Holiday Sugar Cookies with Icing
Tender, buttery, and cakey sugar cookies with a hint of cinnamon. These Holiday Sugar Cookies with Icing are a classic sugar cookie with a little holiday cheer!
If you’re looking for more Christmas cookies, try some of my other favorites like Candy Cane Crunch Dark Chocolate Cookies, Cinnamon Pecan Kourambiethes (Greek Butter Cookies), Eggless Sourdough Molasses Cookies, Gingerbread Biscotti, or The Best Gluten Free Frosted Gingerbread Cookies.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Holiday Sugar Cookies with Icing
- Ready In: 30 minutes
- Makes: 18 cookies
- Main Ingredients: butter, cane sugar, all purpose flour, vanilla extract
- Flavor Profile: vanilla with a hint of cinnamon
- Dietary Info: no seed oils, gluten free swap available
- Difficulty: Easy!
- Why You’ll Love It: soft and chewy Christmas sugar cookies
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Soft and Chewy: These homemade sugar cookies are soft and chewy, just like classic sugar cookies should be!
- Organic Cookies: These are reminiscent of boxed sugar cookies from the grocery store (like Lofthouse sugar cookies!). But they are made with organic ingredients and no artificial colors, making them a much better choice!
- Festive: I use plant based holiday sprinkles, which makes these organic cookies super festive without compromising your values.
- Flexible: Feel free to use this recipe for other holidays besides Christmas. Decorate for Valentine's Day, Easter, Fourth of July or birthdays!
These Holiday Sugar Cookies with Icing are a simple decorated sugar cookie that is perfect for Christmas parties or a fun baking project at home. If you love to bake cookies, but don't want all the fuss, the simplicity of this recipe lets you have fun with holiday sprinkles, and I use ones that are free of artificial colors and made with plant based dyes!
If you love decorating, but want to do it more organically, then check out some of my other Christmas desserts that are made with naturally colored decorations! Chocolate Peppermint Christmas Tree Cupcakes, Easy Christmas Present Brownies, Christmas Lights Gingerbread Snack Cake, Eggnog Sheet Cake, Eggless Pumpkin Gingerbread Cookies, and the Christmas Eve Cake are all so fun and festive, no artificial colors needed!
Ingredients
- Butter: I use organic salted butter, but if you want to use unsalted butter you can, just add 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Be sure to check out Best Salted Butter for Baking.
- Powdered Sugar: You'll need organic powdered sugar for both the sugar cookies and the icing. Be sure it's sifted.
- Vanilla Extract: Use a high quality vanilla extract, not imitation.
- Cinnamon: I use a little hint of cinnamon that gives these sugar cookies a little depth of flavor. My favorite cinnamon is organic Korintje cinnamon, which has a distinct flavor. Check out my post Best Cinnamon to Bake With for more info on cinnamon kinds.
- Baking Powder: Make sure to use baking powder, not soda as there's no acid to react with baking soda in this recipe. Check out Difference Between Baking Soda and Baking Powder for more info on leavening agents.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: I use organic heavy whipping cream in the icing which makes it extra creamy.
- Sprinkles: I use a few different naturally colored sprinkles like ColorKitchen Foods Christmas Tree Sprinkles, India Tree Nature's Colors Decorating Sugars, India Tree Nature's Colors Snowflake Sprinkles, and Nonpareils.
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Baker's Tips for Holiday Sugar Cookies with Icing
- Always weigh ingredients for the best results!
- I use my stand mixer for ease, but an electric hand mixer will also work if you prefer.
- I use my hands to form the cookies into balls, and then flatten them just slightly. It you want to use a scoop or spoon you can do that as well, but be sure to flatten the cookies to about 2-inches in diameter.
- After the cookies come out of the oven, I immediately use a cookie cutter to swirl them around and make them perfectly round! You can also use a glass if you don’t have a cookie cutter. And, you can even use a butter knife, just lightly poke the sides in on the places they are not perfectly round and it works just as good!
- I just use a butter knife to frost these, but if you want to use a spatula or even a piping bag, you can do that as well!
- If you are gifting these or serving for a party, I would recommend making the night before so the icing can set. Otherwise, it’s sticky and will stick to the other cookies if they are stacked. I prefer to bake at night, and then put the whole cookie sheet in the freezer to set the icing overnight. Then they can be easily stacked packed up the following day.
- Make sure to store these in an airtight container after the icing sets so they keep their soft, pillowy texture! Place a piece of parchment paper in between each one to prevent sticking.
- I listed the sprinkles I used, but you can use any kind you like. If you are making these for a birthday you can just use rainbow sprinkles, or Valentine’s Day or Easter you can also use seasonal sprinkles to make them festive for any holiday!
- Gluten Free — Replace the all purpose flour with 310 grams (2 cups) gluten free flour blend, I used Namaste Organic Perfect Flour Blend for testing.
- High Altitude — Bake at 375°F for 12 to 14 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edges and cracked and set in the middle.
How to Make Holiday Sugar Cookies with Icing
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, cane sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Mix on low until combined.
- Add the eggs and the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and sea salt in that order.
- Mix until combined into a stiff dough.
- Using your hands, form the dough into 18 balls and place on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten them slightly so they are about 2-inches in diameter.
- Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edges and cracked and set in the middle. Allow to cool completely on the baking sheets. (If you're baking at high altitude, be sure to look at the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for high altitude baking times.) I like to round the cookies out with a cutter right after baking for perfectly round cookies!
- To make the icing: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the powdered sugar, butter, and heavy whipping cream, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined, then speed mixer up to high for 1 minute or until the icing is light and fluffy.
- Using a butter knife, spatula, or a piping bag if you like, frost each cookie with icing. Sprinkle them with holiday sprinkles or decorations.
Recipe FAQ's
These are soft sugar cookies with a buttery flavor that will make you feel like a kid again. (But mom approved, because we're using natural dyes with no artificial colors!).
Yes, you can use cookie cutters, but you may just need a little extra flour for rolling.
Nope, these are a no chill sugar cookie recipe. This makes it quick and easy and it won't take up extra space in your refrigerator during the holidays!
Yes! Replace the all purpose flour with 310 grams (2 cups) gluten free flour blend, I used Namaste Organic Perfect Flour Blend for testing.
Yes! If you're traveling to the mountains this holiday season (or if you live at high altitude, which is anything above 5,000 feet) then you can check the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for high altitude baking times. All of my recipes can be made at high altitude just by checking the notes!
This can happen if you have too much liquid, basically eggs are too large, so make sure you are using large eggs. You can weigh them to ensure you get the right size, one large egg should weigh 50 grams. If you have extra you can save for another use. Also, incorrect measuring can cause this as well, so be sure to use a digital food scale for the best results.
There is no best kind, it just depends what your preference is or what you're trying to do with the sugar cookie icing. I am using a buttercream icing here as we're just spreading onto the cookies. This is a freeform way to decorate sugar cookies. This is not royal icing, which hardens and sets, which many people use for decorating and more intricate designs.
This icing stays softer. It will harden a little bit, but not like royal icing.
Yes! If you want to make these even more festive, you could add peppermint extract into the icing. Try adding 1 teaspoon, taste it, and then go from there. Or, if you're making these for a different time of year, you could use almond extract or lemon extract.
Because this is a buttercream, it will harden/dry slightly. You can pop the cookie sheet in the freezer for 20 minutes to help speed up the process!
It's not ideal to stack these on top of each other without putting a piece of parchment paper in between as they can stick together.
Make sure to store in an airtight container so they stay soft and chewy. I like to place a piece of parchment paper in between each layer to prevent sticking together. You'll also want to store in the fridge because the icing has heavy cream.
These Holiday Sugar Cookies with Icing should be stored in an airtight container so they retain their soft and chew texture. You should place a piece of parchment paper in between each one when storing, this will prevent the cookies from sticking together. You also need to store in the refrigerator because the icing has cream.
Yep, I like to bake a day or two in advance and just pop the whole cookie sheet in the freezer. This method of freezing them allows the icing to set and you can make a day or so in advance of your party.
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Holiday Sugar Cookies with Icing
Equipment
- Digital Food Scale
- Stand Mixer
- Half Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper Sheets
Ingredients
Dough
- 113 grams salted butter (softened)
- 113 grams cane sugar
- 71 grams powdered sugar (sifted)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 large eggs
- 298 grams all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Icing
- 284 grams powdered sugar (sifted)
- 57 grams salted butter (softened)
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Natural holiday sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, cane sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Mix on low until combined.
- Add the eggs and the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and sea salt in that order. Mix until combined into a stiff dough.
- Using your hands, form the dough into 18 balls and place on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten them slightly so they are about 2-inches in diameter.
- Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edges and cracked and set in the middle. Allow to cool completely on the baking sheets.
- To make the icing: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the powdered sugar, butter, and heavy whipping cream, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined, then speed mixer up to high for 1 minute or until the icing is light and fluffy.
- Using a butter knife, spatula, or a piping bag if you like, frost each cookie with icing. Sprinkle them with holiday sprinkles or decorations.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
Notes
- Always weigh ingredients for the best results!
- I use my stand mixer for ease, but an electric hand mixer will also work if you prefer.
- I use my hands to form the cookies into balls, and then flatten them just slightly. It you want to use a scoop or spoon you can do that as well, but be sure to flatten the cookies to about 2-inches in diameter.
- After the cookies come out of the oven, I immediately use a cookie cutter to swirl them around and make them perfectly round! You can also use a glass if you don’t have a cookie cutter. And, you can even use a butter knife, just lightly poke the sides in on the places they are not perfectly round and it works just as good!
- I just use a butter knife to frost these, but if you want to use a spatula or even a piping bag, you can do that as well!
- If you are gifting these or serving for a party, I would recommend making the night before so the icing can set. Otherwise, it’s sticky and will stick to the other cookies if they are stacked. I prefer to bake at night, and then put the whole cookie sheet in the freezer to set the icing overnight. Then they can be easily stacked packed up the following day.
- Make sure to store these in an airtight container after the icing sets so they keep their soft, pillowy texture! Place a piece of parchment paper in between each one to prevent sticking.
- I listed the sprinkles I used, but you can use any kind you like. If you are making these for a birthday you can just use rainbow sprinkles, or Valentine’s Day or Easter you can also use seasonal sprinkles to make them festive for any holiday!
- Gluten Free — Replace the all purpose flour with 310 grams (2 cups) gluten free flour blend.
- High Altitude — Bake at 375°F for 12 to 14 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edges and cracked and set in the middle.
Nutrition
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Love these for holiday parties!