Take a break from the Christmas madness to make Christmas Cookies! These sugar cookies are classic vanilla biscuits that are made for cutting out shapes because they hold their shape perfectly when baked.
NO CHILL time, make them soft OR crispy. Ice them my EASY way, dip in chocolate, dust with icing sugar or serve them plain!
Christmas Cookies
What I call “Christmas Cookies” are simply vanilla biscuits cut out in Christmas shapes and iced with colourful festive frosting. They taste like shortbread cookies, but not quite as buttery or crumbly. They are as classic as vanilla biscuits can be.
This particular biscuit recipe is made for cutting out shapes – in this case, Christmas shapes. Most cookies spread snd puff up so they bear little resemblance to the shape you expected!
But these hold their shape perfectly – as you can see by the sharp ridges and corners in the photo below.
What you need for Christmas Cookies
The nice thing about these Christmas Cookies is that they’re made with pantry staples – so there’s no need to add to your ever growing Christmas grocery shopping list!!!
How to make Christmas Cookies
Unlike most cookie doughs suitable for cutting out shape, there’s no chill time required for this recipe. Ain’t nobody got time for chilling during Christmas madness – right??!
Bonus: the dough is easy to handle and can be scrunched up and rolled up again over and over until you’ve used up every scrap.
Because these are sweet vanilla biscuits, they are flavoured enough and sweet enough to serve plain. But if you are inclined to ice them, pop over to my Icing for Christmas Cookies (PS I also share my quick ‘n easy way to ice them!)
So. Many. Cookies.
A sight that will catapult anyone into serious Christmas spirit!!
Make these for Santa, your family, or (if you’re really feeling the holiday spirit) maybe even to gift to someone.
And don’t worry. This is a big batch recipe. Nibble away, no one will miss one or two or five!! 😉 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Christmas Cookies (Vanilla Biscuits / Sugar Cookies)
Ingredients
- 225g / 1 cup unsalted butter , softened (or use salted, skip salt)
- 1 cup caster/superfine sugar (granulated/ordinary white sugar ok too)
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg (55-60g / 1.9-2oz)
- 3 cups flour , plain / all purpose
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
Icing for Sugar Cookies
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until creamy (1 minute on speed 5)
- Add egg and vanilla, beat until completely combined.
- Add flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Start mixing slowly, then beat until the flour is incorporated – it will be clumpy.
- Dust work surface with flour, scrape dough out of bowl. Pat together then cut in half, then shape into 2 discs.
- Roll out to 0.3cm / 1/8" (for thinner, crispier cookies) or 0.6cm / 1/4" (for thicker, softer cookies), sprinkling with flour under and over the dough so it doesn't stick.
- Use cookie cutters to press out shapes and use a knife or spatula to transfer shapes to prepared baking sheets. (Keep dough that doesn’t fit in the oven in the fridge).
- Bake for 10 minutes, swapping trays halfway (Note 2), until the surface is pale golden and the edges are just beginning to turn light golden.
- Allow cookies to cool completely on trays (they will finish cooking on the trays).
Decorating options:
- Icing – see Icing for Christmas Cookies recipe.
- Melt chocolate then dip the surface into chocolate.
- Dot with icing sugar and decorated with silver balls
- Dust with icing sugar
- Serve plain! They are sweet vanilla biscuits so they are wonderful eaten just as they are!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published 2019. Reviewed and refreshed as needed every year or so. No change to recipe, it’s a classic!
Life of Dozer
When Dozer got his very own personalised Christmas cookie!!
Can I use honey instead of sugar?
Hi Nagi
Can I used self raising flour? If yes, do I cut out the salt and baking Soda?
Hi Susan, not for this recipe sorry – you need plain flour. N x
Managed to make 150 of these yummy cookies (= 5 batches). Made into circle cookies then topped with a personalised message in fondant for my daughters kindy and childcare friends and all her teachers over the past 4.5 years. I found the salt was noticeable but it complimented the sweetness of the cookie and fondant. Recipe mentions it makes 40 however each batch I only managed to get 34-36 but each cookie was around 7cm across. Highly recommend making these and will be making more in the coming days for Xmas presents.
Hi! Can you please tell me if the cookies in the end are hard or like gingerbread?
Hi Myriam, firm almost like shortbread – N x
Hi Nagi! Do you think I can add lemon zest to this recipe? Am thinking of making one batch vanilla and another batch lemony if you think it would work?
Hi JM, yes 100%! Enjoy!! N x
Loved this recipe although I might have done something wrong, part of the batch did not hold the shape.
Hi Evelyn, the cookie dough should hold it’s shape – did you mis measure anything by any chance? N x
Hi Nagi, would you please make Linzer cookies, or your version of a jam sandwich cookie. Thanks.
absolutely perfect, exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!
The cookies were scrumptious!
Hey! I have a friend who is allergic to baking powder. I see there are alternatives to this, but also see there isnt any liquid in your recipe and was thinking of using butter milk. Any suggestions for a substitute?
Hi Claire, you don’t want liquid in this recipe, it’s a dough so it needs to be fairly firm to roll out and for the cookies to hold their shape. N x
How long does the dough last if you want to do them in batches over the week?
I read cookie dough in general will last max 5 days in the fridge x
Good job you do lots of stuff, it must be lots of fun
Good job you do lots of stuff, it must be lots of fun 🤩 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
Best vanilla biscuits ever. Love that the dough doesn’t ‘melt’ and that it can be rolled out as many times as you need to. Made them with my 4yr old so that was definitely helpful. Thanks Nagi. Your recipes never disappoint xxx
Thank you so much for sharing.
I can’t wait to try all those yummy cookies that I am going make 🙂
I am very excited to make them and surprise to husband 🙂
Every recipe I make from your website is a success! Mr 7 wanted to make Christmas cookies and we made these because it looked quick and easy and it turned out so good, that I have to hide them from myself as we can’t just stop at one. I’m adding this to my recipe book. You never disappoint.
Well, it’s official, I’m cooking all sorts of goodies for Christmas gifts using your recipes, and I’ve just placed my order for some Christmas shaped cookie cutters!
Is it possible to make and then freeze the dough so that it’s ready for me to use the day before my guests arrive please Nagi? Thanks in advance 😊
Yes 100% Lorraine! Freeze up to 3 months – N x
Hi could I ask does this dough taste salty before you bake it I tasted them and tasted salty will wait till cooked ,
Hi i love this i wanna make for my family for christmas
I hope you do Yukari!! N x
This website made an amazing batch of cookies I highly recommend this!
Hi Nagi, this recipe is amazing however can I adapt it and add spices to make it a gingerbread cookie instead without losing the shape and texture for Christmas? Thanks
Doe using SR flour change the outcome of the biscuits in any way?
Nagi, you did it again!
These are wonderful and they truly retain their shape. I baked these for my daughter’s birthday in the shape of her age (4) and they came out perfect!
I’m in South East Asia and it’s 30C, so I did need to chill the dough slightly (also my rolling pin), but the dough itself rolls like a dream! Super easy to handle.
Thank you!