Description
These Easy Christmas Sugar Cookies with Icing are a festive and flavorful treat perfect for holiday celebrations. Soft, buttery cookies spiced with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and a hint of vanilla are topped with a smooth, sweet royal icing that’s perfect for decorating. The recipe is straightforward and uses common ingredients, making it ideal for bakers of all skill levels who want to create beautiful, delicious holiday cookies quickly and easily.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 2 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅔ cup salted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon meringue powder
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 5 tablespoons + 1 ½ teaspoons water
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set it aside for later.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine the all purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and nutmeg. Stir these together well and set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the room temperature salted butter with the granulated and brown sugars on medium-high speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy. This should take a few minutes.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Add the egg and vanilla extract to the creamed butter and sugar mixture. Mix until fully incorporated.
- Combine with Dry Ingredients: Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in the mixer bowl and mix just until the dough comes together. Avoid over-mixing to prevent a crumbly texture.
- Roll and Cut Dough: Immediately transfer the dough onto a clean, floured surface. Roll out the dough to a thickness of ¼ inch. Use cookie cutters to cut out as many shapes as possible. Gather any scraps, reroll, and repeat until all dough is used.
- Bake Cookies: Place the cut cookies on the prepared baking sheet and bake on the center rack in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until the edges are set but cookies are still soft.
- Cool Cookies on Sheet: Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 8 minutes so they firm up slightly.
- Transfer to Cooling Rack: Carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Bake Remaining Cookies: Repeat the baking and cooling process with the remaining dough cutouts.
- Prepare Icing: Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, combine the powdered sugar, meringue powder, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt in a bowl.
- Add Water and Whisk: While the mixer runs, gradually add 5 tablespoons plus 1½ teaspoons of water. Whisk for 4 to 5 minutes until the icing is smooth and glossy.
- Prepare for Decorating: Spoon the icing into a piping bag and snip a small hole at the tip to pipe or decorate your cooled cookies as desired.
Notes
- Cookies may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days to maintain freshness.
- Silicone baking mats can be used as a reusable alternative to parchment paper for easier cleanup.
- Mix cookie dough only until just combined after adding the dry ingredients to avoid tough or crumbly cookies caused by overdeveloped gluten.
- If using unsalted butter instead of salted butter, add a heaping ¼ teaspoon salt to the dough to balance flavors.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (approximate)
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
