Description
These Soft Christmas Cookies are tender, buttery, and delightfully festive. Perfectly spiced and decorated with smooth vanilla icing and sprinkles, they bring holiday cheer to any gathering. Made with simple ingredients and baked to soft perfection, these cookies are ideal for sharing with family and friends during the Christmas season.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 4 tablespoons milk
Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Food coloring (optional)
- Sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper to ensure cookies bake evenly and don’t stick.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside to blend the leavening and seasoning evenly throughout the flour.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the softened butter and granulated sugar until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, which incorporates air for a tender cookie.
- Add Eggs and Extracts: Beat in the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract until fully combined, adding moisture and flavor depth to the dough.
- Combine Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, alternating with milk. Mix until just combined. If the dough feels too sticky to roll, chill it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm up.
- Roll Out the Dough: Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll it out to about ¼-inch thickness. Use festive cookie cutters to shape the dough, then place the shapes on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the edges are just lightly golden. Let them cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the Icing: Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth. Add food coloring if desired to create colorful decorations.
- Decorate: Once the cookies have completely cooled, spread or pipe the icing on top. Add sprinkles or other festive decorations as desired to finish your soft Christmas cookies.
Notes
- Chilling the dough helps prevent spreading and makes cutting shapes easier.
- Use parchment paper or silicone baking mats for easy cleanup and to prevent sticking.
- The almond extract adds a subtle nutty flavor but can be omitted if allergic or undesired.
- For softer cookies, do not overbake; remove them as soon as edges start to turn golden.
- Let cookies cool completely before icing to prevent melting or sliding of decorations.
