Description
This festive Christmas Sugar Cookie recipe features soft, buttery cookies rolled in vibrant red and green sanding sugar, perfect for holiday celebrations. The cookies have a classic sugar cookie flavor with a hint of vanilla and almond extracts, baked to a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature (2 sticks)
- 1 ½ cups (297g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp almond extract
Topping
- Red and green sanding sugar
Instructions
- Preheat and combine dry ingredients: Preheat your oven to 350ºF (175ºC). In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter with the granulated sugar using an electric mixer for about 1 minute until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add egg and extracts: Add the large egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract to the butter-sugar mixture. Beat again for 30 seconds until fully incorporated and smooth.
- Incorporate dry ingredients: Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed or stir by hand with a spatula until just combined, forming a soft dough.
- Form and coat cookies: Scoop dough balls using a cookie scoop, about 3 tablespoons for large cookies or smaller if preferred. Roll each dough ball in red or green sanding sugar until well coated.
- Arrange on baking sheet: Place the coated dough balls 2 inches apart on a silicone-lined or parchment paper–lined baking sheet to allow for spreading during baking.
- Bake: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes for large cookies, or slightly less time for smaller ones, until edges are just set and centers are still soft.
- Cool: Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- The dough balls in the photos were approximately 3 heaping tablespoons, yielding large cookies that bake perfectly in 12-14 minutes.
- If you make smaller dough balls, reduce the baking time to avoid overbaking and drying out the cookies.
- Using cornstarch in the flour mix helps keep the cookies tender and soft.
- Rolling dough balls in sanding sugar adds a festive crunch and sparkle to each cookie.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 190
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 110mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
