Happy December!!! The holidays are upon us, which means it's time for...COOKIES! Without further ado, here are my new holiday sugar cookies with vanilla icing ๐๐ป.
I gotta be honest. I've always shied away from baking sugar cookies. They seemed like a "must be a professional baker or they'll fail" kind of thing. Welp! I'm here to tell you there's no need to worry. These holiday sugar cookies are easy to make, and simple to prep! You can literally slice 'em right off the log and bake 'em. Or if you're feeling swanky, roll them out and use cookie cutters as desired...I did both and made little cookie sandwiches out of them ๐คฃ.
How to Make Holiday Sugar Cookies
Super simple. I'm still shocked. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and extracts, beat until combined. Pour in combined dry ingredients. Mix until a soft dough is formed...
That's it!
Side note: Unlike most of my cookie recipes, these holiday sugar cookies can be sliced and baked OR you can roll out the dough and use cookie cutters to make fun shapes, whatever you prefer!
The Vanilla Icing
No holiday sugar cookies are complete without icing! I did the smallest amount of research about what kind of icing to use on sugar cookies for that glazed, hardened surface with a subtle shine and...have you ever heard of royal icing?
Well, as a "beginner" baker (aka not even, more like a sort of dabbles on the rare occasion) that was a hard pass. My research quickly changed to "how toย fake royal icing" in the easiest way possible. And lemme tell you, success was had!
What's the secret to this vanilla icing then? Actually there's two.
Secret one: light corn syrup. Do NOT skip this. I rarely ever use this stuff but this is what gives the icing it's shine.
Secret two: Add the liquid, of which there is not much, a little bit at a time until you reach the right consistency. Always err on the side of too thick rather than too thin because you can add another teaspoon or two of water but thickening vanilla icing back up again is a bit harder to do.
Now if you want to make different colors for your holiday sugar cookies, add one to two drops per color. That's it! Otherwise you can end up changing the consistency. Remember, icing darkens as it hardens.
Let's ๐๐ป get ๐๐ป baking ๐๐ป. Scroll down for the holiday sugar cookies with vanilla icing recipe!
Holiday Sugar Cookies with Vanilla Icing
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 24-30 Cookies 1x
Description
Easy, soft, and delicious, slice and bake or roll and cut out these cookies for a festive winter treat! Perfect for a holiday cookie decorating party.
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- ยพ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ยพ cup white sugar
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons vanilla paste or vanilla extract
- ยฝ teaspoon almond extract*
- 2 ยผ cups all purpose flour
- ยฝ teaspoon baking powder
- ยผ teaspoon sea salt
For the Vanilla Icing
- 4 cups powdered sugar (no need to sift)
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup (this gives the icing its shine!)
- ยฝ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ยผ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons skim milk (I used 1%), room temperature
- ยผ cup water, room temperature
- One to two drops food dye as desired for coloring
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Prepare a baking sheet (or two) with a silpat or parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt until completely combined. Set aside.
- In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, beat sugar and butter together on a high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Beat on a high speed until completely combined, about 1 minute.
- Turn the mixer onto a low speed. Add the dry flour mixture into the bowl and mix until a soft dough forms that can be made into a ball with your hands. If it's too sticky to roll into a ball, add another tablespoon of flour.
Make the Cookies: Slice and Bake
- Preheat oven to 350หF. Lightly dust a surface with flour. Roll the dough into a 10 to 12 inch log. Wrap up tightly in plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Chill for 2-3 hours, until firm.
- Remove the log from the fridge and unwrap. Slice the log into ยผ inch rounds and place each one on the prepared baking sheet.
- Place on the middle rack in the preheated oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes until just set and the edges areย just lightly golden.
- Remove to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, remove cookies from the baking sheet and let cool completelyย before icing.
Make the Cookies: Roll and Cut
- Preheat oven to 350หF. Lightly dust a surface with flour. Roll the dough out until it's about ยผ inch thick. Cut out as desired with cookie cutters. Place cut cookies onto prepared baking sheet and place in the fridge. Chill for 30 minutes until firm. You can also place them in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes until firm instead to shorten prep time!
- Place on the middle rack in the preheated oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes until just set and the edges areย just lightly golden.
- Remove to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, remove cookies from the baking sheet and let cool completelyย before icing.
Ice/Decorate Cookies
- While the cookings are cooling, make the icing. In a standing mixer or by hand in a large mixing bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, salt, light corn syrup, vanilla extract, and milk. It will beย very thick. Scrape down the sides and along the bottom as needed.
- Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking between each addition. Continue scraping down the sides and along the bottom as needed. When you lift the whisk and allow the icing to drizzle back into the bowl, it will leave a little ribbon on top that then dissolves back into the mix after a couple seconds. This means it's the right consistency!
- Now the world is your oyster:
- For coloring: mix a few spoonfuls of icing in a small bowl with one to two drops of food coloring in whatever color you desire.
- Use a squeeze bottle, piping bag, frosting spatula, or just dip the cookies in the icing as desired for decorating.
- Top with ALL the sprinkles, sanding sugar, candy canes, you name it. Make sure to do so quickly before the icing sets!
- Allow the cookies to set (about 24 hours at room temperature or 3 to 4 hours in the fridge) before stacking. If not gifting, feel free to eat right away! Store in airtight containers up to 1 week.
Notes
Just a hint of almond extract adds wonderful flavor! If you don't have any or are allergic to nuts, substitute with more vanilla extract.
If making ahead, you can also leave the cut cookie dough/cookie log in the refrigerator up to 24 hours in advance. Just make sure that it is tightly covered with plastic wrap!
You can also make the icing ahead of time, but do not freeze it. Let it chill in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Remove and let come to room temperature before using. Add a few drops of water and mix completely until the consistency is right.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
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