If there’s one recipe you 100 percent need to crank out some seriously beautiful holiday treats, it’s the classic, basic sugar cookie. Some of the most intricately ordained, masterpiece cookies begin with a simple foundation. Let’s start with this recipe we love for a vanilla-bean-speckled version that’s sure to hold its own under all that icing.
Basic Sugar Cookie Recipe
(Makes approximately 40 small cookies)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup butter (room temperature + cubed)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 1 egg
- 3 cups flour
Instructions:
1. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add vanilla bean and egg. Mix until just incorporated.
2. Gradually add flour (you may not need the full three cups), and mix until dough forms and pulls away from the bowl. Divide dough into two even discs and wrap in cling wrap, then refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.
3. When ready to roll dough, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line baking trays with baking paper or silicone baking mats.
4. Roll cookie dough between two pieces of parchment paper to 1/4-inch in thickness, and use cookie cutters to cut out cookie shapes.
5. Transfer cookies to a baking tray using a lightly floured spatula. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes before baking.
6. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or when edges begin to brown. The time will be dependent on size and thickness of cookies.
7. Allow to cool on tray until warm to touch, then transfer onto a wire cooling rack.
For Millennial Pink Ornament Sugar Cookies
Additional Ingredients and Supplies:
- cookie cutters: ornaments
- pink and white hard candy or candy canes (crushed)
- white compound chocolate or candy melts
- pink oil-based food coloring
- pink or white ribbons/string
Instructions:
1. Make cookie dough, roll out, and cut using ornament cutters. Cut a hole in the top of the ornament with a straw before baking to put the ribbon through. Chill then bake according to instructions. Cool cookies for 30 minutes minimum.
2. Melt chocolate according to package directions. Divide into three bowls. Set aside one bowl. In a second bowl, add 1-2 drops of pink dye and stir to form a light shade of pink. In another bowl, add 3-5 drops of dye and stir for a darker shade of pink.
3. Dip cookies into various shades of melted chocolate. You can dip multiple layers to create an ombre effect. Sprinkle with crushed candy. Leave to dry completely.
4. Attach ribbons/string to cookies.
For Red-Nosed Reindeer Sugar Cookies
Additional Ingredients and Supplies:
- cookie cutters: gingerbread-man cutter and small circle tip
- hard red candy like Jolly Ranchers (crushed)
- royal icing (dyed with light brown, dark brown, and black gel food coloring, and fitted in piping bags with small round tips)
Instructions:
1. Make cookie dough, roll out, and cut using gingerbread-man cutter. Cut round hole in head of the cut-out men to make space for the red nose. Transfer to baking sheets, and chill in freezer for 15 minutes. Bake for approximately 10 minutes.
2. Remove from oven and fill nose holes with crushed hard candy. Bake for an extra few minutes (until candy has melted). Cool cookies for 30 minutes minimum.
3. Pipe on details with royal frosting. Outline the reindeer’s face with light brown royal icing. Fill in, then use a toothpick to swirl the icing to fill in any gaps. This also helps it dry in an even layer. Allow to dry completely. Use dark brown to pipe on the antlers and ear detailing and black to dot on the eyes. Leave to dry completely.
For Christmas Llama Sugar Cookies
Additional Ingredients and Supplies:
- cookie cutters: llama, mini triangle
- royal icing (white and dyed with light pink, green, red, black, blue, and yellow gel food coloring, and fitted in piping bags with small round #24 Wilton tips)
- Christmas-themed candies (Red Hots and holly)
Instructions:
1. Make cookie dough, roll out, and cut using llama cutter. For some of the cookies, cut out hats with a small triangle cookie cutter to give your llamas a tiny holiday hat. Chill and bake according to instructions. Cool for 30 minutes minimum.
2. Outline the llama’s body with light pink royal icing. Fill in, then use a toothpick to swirl the icing to fill in any gaps. This also helps it dry on in an even layer. Dry for 30 minutes.
3. With the same technique, use the white icing to ice on the second layer (the face and feet of the lllama). Dry for 30 minutes.
4. Ice the third layers (green scarf, red Santa’s hat, black strings of the lights). Dry for 30 minutes.
5. Ice on final details (face with black icing, lights with different colors, white fluff of Santa’s hat, etc.). Add any candies.
6. Leave to dry completely.
Show us your favorite Christmas cookie ideas by tagging us on Instagram + using the hashtags #bcfoodie and #britstagram! And be sure to check out our Pinterest account for more holiday treat ideas.