Description
Festive Christmas butter cookies bring sweet holiday cheer with their delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Rich buttery goodness and simple ingredients create perfect treats that connect family traditions and delightful seasonal memories you’ll treasure.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (100 g) powdered sugar, sifted
Flavor and Binding Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Decoration Ingredients:
- Holiday sprinkles
- Colored sugar
- Royal icing (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the baking environment by warming the oven to 350F (175C) and lining baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Create a creamy base by whipping softened butter and powdered sugar together until the mixture becomes airy and pale, approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Enhance the flavor profile by gently incorporating vanilla extract, ensuring complete integration with the butter-sugar mixture.
- Transform the mixture into a cohesive dough by gradually introducing sifted flour and salt, mixing at low speed until a soft, pliable consistency develops.
- Select your preferred cookie formation technique: drop cookies can be portioned with a tablespoon and gently flattened; rolled cookies require chilling the dough for 30 minutes before rolling to 1/4-inch thickness and cutting with festive cutters; piped cookies involve transferring dough to a star-tipped piping bag for elegant rosette or swirl designs.
- Personalize the cookies with holiday sprinkles, colored sugar, or decorative elements before placing them in the oven.
- Bake the cookies until their edges turn a delicate golden hue, typically 10-12 minutes. Allow them to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Complete the festive transformation by embellishing cooled cookies with royal icing or a luxurious chocolate drizzle for an extra touch of holiday elegance.
Notes
- Softened butter ensures smooth mixing and prevents tough cookies, so let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before starting.
- Use powdered sugar for a more delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture that creates a lighter cookie crumb.
- Chill the dough if it feels too soft or sticky, which helps prevent spreading and maintains the cookie’s shape during baking.
- Experiment with flavor variations by adding almond extract, lemon zest, or crushed peppermint for a festive twist on the classic recipe.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 118
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 15 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg