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Frosted Sugar Cookies – Soft sugar cookies that are perfect for any occasions. Decorate with frosting and sprinkles for Christmas or any other time of year.
Do you have classics that you have to make every year for the holidays? My family definitely does! This Fudge gets made every year on Christmas Eve and that has happened every year of my life. And these sugar cookies are an absolute must for my husband.
In our house, it is this sugar cookie recipe or nothing. My husband has his favorite, and this is it! That and Party Mix are his only two requests every year for the holidays.
I grew up with a different sugar cookie recipe, but I am a total convert now. These are thick, soft, sweet and perfect! Plus they are super easy to make. They don’t spread and the cookies keep their shape. Top with with frosting and they are the ultimate Christmas treat. Reese’s Fudge might be my son’s favorite, but these cookies are a close 2nd.
My sugar cookie frosting recipe is pretty basic. But it is so good! It is the recipe that my mother in law always made for these cookies, so I know it is husband approved.
- Butter, make sure it is nice and soft
- Vanilla
- Powdered Sugar
- Milk
Plus you don’t need a mixer to make it, just make sure your butter is very soft and you can mix it together in a bowl with a spatula.
How to Make Sugar Cookies
These cookies come together just like your classic chocolate chip cookies.
- Mix together the butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Mix in the eggs and vanilla until everything is well combined.
- Then add in the dry ingredients and mix until the flour is just mixed in. You do not want to over mix the dough, because you will be handling it more when rolling it out and too much will cause your cookies to be tough.
- Then you just roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. I roll to about 1/4 inch thick, because we like our cookies thick. If you go thinner you will just shorten the baking time.
- Cut out the cookies into the shapes you want, place on a lined baking sheet and bake for about 7 minutes. You want them to be set in the middle and the bottoms will have small air bubbles. If they are browned on the edges you cooked them a little bit too long.
- Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
I don’t chill my dough, like a lot of recipes do. Sometimes I might if I am making them ahead and need to do the recipe in steps. But for the most part I just mix them up and roll out the dough. While the cookies are baking and cooling I make the frosting and let is sit until I am ready to use it.
The fun thing about sugar cookies is you can make them any shape you like, for any season. I actually did football helmets, and footballs a few weeks ago. They are great for just about any time of the year, just change the shape and the color of the sprinkles!
I am a sucker for anything with chocolate and these Chocolate Toffee Bars are one of my favorite things. But I have a soft spot for these sugar cookies and look forward to them every year.
Storing Sugar Cookies
You do not need to refridgerate frosted sugar cookies. I place them in an air tight container with a layer of parchment paper in between so they don’t stick to each other.
- Freezing – you can definitely freeze the cookies once they are frosted if you want to make them ahead. They will last for 2-3 months in the freezer.
- They will last on the counter top for 7-10 days in an air tight container.
Making Sugar Cookies Ahead Of Time
One thing I like to do is make the dough ahead of time. I will make the dough a couple weeks before holiday baking season and have it wrapped in plastic in the freezer. Then when I want to bake, I just have to take them out and roll the dough. You could even store them in the freezer already cut out, so you just had to bake them.
You can always bake them and store them in the freezer already baked with or without the frosting as well. I think they taste better if you frost them just before serving as opposed to freezing it, but it works either way
Other Christmas Recipes to Try
- Grasshopper Pie
- No Bake Mint Chocolate Chip Pie
- Andes Mint Cake Mix Cookies
- Easy Microwave Fudge
- Christmas Sangria
- Peppermint Sugar Cookie Bars
- Christmas Dessert Lasagna
- Peppermint Oreo Turffles
Frosted Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 whole large egg
- 3 Tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Sugar Cookie Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400º F.
- Cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the milk, vanilla and egg, mix until the egg is fully incorporated and blended together.
- Mix in the flour, baking powder and salt until everything just comes together. Do not over mix.
- Roll the dough onto a lightly floured surface. We like the cookies to be thick and chewy, so I roll it out to about 1/4 inch thick. Dip a cookie cutter in flour, and cut out cookies. Place on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes.
- Remove from oven, and let cook for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. In a large bowl mix together all of the ingredients until creamy and well blended. Adjust milk and sugar to get a spreadable consistency.
- Once completely cool, frost and decorate as desired.
- Let the frosting harden before storing in an air tight container.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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These are so pretty! I have only made sugar cookies a handful of times (I’m kind of embarrassed to say), but this would be a fun project with my nieces and nephews!
These were so easy and I had such a fun time decorating them with my kids! Definitely a new tradition in our home!
These are the cookies I think of when it comes to Christmas. They are so fun to bake with the kids too.
I feel like the frosting really makes these cookies soar to a whole new level! So good and fun for the kids to help!
I made these cookies and they are amazingly delicious! A must try recipe for sure!