12/18/2025
🌲 Tasty Christmas Sugar Cookies
Havin’ the family over for Christmas? Recruited to be in a local Christmas Cookie Exchange? Let me help you bake the best Christmas sugar cookies you’ve ever tasted!
This is a tried and true (and super tasty) recipe that will have you winnin’ first place around the Christmas dinner table.
Let’s dive in and whip up a batch together!
What you need:
🍪 For the Cookies
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup (65 grams) Crisco (i like to use butter flavor, but plain is fine)
3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar
1/4 cup (30 grams) powdered sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp (2 grams) vanilla
1/2 tsp (2 grams) almond extract
2 3/4 cups (344 grams) flour (spooned & leveled, not packed)
1/4 tsp (1 gram) baking soda
1/4 tsp (1 gram) baking powder
1/4 tsp (1 gram) cream of tartar
1/2 tsp (3 grams) salt
1 tbsp (15 grams) of half and half
11/2 tbsp (22 grams) sour cream
2/3 cup green and red jimmies
🍪 For the Frosting (optional)
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
2 - 21/2 cups (240-300 grams) powdered sugar
2 tbsp (30 grams) heavy whipping cream
1/4 tsp (1 gram) almond extract
3/4 tsp (3 grams) vanilla extract pinch of salt
Makes 8 large cookies or 16 smaller cookies
What to do:
In a medium bowl, add flour, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt. Give that a quick mix to ensure everything is well incorporated
Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment (or hand mixer), mix the butter, crisco, granulated sugar and powdered sugar on low/medium speed. We want the mix to become light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla extract and almond extract. Mix on low until everything is combined.
Slowly add the dry ingredients as you run the mixer on low. Add the half and half and the sour cream and mix again. Add the jimmies, and mix! The dough should start to come together as you mix. (*Note: if you are using a hand mixer, you might need to use a rubber spatula to bring everything together. We are looking for the dough to come together into the shape of a rough ball
Using your hands, divide the dough into 8 large cookies or 16 smaller cookies. *Note these are supposed to be big and thick cookies)
Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a kitchen glass, press down on each ball to flatten the cookies. At this point I like to cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and chill them in the fridge for at least 12 hours. If you are looking to bake right away, pop the cookies (uncovered) in the fridge for at least 30 minutes so that they can firm up and rest.
(*Note: cookies should be cold when placed in the oven) Preheat oven to 350. Remove cookies from the fridge and immediately divide them, we want to bake 3-4 cookies per baking sheet.
If baking smaller cookies, bake for about 8-10 minutes (or until cookies are not greasy looking on top). If baking larger cookies, bake for about 11-13 minutes. Please note, ovens do vary. We are looking for non greasy cookies and no browning on the edges.
(optional) For the buttercream frosting, place softened butter in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, on medium speed, beat butter until it is fluffy and smooth. Add the powdered sugar, cream and salt and beat again. Beat until smooth and everything is incorporated. Add food gel (i used a very small drop of blue food gel) vanilla and almond extracts. Mix until everything is combined.
