Nothing says "Christmas" like baking sugar cookies with the ones you love most!

Here's what you'll need:

• Sugar
• Unsalted Butter
• Egg
• Vanilla
• Flour
• Salt
• Baking powder
• Plastic wrap
• Parchment paper

The Process

Cut out sugar cookies require chilling several times, so you may want to make the dough ahead of time. I typically make, roll, and cut the dough on the same day. Then, bake and decorate the next day.

Start by creaming 1 1/4 cups of granulated sugar and 1 cup of unsalted butter at room temperature for 3-4 minutes on medium-high speed. You'll notice the pale yellow color whiten and the texture become light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl down. Add 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed just until the egg is fully incorporated. 

In a bowl, whisk together 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 tsp baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the mixer on low speed at first so that the flour does not fly up. Then, increase the speed to medium for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for a few more seconds to incorporate everything. 

Dump the dough out onto a clean, flat surface. Split the dough into halves. Shape the halves into rectangles and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for 1 hour.

There are 2 ways to roll out the dough:

Method 1: Take the dough out of the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured surface. Dust the rolling pin with flour as well, and roll the dough out to a thickness of 1/4 inch. If the cold dough breaks apart while rolling, just press it back together. Tap your cookie cutters in some flour and press them into the dough. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Form excess dough into a ball and repeat the process to make more cookies. Chill for 30 minutes.

Method 2: Take the dough out of the refrigerator and place on a large sheet of parchment paper. Dust the rolling pin with flour, and roll the dough out on the parchment paper until it is 1/4 inch thick. transfer the sheet of dough onto a baking sheet and place in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes until the dough is firmly chilled. Once chilled, remove from the fridge and cut the shapes out. Form excess dough into a ball and repeat process to make more cookies.

*Method 2 is especially helpful when cutting delicate shapes because you are cutting into chilled dough that will keep its shape. Method 1 is my preferred method for regular shapes because it's easier to re-roll the scraps to cut out more cookies.

Bake the cookies at 350°F for 14-16 minutes until the edges are lightly browned. Transfer the cookies to a wire baking rack to cool. These cookies are slightly crispy around the edges, yet tender and chewy on the inside. Decorate with your preferred icing or eat as is!

Click here for our Royal Icing recipe!