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There are many delicious Christmas cookies, but one of the most classic and beloved is the sugar cookie. Sugar cookies have a simple ingredient list, iconic decorations, and a melt-in-your-mouth texture that makes them a holiday treat to look forward to each year. In this article, we’ll explore the history, popularity, and festive fun of the Christmas sugar cookie.
What Exactly Are Christmas Sugar Cookies?
Christmas sugar cookies are a basic butter or shortening-based cookie flavored with vanilla and topped with sparkly decorations. The base combines butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, and vanilla. Once baked into thick, round cookies, they are decorated with royal icing and colorful sprinkles or frosting. Common decorations include green and red sprinkles, snowflakes, tree shapes, Santa hats, and more. The end result is a deliciously simple cookie transformed into an edible Christmas decoration perfect for leaving out for Santa or gifting to friends and family.
Ingredients
A classic sugar cookie contains:
- Butter or shortening for a soft, rich cookie
- Granulated white sugar for sweetness
- Eggs to bind and add moisture
- All-purpose flour for structure
- Baking powder for lift
- Salt for flavor enhancement
- Vanilla extract for classic flavor
- Milk or cream provides extra richness (optional)
For decorating:
- Royal icing, buttercream, or glaze
- Sprinkles, colored sugar, frosting, etc.
The simple ingredients come together to form the perfect base for ornate Christmas decorations.
The History of Christmas Sugar Cookies
Sugar cookies have been around for centuries, but their association with Christmas developed in the U.S. in the early 20th century. Early American colonists brought sugar cookie recipes over from England and Germany, where they were sometimes called butter cookies or almond cakes. Decorated sugar cookies began appearing in cookbooks in the late 1800s, as royal icing and food coloring became more accessible. However, it wasn’t until pressed-tin Christmas cookie cutters were mass produced in the 1920s that sugar cookies became a staple Christmas treat.
Santa Claus, trees, stars, angels, and stockings were popular early cookie cutter shapes that established decorated sugar cookies as part of Christmas tradition. Their popularity grew even more after WWII, when widespread rations ended and cookies could once again be made freely and creatively. From then on, festive sugar cookies have graced Christmas celebrations year after year.
Why Are Sugar Cookies a Christmas Tradition?
There are several reasons why sugar cookies have become such an enduring part of Christmas:
Simple Ingredients
The basic ingredients for sugar cookies are kitchen staples that most households already have on hand. This makes baking a batch easy for even novice bakers.
Kid-Friendly Decorating
Kids love decorating sugar cookies with frosting and sprinkles. It’s an easy, fun project that gets little ones excited about the holidays.
Nostalgia
For many adults, decorating Christmas sugar cookies is a beloved childhood memory. The tradition evokes nostalgia and brings joy.
Customizable
Sugar cookies can be customized with different shapes, royal icing colors, and decorations. Families often have their own unique traditions.
Gifting & Sharing
The decorative nature of Christmas sugar cookies makes them perfect for gifting and cookie exchanges. They add festive flair wherever they go.
Popular Ways to Decorate Sugar Cookies
While sugar cookies themselves are simple, their decorations can be true works of art. Some popular decorating styles and trends include:
Royal Icing
This smooth, hard icing makes the perfect “glue” for decorations. Pipe it directly onto cookies and top with sprinkles or other accents. Let the icing dry completely to set. Make colored icing by mixing food coloring into white royal icing.
| Royal Icing Colors | Food Coloring Amount |
|---|---|
| White | No food coloring |
| Red | Red gel food coloring |
| Green | Green gel food coloring |
| Blue | Blue gel food coloring |
| Black | Black gel food coloring |
| Yellow | Yellow gel food coloring |
| Orange | Red and yellow gel food coloring |
| Purple | Blue and red gel food coloring |
Frosting
Buttercream, cream cheese frosting, or other thick frostings can be used to frost the entire cookie or just decorate parts. Spoon it into a piping bag to decorate intricately.
Sprinkle Shapes & Colors
For easy decorating, simply dip iced cookies into bowls of festive sprinkles. Try green and red for Christmas colors or shapes like trees, snowflakes, stars, etc.
Christmas Colors
Red, green, white, silver, and gold icing and decorations represent classic Christmas colors. Use them for a traditional look.
Winter Scenes
Use royal icing to pipe snowy landscapes complete with trees, snowmen, gingerbread houses, and more. Let your creativity shine!
Fun Christmas Sugar Cookie Ideas & Traditions
Beyond just decorating, there are many fun ways to involve sugar cookies in your Christmas celebrations:
- Cookie Exchange: Host a cookie swap where guests bring batches of different homemade cookies to trade and sample.
- Santa’s Cookies: Leave Santa decorated sugar cookies and milk on Christmas Eve.
- Cookie Ornaments: Decorate cookies with hole punches and ribbons to hang on the tree.
- Gifts & Favors: Package decorated cookies in tins or boxes to give out as edible gifts and party favors.
- Gingerbread Houses: Use iced sugar cookies to make the walls and decorations for miniature gingerbread houses.
- Workshops: Host a cookie-decorating party with stations, supplies, recipes, and refreshments.
The options are endless when tapping into sugar cookies’ festive potential at Christmas time!
Tips for Perfect Sugar Cookies
Follow these best practices for sugar cookies that look and taste their best:
- Cream the butter and sugar thoroughly for a light texture.
- Don’t overmix the dough once flour is added.
- Chill dough for at least 2 hours (ideally overnight) before baking.
- Roll dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch on a lightly floured surface.
- Cut into shapes using lightly floured cookie cutters.
- Bake at 350°F on the middle oven rack until lightly golden at the edges.
- Let cool completely before icing and decorating.
- Store iced cookies between sheets of parchment or wax paper in an airtight container.
With a little care and preparation, you’ll end up with perfect sugar cookies worthy of a Christmas card!
Conclusion
Christmas sugar cookies win hearts and spread cheer every holiday season with their iconic decorations, yummy flavor, and old-fashioned charm. Whether baked for cookie exchanges, as Santa’s treat, or for gifting to friends and family, these classic Christmas cookies are sure to be loved by all. So break out the sprinkles, turn on the carols, and embrace the magic of decorating sugar cookies this year! Just be sure to save a few for dunking in a glass of cold milk.