One of the best parts of Christmas is all the baking and sweets. And while I love a good cake or cheesecake, there’s doubt that this time of year is all about the Christmas cookies! Most of us have some classic Christmas cookie recipes we’ve been using since we were kids, but it’s also fun to change it up every once in a while and add in something new.
From decorated sugar cookies and drop sugar cookies, to gingerbread men, spritz cookies, shortbread and peanut butter blossoms, you’ll find it all in this list – plus SO much more! A couple of my favorites are the pecan pralines and caramel coconut macaroons (they’re no-bake!). They are all perfect for a cookie platter or for gifting and are sure to be a hit!
I made sugar cookies every Christmas as a kid, and the same is true to this day. It’s always tons of fun to decorate them! While I still swear by my Classic Sugar Cookie Recipe, I wanted to share this new one so that you can choose between them based on your preferences.
While my classic sugar cookies work great and are delicious, the cookie dough isn’t always as forgiving. You need to have just the right amount flour or you could end up with cookies that spread (too little flour) or cookies that are dry (too much flour). These cookies are more forgiving because they’re made with cornstarch, which helps to cookies to keep their shape while using less dry ingredients. You generally need about half the amount of cornstarch compared to flour. As a result, your cookie dough isn’t as dry, which helps make sure that your cookies turn out super soft and tender. At the same time, cornstarch is. thickener, so it prevents them from spreading so that they’ll still hold their shape throughout the baking process.
ou’ll also notice that these cookies don’t contain any baking powder or baking soda. These are leavening agents and therefore cause cookies to rise. Rising can mean spreading, and we want to avoid that in these cookies. Without any leavening agents present, you’re able to make these cookies thicker than my other ones since you don’t have to worry about spreading.
With that extra thickness comes extra sturdiness, which makes these cookies great for shipping to faraway friends and loved ones!
Cut-out cookies are shaped with a cookie cutter before they’re baked, while drop sugar cookies are simply scooped onto the baking sheet. Usually, that means cut-out cookies are crispier. But this recipe cheats the system and gives you flawless cut-out cookies that are impossibly soft and moist!
Ingredients You’ll Need
I’ve paired these cookies with a very simple homemade icing that hardens on top of them with time. It’s a great recipe for beginners, but it doesn’t allow you to make super intricate designs on your cookies. If you’re looking to decorate your cookies with loads of detail, I recommend whipping up my classic Royal Icing instead.
For the Cut Out Sugar Cookies
- All-Purpose Flour: Make sure you do not pack the flour into your measuring cup – if you do, you’ll add too much. I like to use a food scale to be completely accurate, but if you don’t have one, you want to spoon the flour into the cup and then level it.
- Cornstarch: Measure the flour and cornstarch with a food scale to ensure accuracy.
- Salt: For flavor. You’d be surprised how much of a difference it makes in baked good.
- Unsalted Butter: Brought to room temperature.
- Granulated Sugar
- Egg: To bind the ingredients together.
- Vanilla Extract: Choose a high-quality extract for the best flavor.
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