmas tomorrow and I really want to try this recipe. My parents don’t let me buy food coloring because they say it’s super unhealthy. Is it? I really want to make these but instead I have to stick to plain sugar cookies that don’t require food coloring. Thank you!
If you want to avoid food coloring dye you can buy different colors of freeze dried fruit like freeze dried strawberries for red/pink. Turn it in a powder in a food processor and mix it into the frosting. You won’t really notice the flavor of the fruit after being mixed with the sweet frosting and put on a cookie, and you’ll have a more natural way to color the frosting.
Well, I can’t speak for your parents. A lot of people don’t like to use dyes. Nothing wrong with a white frosting 🙂
These are so yummy. Great flavor not bland just make sure to chill the dough for a couple hours. It made rolling them out a lot easier
Such a great recipe our fam will continue to use!
My daughter just made sugar cookies a few days ago at her besties house
Sugar cookies are the best!!!!
Love this recipe! A go to for Christmas cookies!
Cookie recipe was great. However, the frosting kept me from giving a higher rating. The frosting was not nearly creamy enough and tasted of powdered sugar only. I added extra milk to make it a spreading consistency and needed to add more than I did. Maybe you should put cream cheese in the frosting recipe as well.
We’ve made these cookies countless times and the frosting is always very creamy and delicious. You are always welcome to add cream cheese to the frosting, but you must have added too much powdered sugar for it to turn out like that.
So yummy! These are a delish sugar cookie!
The perfect sugar cookie recipe! So easy to follow and it is my fail proof go-to recipe!
Delicious cookie – as always! We love making sugar cookie to decorate – any time of the year – and this recipe is a keeper!!
Who doesn’t love a sugar cookie. These are amazing!
I forgot my rating!!!! 5 stars, of course!
I always make the Christmas tree sugar cookies.
Who doesn’t live a good sugar cookie. These are amazing!
So good!!
This is my favorite recipe for sugar cookies. We make them every year with my family and decorate on Christmas Eve.
We made these yesterday for the first time and they are so good!! They held up great with frosting and taste so yummy
We have made these twice this month already!!! So soft and so Delicious! Another favorite recipe from Lilluna!
Best sugar cookie frosting recipe ever! Perfect consistency and the almond flavor is my favorite!
You can’t just make 1 batch of these. At least my family can’t!!! We may have quadrupled it!! Yummy!
Should the butter be unsalted or salted in this recipe?
The recipe says cream cheese frosting. Yet I don’t see cream cheese in the list of ingredients. Am I missing something or is this a mistake
Sorry about that..the cream cheese is in the cookies, not the frosting.
The best sugar cookie recipe! Dough is soft and pliable. The frosting puts it over the top good!!
Why don’t I see the cream cheese listed 8n the 8ngredient list for the ‘cream cheese” frosting? Am I overlooking it?
Sorry, the cream cheese is in the cookie, not the frosting.
We’re making these this weekend. The cream cheese frosting is my favorite 🙂
I love sugar cookies! These sound amazing!
Wow these cookies are absolutely amazing! Thanks for the easy recipe
Christmas time means all the sugar cookies! We love this recipe! They are soft & perfect!