Christmas Cutout Cookies

Emily's Fave Recipe

December 9, 2024  |  4 min read

Emily Van Eps

Emily Van Eps

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It never quite feels like the holiday season in my home until I’ve done some sort of baking. As an adult, that has consisted of many different recipes over the years, but as a child, our tradition was cutout sugar cookies.

I don’t use the same recipe anymore these days, but those memories of making cookies together with my sisters and parents are something I will forever cherish.

The recipe below is the one I’ve used for the past 10 years and it’s seen a large range of decorating to go along with it—everything from beautiful royal icing to a simple, classic buttercream and sprinkles done by a 2-year-old’s hands. 

My favorite way to eat them is with a buttercream frosting—it makes the cookies perfectly soft, even if they’ve been a bit overcooked. But if you’re looking to make little edible works of art, I would definitely go with a royal icing! 

However you choose to decorate them, I hope you enjoy them as much as my family has!

Christmas Cutout Cookies

Christmas Cutout Cookies
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Christmas Cutout Cookies

Recipe by For This House
Servings

36

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

8

minutes
Calorieskcal

Cutout sugar cookies that keep their shape for the perfect edges every time! And with no need to chill the dough, they're quick and easy.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter (room temp)

  • 1 cup granulated sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

  • 1 large egg (room temp)

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • With either a hand or stand mixer, cream together butter (1 cup) and sugar (1 cup) until smooth, at least 3 minutes.
  • Beat in vanilla extract (1 tsp), almond extract (1/2 tsp), and egg (1 large).
  • In a separate bowl, combine baking powder (2 tsp), salt (1/2 tsp), and flour (3 cups). Add slowly to wet ingredients, making sure to fully incorporate after each addition.
  • If the dough looks dry and crumbly, continue mixing for 30 seconds to 1 minute. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl when it is ready. If it is still too dry or stiff for your mixer, turn out on a floured surface and knead by hand.
  • Divide the dough into workable sections, roll it out on a floured surface to the thickness of about 1/4 inch, and cut.
  • Place cookies on a cookie sheet and prick 1-2 times in the largest areas of dough with a fork. (This step helps the cookies to bake more evenly and not puff up too much).
  • Bake cookies for about 6-8 minutes. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet until firm enough to transfer to another surface to fully cool.

Classic Buttercream

Classic Buttercream Frosting
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Classic Buttercream Frosting

Recipe by For This House
Prep time

10

minutes
Yield

5

cups

This buttercream is super easy to throw together and very versatile! I use it for cakes/cupcakes, and cookies alike.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups unsalted butter (room temp)

  • 6 cups powdered sugar

  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (make sure it's clear if you want classic white frosting)

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 3-4 tablespoons heavy cream (depending on preferred consistency)

Directions

  • To a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the room temperature butter (2 cups). Beat the butter on medium-high speed until the butter is fluffy and pale in color, at least 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of your bowl occasionally.
  • Slow the mixer speed to the lowest setting and add 3 cups of powdered sugar. Mix until fully incorporated, then add remaining powdered sugar (3 cups) and continue to mix until incorporated.
  • Add vanilla extract and salt and mix until combined.
  • Scrape down the sides of your bowl. Return mixer to lowest speed and add 3 tablespoons of heavy cream to the bowl. Once heavy cream is incorporated, turn the mixer speed to medium and whip for 3 minutes until fluffy and light.
  • Depending on your preferred consistency, you may add additional tablespoons of heavy cream and follow step 4 to incorporate.

Royal Icing

Royal icing is beautiful, but it really is an art. For that reason, I’m not even going to attempt to write up a recipe for it; I’m just going to send you to the blog post I used to learn everything I needed to know to make beautifully iced sugar cookies! 

Claire over at The Simple Sweet Life has a very comprehensive post teaching you the ins and outs of making royal icing, making it super easy for beginners and experts alike. You can find that post here: How to Make Royal Icing: The Ultimate Guide.

About the Author

Emily Van Eps

Emily Van Eps

Emily is a founder of For This House, and the middle sister to Lauren and Ally. She is a graphic design maven by trade, currently living in small-town and staying home with her two beautiful girls.  Learn more about Emily.