These quick and easy Holiday Sugar Cookies are such fun to decorate, and a joy to give out to friends and family. I show you how to make your own diy colored sugar, too, so you can get as creative as you want.
My roll out sugar cookie dough is the best I’ve found, it’s foolproof!
If you’re tempted to reach for the refrigerated slice and bake cookie dough this time of year, I have to say I’m right there with you, and I bet I know exactly what’s going through your mind, too…does anybody really notice the difference anyway?…isn’t it the thought that counts? etc. etc. I totally get it, and I know that you have, like, zero free time these days, but just hear me out. These cookies are completely doable…I’ve divided them up into three easy steps, so you can even stretch it out over a few days if you want to. Got sugar? Of course you do. Got food coloring? Check. How about meringue powder? Get it right in the supermarket baking section. Ok maybe you have no idea where your cookies cutters are, but once you find them…you got this!
These classic cut out Christmas cookies are a once a year tradition
When you break it up into manageable chunks, like I’ve done here, there’s no reason to miss out on the fun. The cookie itself is a basic vanilla/almond flavored sugar cookie, firm, but also soft to bite into. The royal icing is so simple to make, I don’t know why I avoided it for so long. It forms a blank canvas for you to get a little wild and crazy with the sprinkles and the sugar.
Make your own colored decorating sugar in any color of the rainbow!
You can save money and make custom colors that you could never find in the stores. I was decorating a forest of tree cookies, so I wanted lots of interesting greens and icy blues. You can get all kinds of different results using different sugars and types of colorings. Get creative and mix the colors for unusual shades.

How to make your own colored sugar
- Measure out 1/4 cup of your sugar in a small bowl or jar. I like to use raw sugar, or any larger crystal sugar because it sparkles better.
- Next, take a drop or two of food coloring and stir it right into the sugar. I like to use gel food coloring for this because they give the most vibrant color. If the gel is too thick, thin it with a tiny bit of water before adding it to the sugar. The more coloring you use, the deeper the color will be.
- The sugar will be slightly damp afterwards, so I spread it out on a paper towel to dry.
- When it’s dry, just break up any clumps with the back of a spoon, and pour it into a little jar. It will last indefinitely.
Classic sugar cookie dough is very simple, and comes together quickly.
Form it into a disk and refrigerate until you are ready to roll, cut, and bake. I like this dough because it is supple, and reforms well after the first round of cuts have been made. Most importantly, it tastes good, so good that I liked the cookie all on its own.
The cookies take about 7-8 minutes in a 350F oven, and because they are thin, they cool quickly. You can make them ahead, and frost the next day if you like. I used tree cookie cutters that were in the 3-4 inch range. You can find tree cutters at cooking or home stores, craft stores, on Etsy, or Amazon.
I used royal icing for these holiday sugar cookies
Royal icing dried up super hard, so the cookies can be packed and given as gifts, or piled on a plate for serving.
Tips for using royal icing
- Royal icing is made with confectioner’s sugar and either egg white or meringue powder. I use meringue powder because it keeps forever so I always have it on hand, and there’s no worry about raw eggs.
- It whips up super easily, and then I spoon it into a zip lock baggie, take a small snip off the tip, and keep the whole thing, tip down, in a wet paper towel lined glass so it keeps moist and fresh.
- I use the baggie to outline each tree and then fill in at the same time.
- You can spread the frosting around with a small paintbrush. You can see this is fuss free cookie decorating; once the icing goes on, go to town with the sprinkles and sugar.
Let the holiday cookie baking begin!
- Soft Glazed Gingerbread Cookies
- Guide to Freezing Holiday Cookies
- Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
- Easy Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing
Holiday Sugar Cookies and DIY Colored Sugar
Ingredients
cookies
- 2 sticks 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
royal icing
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/8 cup meringue powder
- 2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
colored sugar
- raw or granulated sugar
- gel or paste food coloring
Instructions
- To make the colored sugar, measure out 1/4 cup sugar into a small bowl and add a drop or two of gel coloring to it. Stir to combine completely. Spread the sugar out on a paper towel to dry, and then break up any lumps with the back of a spoon before storing the sugar in a small jar.
- To make the cookies, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and extracts.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together to blend. Mix it into the butter and sugar mixture until the dough comes together.
- Turn out on to a floured surface and bring together into a ball. Divide the ball in half and flatten each half into a disk. Wrap the disks in plastic and refrigerate for an hour. (Or overnight)
- Preheat the oven to 350F while the dough is chilling.
- Roll out the dough to about 1/8-1/4 inch thick and cut out the shapes. Put them on a baking sheet lined with silocone or parchment paper and bake for about 7-9 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before removing them to a cooling rack.
- Frost the cookies when completely cool.
- To make the frosting, beat together the water and meringue powder until combined. Beat in the sugar and continue beating until it is glossy and smooth. If the frosting seems too thin, add a little more sugar.
- Spoon the frosting into a large zip lock baggie and zip closed.
- When ready to use, cut a very small snip off one corner. Work with one cookie at a time, and pipe a line of frosting along the outer edge, then pipe more into the inside of the cookie. Take a small paintbrush to gently ease the frosting into corners. Sprinkle on your decorations while the cookie is wet. then set to dry while you work on the other cookies.
notes and variations
46 Comments
Yvonne
January 2, 2020 at 8:48 pmMade your sugar cookies for Christmas with my 10 year old daughter. We love your recipe, so easy, delicious and we like that the dough when cut with cookie cutters holds their shape. So that they actually look like a xmas tree, candy cane, etc.
Corre
December 15, 2019 at 8:49 amHI, what altitude are you? I’m in Colorado which is high altitude cooking so I need to know where you are do I can adjust this recipe accordingly. Thank you! 🙂
Sue
December 15, 2019 at 9:14 amI’m in Los Angeles which averages an elevation of 285 feet, Corre.
Brandi K
February 7, 2018 at 7:06 amI made these for Christmas and LOVED them so much I barely shared. I am making them again for Valentine’s Day and noticed one thing. Step 1 is to turn in the oven but then a few steps later we are refrigerating the dough 1 hour- overnight so you may want to move the step about turning in the oven until after that. Having the oven heat uofkr no reason was a small price to pay for how delicious these cookies are. And I haven’t even attempted the icing yet!
Brandi K
February 7, 2018 at 7:07 amLots of typos sorry! On my phone!
Sue
February 7, 2018 at 7:41 amI’ll fix that and thanks for the wonderful feedback Brandi ~ I think I might make a batch for Valentine’s Day too.
Gail
December 14, 2017 at 7:29 pmour neighbor brought these to our neighbor hood Christmas cookie swap , I loved them but I don’t see a place to print them .
Sue
December 14, 2017 at 8:06 pmThe print button is next to the title of the recipe, at the top right of the recipe card, Gail. Let me know if you still have trouble and I can email it to you.
Kathryn Vincent
December 3, 2017 at 3:54 pmThese sugar cookies are delicious! Made a batch today & they tasted great without the icing. Will definitely save the recipe!?
Sue
December 3, 2017 at 4:05 pmThanks Kathryn! Happy Holidays 🙂
Suzanne
December 20, 2015 at 8:10 pmThese are beautiful! I made some colored sugar last night based on your post here and it is addicting! Do you have any tips on how to get the periwinkle color. Thanks!
Sue
December 21, 2015 at 9:30 amI totally agree, I could play with this for hours! I do have a collection of gel food colors, the ones in the little pots, and you can get really creative with those. I would recommend those if you love this project Suzanne.
Michelle Rittler @ Taste As You Go
December 15, 2015 at 7:45 amThanks for allowing me to feature your cookies in my round-up of 60 Ultimate Cookie Exchange Recipes on Taste As You Go! Happy Holidays!
Sue
December 15, 2015 at 8:28 amYou’re welcome Michelle!
becky
November 30, 2015 at 6:22 amSo pretty! I would never think of the combination of white, blue and green for Christmas trees, but it’s gorgeous!
Sue
October 24, 2017 at 12:21 pmI think it’s fun to change up the holiday color schemes, I try to do something different every year.
Thalia @ butter and brioche
December 14, 2014 at 8:49 pmThese sugar cookies have definitely been added to my holiday baking list. I love how super festive and delicious they look!
Sue
December 14, 2014 at 8:50 pmThanks Thalia!
Susan
December 11, 2014 at 9:42 amI’m just starting my holiday baking and love the idea of making my own colored sugar. You whipped up some beautiful colors!
Sue
December 11, 2014 at 9:48 amThanks Susan, I had such fun mixing the colors!
[email protected]
December 5, 2014 at 12:41 pmThese are just so beautiful! I really needed those slice and bake cookies tonight as my little girl had a friend over for a sleepover and they begged baking cookies…not what I wanted to do on a Friday night! Yours look gorgeous and easy and I am pinning for the next time!
Sue
December 5, 2014 at 5:02 pmMy youngest adored the slice and bake, especially the ones with the designs inside…I’d say there’s room for both!
Laura+(Tutti+Dolci)
December 5, 2014 at 11:58 amThese cookies are simply gorgeous and I love that you made your own custom sugars!
[email protected]'s+Recipes
December 5, 2014 at 11:39 amSo festive and pretty!
Jocelyn (Grandbaby cakes)
December 5, 2014 at 11:05 amAll I can say is WOW. These cookies are absolutely fantastic!
Judith
December 5, 2014 at 10:43 amYour stunning color sense takes the holiday cookies to a whole new level…as always!
Kitchen Belleicious
December 5, 2014 at 8:04 ami love doing colored sugar because it is the easiest way to decorate cookies in my opinion especially if I have little hands helping ME:) LOL! Love your cookies recipe. A must try
[email protected]
December 4, 2014 at 10:26 pmDon’t think I have ever come across meringue powder. Love the idea of colouring your own sugar. Gorgeous!
Sue
December 5, 2014 at 7:50 amMeringue powder might not be available in Australia, but you can buy online, and it keeps forever.
Sarah | Broma Bakery
December 4, 2014 at 6:06 pmAbsolutely stunning. The colors are so perfect! You’ve inspired me to make sugar cookies! …though I don’t think mine could ever be as pretty as yours 🙂
Terry Covington
December 4, 2014 at 2:55 pmI so appreciate this! All of your holiday baking posts/tutorials are great. My funds are limited this year, so I decided I’d bake cookies to give as gifts, but I wasn’t sure about the royal icing because of the eggs. In all my years of baking, I’d never noticed meringue powder, so I will look for some. These will be great for other holidays, as well. Now I’m actually looking forward to doing the baking!
Sue
December 4, 2014 at 3:02 pmThe meringue powder will change your world — one little can lasts forever and you can almost always substitute it for raw egg whites in recipes. I’m paranoid of raw eggs, so I won’t be without it.
Amanda
December 4, 2014 at 2:53 pmThese are adorable, love the sugar tutorial!!!
[email protected]+Scrummy+Lane
December 4, 2014 at 2:38 pmOne word … beautiful!!
Katy
December 4, 2014 at 1:39 pmThanks so much! I love these cookies and it’s been too long since I’ve made them.
Purple Queen
December 4, 2014 at 11:10 amAs always, the sugar cookies look so festive! I do have 1 question about the raw sugar, is it also known as sanding sugar?
Sue
December 4, 2014 at 11:23 amThat’s a great question — sanding sugar is perfect for this project, as it has larger, coarser grains that sparkle and don’t dissolve into the icing. Raw sugar is similar, but it has not been so refined, so it retains a light brown color. Both kinds can be used, but with the raw sugar the colors will be altered a bit because of the base light brown tone. I actually like to use both so that I get a nice variety of sugar colors.
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
December 4, 2014 at 10:36 amI miss decorating cookies with my kids. They all grow up don’t they? I enjoy making my own colored sugar – and you make it all so easy with the step by step. This is one of the things I love about these cookies, make the dough one day, cut and bake another and decorate on the 3rd! You are awesome and your cookies are gorgeous 🙂 Love that leaning tree cookie cutter!
Sue
December 4, 2014 at 10:40 amThat means a lot coming from you…I am not a precise baker, or cookie decorator, so these are right up my alley!
cheri
December 4, 2014 at 7:24 amThese are so beautiful Sue, love the colors that you chose and the colored sugar adds a nice touch.
Sue
December 4, 2014 at 7:30 amThanks Cheri, I love color, and this project was fun for me.
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
December 4, 2014 at 7:11 amSo pretty Sue! Love all the different colours and great idea to DIY coloured sugar.
Elizabeth (Silver's Reviews)
December 4, 2014 at 7:06 amThese looks beautiful.
I never can make good sugar cookies. I will give this recipe a try.
THANKS.
Elizabeth
Sue
December 4, 2014 at 7:13 amI avoided cut out cookies for years, partly because I didn’t want to bother with rolling out dough, but also because I didn’t think the cookies tasted all that great. These cookies are good all on their own. They have flavor, thanks to a good dose of extracts, and they aren’t dry like cardboard. Hope you give them a try, I think you’ll be pleased.
Cuisinedeprovence
December 4, 2014 at 6:01 amBeautiful!
Monique
December 4, 2014 at 5:40 amSuper cute..and great idea to get the sprinkles of your dreams:)