Soft, buttery cut-out cookies that hold their shape and are made for decorating together.
Every family needs a go-to sugar cookie recipe, and this one is ours. We truly think they’re the best sugar cookies ever!
The dough comes together quickly and there’s no chilling required, which means little bakers don’t have to wait to start rolling and cutting. The cookies bake up soft with just a hint of almond, and they keep their shape beautifully, so your trees still look like trees and your candy canes still look like candy canes.
Decorating sugar cookies is one of our favorite Christmas traditions. The girls go all out with icing, sprinkles, and plenty of gold sugar pearls. Every plate ends up a little different, and that’s exactly how we like it.
The Best Sugar Cookies Ever
Prep Time: Approximately 20 minutes
Bake Time: 6–8 minutes per batch
Oven Temperature: 350°F
Yield: About 2–3 dozen, depending on the size of your cookie cutters
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 cups flour
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Cream the butter and sugar together.
- Beat the egg and the vanilla and almond extracts into the creamed mixture.
- In a separate bowl, combine the baking powder and flour.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time, finishing by kneading the dough with your hands if needed.
- Do not chill the dough.
- Roll the dough out to about ¼ inch thick and cut out your shapes.
- Bake for 6–8 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the pan until firm before transferring them.
- Let the cookies cool completely before decorating, or eat them plain. They’re yummy either way!
Turning Cookie Baking Into a Homeschool Lesson
A batch of sugar cookies is full of learning, from the first scoop of flour to the last sprinkle. Here are a few ways to make the most of it.
1. Kitchen Math: Measuring & Doubling
This recipe uses whole cups, teaspoons, and a half teaspoon, which makes it a great introduction to kitchen measurements.
Try these activities:
- Compare a teaspoon with a half teaspoon. How many halves make a whole?
- Count out the 3 cups of flour together.
- Ask older children to figure out how much of each ingredient you’d need to double the recipe.
- Count the cookies on each baking sheet and add them up at the end.
2. Geometry: Shapes & Space
Cookie cutters are a fun, hands-on way to explore shapes.
- Name the shapes you see: stars, triangles in the trees, circles in the ornaments.
- Challenge your kids to fit as many cutouts as possible onto the rolled dough with the fewest scraps.
- Use a ruler to check that the dough is about ¼ inch thick.
3. Kitchen Science: Why Don’t We Chill the Dough?
Many cut-out cookie recipes need to chill for hours. This one doesn’t!
Ask your little learners:
- What does baking powder do to the cookies in the oven?
- How does the dough change from soft and squishy to firm and golden?
- Why do we let the cookies cool on the pan before moving them?
- What happens to icing as it dries?
4. Art: Decorating Like an Artist
Decorating is where creativity shines. Mix a few icing colors and talk about which colors make new ones, like blue and white making a lighter blue. Let your children plan a design first, then bring it to life with icing and sprinkles. There’s no wrong way to decorate a cookie!
5. Fine Motor & Life Skills
Rolling dough, pressing cookie cutters, piping icing, and placing tiny sprinkles are all wonderful for small hands. Older kids can practice reading the recipe aloud, oven safety (with a grown-up nearby), and cleaning up the kitchen afterward.
A Sweet Christmas Tradition
Some of my favorite memories are made with sprinkles all over the table, flour on everyone’s sleeves, and three girls proudly showing off their masterpieces.
So turn on the Christmas music, pull out the cookie cutters, and make a batch together. And maybe save one plain cookie for yourself.
From our wild kitchen to yours, happy baking!
Mom of Wild Gals
Homeschool Subjects Covered: Math, Geometry, Science, Art, and Practical Life Skills
Perfect For: Preschool, Kindergarten, and Elementary-Age Learners