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Cut-Out Holiday Sugar Cookies

    Surprise your loved ones with the sweetest and most enjoyable Cut-Out Holiday Sugar Cookies. This recipe is easy to follow and allows you to prepare sweet sugar cookies with the perfect frosting on top of them.

    Lead in image with the Cut-Out Holiday Sugar Cookies - some are decorated with icing and some are left undecorated.

    Cut-Out Holiday Sugar Cookies are one of my favorite types of cookies. They are simple but flavorful and perfect to have with a tall glass of milk. I like dipping my sugar cookies in milk, and it is a habit that my family has picked up on as well. If you like eating these types of cookies just as much as I do, you will love preparing this sugar cookies recipe. It is far better to make these cookies from scratch than to purchase pre-made dough. You will certainly taste the difference.

    Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

    Not only do I love sugar cookies, but I also love adding frosting to them to give them more flavor. With the right frosting and sprinkles on top, you never have to worry about eating cookies that taste too dry. I like to add just the right amount of frosting to the cookies to have the perfect ratio that melts in my mouth and makes each bite so heavenly. If you want to make these cut-out cookies to eat at home or if you want to prepare them as a treat for a special occasion, grab your ingredients, and get started!

    A close up image of a snowman and Christmas tree cut-out cookie decorated and ready to eat.

    The Ingredients Needed to Make Sugar Cookies

    Gather your baking ingredients together to prepare tasty and wholesome sugar cookies that are sure to put smiles on the faces of your loved ones. The primary ingredients needed include:

    • All-Purpose Flour – The flour is one of the first ingredients you should have to make the sugar cookies. You will mix it with several other essential ingredients.
    • Unsalted Butter – Use unsalted butter with the flour and other ingredients to create the perfect dough for your cookies.
    • Granulated Sugar – You need sugar to prepare sugar cookies. Choose granulated sugar because it gives the cookie dough that sweet taste.
    • Vanilla Extract – In addition to the sweet touch from the sugar, you need vanilla extract to add soft hints of vanilla to make your cookies taste even better.
    • Powdered Sugar – The powdered sugar is a must-have when preparing the frosting for your cookies. You will mix it with several other ingredients, including corn syrup.
    • Milk – Use milk to make your frosting. It helps create a creamy consistency that is sweet and tasty.
    • Light Corn Syrup – The light corn syrup gets mixed with the milk and powdered sugar to help you prepare the perfect frosting.

    In addition to these ingredients, you will need eggs, source cream, baking soda, baking powder, and sprinkles or candies to add on top of your frosting. Decorating the holiday sugar cookies is my favorite part. 

    A Top down flat lay photo of cookie cutters, decorated cut-out cookies and undecorated holiday cookies.

    How to Prepare the Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

    Prepare the sugar cookies by whisking most of your dry ingredients together and then adding your butter, vanilla extract, and sugar into the bowl. You will then add eggs and mix everything to create the dough for your cookies. It is vital to cover the dough with plastic wrap and give it time to chill for a minimum of two hours.

    When your dough is ready, preheat your oven, get your baking sheet ready, roll 1/4 of the dough, to 1/4-inch thickness. I like to use 2 rulers are a thickness guide. Be sure to leave spaces between the cut-out shapes. If the dough spreads too much while baking, place the entire cookie sheet with the cut-out shapes into the freezer for 15 minutes prior to baking.

    Bake the cookies for up to 10 minutes, let them cool completely and then decorate them. Keep in mind that you can make these sugar cookies year-round, not just for the holidays. 

    A Horizontal image of the Cut-Out Holiday Sugar Cookies on a red placemat.

    Place your cut-out holiday sugar cookies in a large metal cookie tin to keep them fresh. You should lay a sheet of parchment paper inside the bottom of a cookie tin, place your cookies down flat, add another sheet of parchment paper over the cookies, and continue lining more cookings on top. Your sugar cookies do not need to be refrigerated. You can leave them out on a kitchen table or put them in your pantry.

    More holiday cookies on a plate.

    Different Variations of Sugar Cookies with Icing 

    There are several ways to customize the outcome of your cookies. You can use different cookie cutters to create fun and unique shapes that your children will love. I like to use holiday-themed cutters for the cookie dough, but you can use dinosaur shapes, heart shapes, and more.

    Add food coloring to your frosting to make it look more exciting. I have created pink, red, green, and blue frosting for the cookies using food coloring. You can also choose to add the candy toppings or sprinkles you prefer. I like to use nonpareils on my holiday sugar cookies.

    What is your favorite part of making cookies? Leave a comment below if you decide to make these.

    A few more Christmas Treats

    An image linked to a Crockpot Christmas Candy Recipe.
    Crockpot Christmas Candy
    An image linked to my Christmas Cornflake Wreaths recipe.
    Cornflake Wreaths
    An image linked to another sugar cookie recipe with buttercream to decorate them.
    Snowflake Sugar Cookies

    A collage image with the text "Holiday Sugar Cookies" and two images of the decorated cookies.
    Yield: 60

    Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

    Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

    Surprise your loved ones with the sweetest and most enjoyable Cut-Out Holiday Sugar Cookies. Grab the kiddos for a fun time.

    Prep Time 2 hours 20 minutes
    Cook Time 12 minutes
    Decoration Time 1 hour
    Total Time 3 hours 32 minutes

    Ingredients

    For the Cookies

    • 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour plus more for rolling dough
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
    • 1 ⅔ cups granulated sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 large eggs, room temperature
    • 1 cup sour cream

    For the Frosting

    • 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
    • 2-3 tablespoons milk
    • 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
    • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
    • Decorations - candies, sprinkles

    Instructions

      1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
      2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy.
      3. Add eggs and beat until well combined.
      4. Gradually add dry ingredients, alternating with sour cream until well combined.
      5. Transfer dough to smaller bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
      6. Chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
      7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
      8. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
      9. Knead dough about ¼ of the dough at a time with a small amount of flour just until dough is not sticky.
      10. Roll out onto a floured surface about ⅛ - ¼ inch thick.
      11. Cut with cookie cutter and place on a prepared baking sheet.
      12. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned.
      13. Cool completely.
      14. Mix together all the frosting ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Divide the icing into smaller bowls and color with gel food coloring. Keep the icing covered with plastic wrap while not using.
      15. Add an assortment of sprinkles while the icing is wet.
      16. Wait 24 hours for the icing to dry before stacking the cookies.

    Notes

    If the cookies spread too much while baking, place the entire cookie sheet with cut-outs into the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up the dough.

    Did you make this recipe?

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    Images, text and all other content Copyrighted©Karyn Granrud, Susanne Queck and Wunderlander Verlag LLC, or ©Pro Stock Media via Canva.com. Unlicensed republishing permitted. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn on qualified purchases.

    Karyn Granrud

    Karyn Granrud

    I'm Karyn, a mom and wife, and I founded this little baking blog. Baking and making desserts have been my passion since I was a kid. I love experimenting with different flavors and sharing delicious recipes with all of you. Read more.

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