Christmas Cookies
Buttery vanilla Christmas Cookies made from a practical no-chill dough. Roll them thin for crisp edges or thicker for soft centers, bake for 10 minutes, and leave plain or decorate with festive finishes.
Equipment
- Baking Sheets
- Electric Mixer
- Rolling Pin
- cookie cutters
Ingredients
- 225g / 1 cup unsalted butter (, softened (or use salted, skip salt))
- 1 cup caster/superfine sugar ((granulated/ordinary white sugar ok too))
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg ((55-60g / 1.9-2oz))
- 3 cups flour (, plain / all purpose)
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- Icing for Sugar Cookies
Instructions
- Set the oven to 180°C / 350°F, or 160°C fan, and cover 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. The parchment should lie flat beneath the cutouts.
- Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl for 1 minute on speed 5. Look for a creamy mixture rather than an airy, whipped texture.
- Beat the egg and vanilla into the butter mixture. Continue until no separate streaks of egg remain.
- Put the flour, baking powder, and salt into the bowl. The dry ingredients will sit over the creamy mixture before mixing.
- Run the mixer slowly at first, then beat until the flour disappears into the dough. Expect distinct clumps rather than a smooth ball.
- Scrape the mixture onto a flour-dusted work surface, press it together, divide it in half, and form 2 discs. Each portion should hold together instead of remaining loose crumbs.
- Roll each portion to 0.3cm / 1/8" for crisp cookies or 0.6cm / 1/4" for softer cookies, dusting beneath and above the dough with flour as needed. An even thickness helps the cutouts color consistently.
- Stamp out the dough with cookie cutters and lift each shape onto the lined sheets using a knife or spatula, refrigerating dough that must wait for oven space. Support narrow points and branches so they retain their shape during transfer.
- Bake for 10 minutes, exchanging the trays’ positions halfway through. Remove them when the tops look pale golden and the edges show their first light golden color.
- Leave the cookies on their baking sheets until completely cool. They will continue setting on the warm trays and become firmer as they cool.
Decorating Options:
- Choose sugar-cookie icing for an iced finish. It provides a canvas for festive colors and designs.
- Melt chocolate and dip the cookie surface into it. The chocolate creates a contrasting finish over the vanilla cookie.
- Add icing dots and silver decorating balls. The small accents suit stars, trees, and other holiday shapes.
- Give the cookies a dusting of powdered sugar. The white finish leaves the cutter shapes easy to recognize.
- Leave some cookies undecorated. The buttery vanilla flavor stands on its own.
Notes
Texture tip: Roll the dough to 0.3cm (1/8 inch) for crisp cookies or 0.6cm (1/4 inch) for softer centers. Keep flour dusting light when re-rolling scraps so extra flour does not make the dough dry.
Dough handling: Expect a clumpy, pebble-like mixture in the mixer bowl after adding the flour; patting it together on the work surface brings it into a cohesive dough. Slide a flat knife or spatula under cut shapes to prevent narrow points from stretching, and refrigerate any dough waiting for oven space.
Doneness: Swap the baking sheets halfway through baking and pull the trays when the tops look pale golden and the edges show light golden color. Warm cookies remain soft at first and finish setting as they cool completely on the trays.
Ingredient tip: Regular granulated white sugar works in place of caster or superfine sugar, and salted butter may be used if you omit the added salt.
Nutrition information is an estimate based on common ingredients and serving sizes. Values may vary depending on brands, portions, and substitutions.