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easy Christmas sugar cookies decorated with red and green icing and sprinkles placed on a plate next to ornaments
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5 from 68 votes

Easy Decorated Christmas Sugar Cookies

These easy decorated Christmas sugar cookies are soft, tender and perfect for decorating with icing! They bake up smooth and flat for easy decorating or dipping. A simple, easy to make decorated Christmas cookie!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time8 minutes
Chill Time30 minutes
Total Time53 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12
Calories: 175kcal

Ingredients

Sugar Cookie Dough

  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • 2 cups cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • pinch of salt

Optional flavorings (choose one):

  • 1 Tablespoon orange or lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon peppermint extract leave out the vanilla and almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract leave out the vanilla and almond extract

Instructions

  • Soften the cream cheese and butter at room temperature. You can also microwave the cream cheese for 15 seconds at a time until soft.
    ingredients for soft cream cheese sugar cookies in glass bowls
  • Beat together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar with a mixer until the sugar granules have completely dissolved. The mixture should be pale and fluffy.
    sugar, butter, and cream cheese beaten in a glass bowl with a hand mixer
  • Mix in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Add any optional flavorings at this time.
    sugar cookie dough batter being mixed with a hand mixer
  • Sift in the all purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix together until just combined.
    soft sugar cookie dough being mixed in a glass bowl
  • Next, chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. I recommend pre-rolling out the dough in between two sheets of parchment paper for easier handling and laying it flat in the fridge. Make sure the dough is ¼ inch to ⅓ inch thick. Any thinner and the cookies won't turn out soft and tender. See Note 1 for more details.
    Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
    sugar cookie dough being rolled out with a marble rolling pin
  • Roll the dough out to ¼ to ⅓ inch thick (if not already done). Cut out shapes from the cookie dough. Dip the cookie cutters in flour before each press so the dough doesn't stick.
    cookie cutters placed on top of rolled sugar cookie dough
  • Bake for 8 - 9 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. The cookies should be pale in color and have a smooth, flat surface. Let the cookies cool completely before decorating with icing.
    soft Christmas sugar cookies on a baking tray next to cookie cutters
  • Let the cookies cool completely before decorating with icing or dipping them in chocolate ganache. Add the sprinkles while the icing or chocolate ganache is still wet. Makes about 36 cookies.
    iced Christmas sugar cookies on a baking sheet next to ornaments, cookie cutters, and red ribbon

Notes

It's important the dough is chilled before baking so they retain their shape.
Note 1: Ways to Chill  Sugar Cookie Dough:
  • Option 1: Divide the dough into 2 or 3 equal parts and wrap it in plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the freezer for 10 minutes or in the fridge for 20 minutes.
  • Option 2 (Recommended): Working in two or three batches, roll out the dough ⅓ to ¼ inch thick and place it between two sheets of parchment paper. Chill the rolled out dough in the fridge for 15 - 20 minutes. Don't roll the dough any thinner than ¼ inch thick - the cookies won't be as soft and tender.
  • Option 3: Cut out shapes from the cookie dough and place them on parchment paper. Chill the cut outs in the fridge for 15 minutes and then place them straight into a preheated oven. Dip the cookie cutters in flour in between cut outs to prevent the dough from sticking.
Storage: 
  • Undecorated sugar cookies can be made a week in advance. Tightly wrap them in plastic wrap and store them in an airtight container. Keep them in the fridge or freezer and let them come to room temperature before serving. Double wrapping the cookies help them stay soft and reduce their exposure to air.
  • Unbaked sugar cookie dough can be stored in the freezer for 2 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 175kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 28mg | Potassium: 43mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 301IU | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg