Holiday Sugar Cookies with Icing
Soft and pillowy sugar cookies with a hint of cinnamon are iced to perfection and adorned with holiday sprinkles for festive cookies your guests will love!
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
Tips
- 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
Calories: 243kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 2gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 169mgPotassium: 30mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 287IUVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 1mg
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