These old-fashioned cutout sugar cookies are a perfectly charming treat for the holidays. With a soft, buttery texture and a simple homemade icing, these easy cutout cookies bring back memories of holiday baking and family traditions. Whether you’re decorating cookies for Christmas or enjoying them year-round, this easy recipe brings the classic taste of homemade sugar cookies the way Grandma used to make them.” (If you love homemade cookies, check out my recipe for Old-Fashioned Gingersnaps.)
Don’t you just love those adorable, perfectly-decorated holiday cookies? They are like works of art. I just love to go to the bakery and gaze at those beautiful cookies. But when it comes to taste, I’m not always a fan. Most of those gorgeous cookies are decorated with royal icing which, I have to confess, I’m not fond of. No offense to the royal icing lovers out there, but I don’t care much for the flavor. Also, I don’t love to spend many hours decorating my homemade cookies to perfection. I prefer the simple yet lovely sugar cookies of my childhood that might have looked less than perfect but tasted delicious.
This easy-rolled sugar cookie dough is perfect for making holiday cutout cookies. And the icing is a simple powdered sugar icing that can be mixed up with food coloring to make an endless amount of colors for your cookie designs.
So let’s talk about how to make these classic, simple sugar cookies:
The Ingredients for these classic sugar cookies are simple:
There are just a handful of basic ingredients in this sugar cookie dough.
All-purpose flour – We call it all-purpose flour here in the U.S., but it is often called plain flour in some countries including the UK. I like to use unbleached all-purpose flour, but bleached all-purpose flour is fine, too. For this recipe, make sure to sift the flour before measuring.
Baking powder – Be sure to use baking powder and not baking soda for this recipe.
Salt – Regular table salt is what I use. If you’re using another type of salt, like Kosher or sea salt, make sure that it is fine salt.
Butter – I use salted butter. If you’re using unsalted butter, add another pinch of salt to your ingredients. For dairy-free cookies, use plant-based butter or shortening.
Sugar – Use granulated sugar. I prefer to use raw granulated cane sugar because I prefer the taste, but white granulated sugar is fine, too. If you prefer not to use real sugar, use a brand of sugar substitute that is approved for baking.
Eggs – For the best results, use large eggs at room temperature.
Milk – I use whole milk but any type of milk will work just fine. For dairy-free cookies, use your favorite plant milk.
Vanilla extract – I recommend using real vanilla extract and not imitation vanilla. But of course, I always recommend using what you already have.
Almond extract – This is an optional ingredient. If you enjoy an almond flavor, go ahead and use it. But be careful because the almond extract is very potent and can easily overpower the flavor of the cookie. Use no more than ¼ teaspoon.
Ingredients for easy Sugar Cookie Icing:
You only need simple ingredients to make this easy icing for sugar cookies:
Confectioners’ sugar – Confectioners’ sugar is basically powdered sugar. Technically, it’s powdered sugar that has a little bit of starch added to it. It’s also sometimes called icing sugar. It’s typically sold in a bag and will be labeled either powdered sugar or confectioners’ sugar. You can also make your own powdered sugar at home from granulated sugar. I like this guide to making your own powdered sugar by Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking.
Corn syrup or honey – This will give your icing some shine. Either one will work, but the honey will impart a slight flavor to the icing. You can also leave out the honey or corn syrup completely but your icing won’t be shiny at all without it.
Vanilla extract – I like a little bit of vanilla flavor in my icing, but you can leave it out or substitute another flavor like peppermint or almond if you prefer. You can also leave out the extract entirely and the icing will be just plain sweet and delicious. Also, if you want bright white icing, you will need to use clear vanilla extract, or just leave out the extract completely.
Food coloring – I prefer to use gel food coloring because it has the most vibrant colors and doesn’t add extra liquid to the icing. You can leave out the food coloring for an all-white icing, or experiment with making your own natural food colorings. This article by Leite’s Culinaria gives great instructions for making your own natural food coloring. And if artificial dyes are a concern, but you don’t want to make your own food coloring, there are commercial food colorings you can buy that don’t contain artificial dyes. I recommend this set by Watkins or this one by McCormick [affiliate links].
Tips for Making the Best Holiday Cutout Cookies:
- When measuring the flour, be sure to sift first, then measure. This will help to make sure that you don’t add too much flour into the mix. Too much flour will make the cookies tough.
- To combine the dry ingredients thoroughly, take a whisk or a fork and thoroughly mix the flour, baking powder, and salt before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the creamed butter and stir to combine. Gradually add the rest of the flour until you have a smooth dough that holds together but is not too stiff. You may end up adding all of the flour, or you may have a few tablespoons left over. It depends on the humidity of your house, the brand of flour that you’re using, and any number of other factors.
- You will need to chill the dough for an hour or two in the refrigerator to let it firm up before rolling it out. It’s best to split the dough into two portions before chilling because the dough will warm quickly (and begin to soften) after you take it out of the fridge. This way, you can roll and cut out half of the dough while the other half of the batch stays nice and chilly until you are ready to use it.
- Roll the dough to about 1/4 inch, then use cookie cutters dipped in flour to cut it into shapes. You can reroll any scraps to roll out again and make more cookies. If the dough gets too soft at any point, pop it back into the fridge for a few minutes to firm up.
- To keep the cookies from spreading and losing their shapes as they bake, bake them on an ungreased cookie sheet. The dough contains enough butter and the cookies shouldn’t stick. I like to bake mine on a sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat just as extra insurance that they won’t stick.
- Don’t overbake the cookies or they will become hard. Bake them for about 7-9 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies begin to turn very slightly golden.
- Allow the baked cookies to sit on a cookie sheet for a few minutes to cool before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make sure the cookies are completely cooled before icing them.
- You can apply the icing using a spatula, piping bag, or plastic bottles. I like to use these bottles [affiliate link] to ice my cookies. When mixing up the icing, adjust the milk and powdered sugar to get the consistency you need. You’ll need thicker icing if you will be using a spatula or piping bag to spread the icing on the cookies. The icing will need to be a little bit thinner if using icing bottles.
- After icing the cookies, you can eat them immediately, but if you want to stack them or package them as gifts, allow the cookies to sit uncovered for 24 hours. This allows the icing to totally dry and to become hard and shiny.
- You can also use this same dough to make round cinnamon sugar cookies. Simple rough dough into balls and roll a mixture of sugar and cinnamon before baking.
I hope you give this Old-Fashioned Cutout Sugar Cookies recipe a try and see just how simple it is to make your own perfect sugar cookies for decorating. If you try it, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below! Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for more of everything homemade, handmade, and homegrown.
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PrintEasy Rolled Sugar Cookies with Homemade Icing
- Total Time: 2 hours 8 minutes
- Yield: 30-40 cookies, depending on size 1x
Description
These simple cutout cookies are both beautiful and delicious. They capture that old-fashioned, homemade flavor just like Grandma used to make
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour (sift first, then measure)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
For the Icing:
- 4 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted (measure first, then sift)
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup or honey (honey will give your icing a slight honey flavor)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
- 6–10 tablespoons milk (start with 4 tablespoons, then add 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency)
- Food coloring (gel coloring works best) (optional)
Instructions
To Make the Sugar Cookies:
- In a mixing bowl, combine half of the flour with the baking powder and salt. Whisk well to combine. Set aside the remaining flour for later
- In a separate large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla, and beat on medium-low speed until well combined.
- Gradually add the flour mixture (containing the baking powder and salt) to the butter mixture, mixing just until combined. Then, slowly add the remaining flour, a bit at a time, until the dough forms a smooth consistency. You may not need to add all the remaining flour; avoid adding too much, as it can make the cookies tough. The dough should but a little bit stiff and not sticky.
- Divide the dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap or place in a plastic bag, and refrigerate for 1-2 hours until firm.
- Once chilled, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- On a floured surface, roll out one portion of the dough to about ¼ inch thick. Dip cookie cutters in flour, then cut out shapes, placing them about 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet (using a silicone mat or parchment paper is optional).
- Bake for 8-9 minutes, until the edges are just lightly golden. Avoid overbaking to keep the cookies soft.
- Repeat the rolling, cutting, and baking process with the remaining dough. You can re-roll the scraps to make additional cookies. If the dough becomes too soft to handle, briefly return it to the fridge to firm up.
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
To Ice the Sugar Cookies:
- In a bowl, mix the icing ingredients until smooth. Adjust the consistency as needed: add powdered sugar for a thicker consistency or milk to thin it out.
- Divide the icing into bowls if using multiple colors, and add food coloring as desired.
- Ice the cookies using a butter knife, icing bottle, or piping bag.
- For best results, allow the iced cookies to dry completely before stacking, ideally overnight, to ensure the icing is fully set.
- Prep Time: 60 minutes
- Chill Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
4 Comments
Sami
October 28, 2023 at 3:44 pmI’ve been looking for the best sugar cookie recipe for years and I think I’ve found it. These were the best sugar cookies with lovely flavor and texture. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Melissa
October 31, 2023 at 5:57 pmI’m so pleased you love the recipe. They are our favorite sugar cookies.
Esme
December 9, 2024 at 1:42 amPopping in quickly to let you know that your awesome post will be featured Monday at SSPS 340 https://esmesalon.com/tag/seniorsalonpitstop/
Melissa Lynn
December 9, 2024 at 6:59 amThank you so much for the feature!