The Absolute Best Christmas Sugar Cookies

One thing that has surprised me by spending the holidays in England is learning that Christmas cookies are not a thing.

Seriously.

Over the past year and a half, I’ve seen the English appreciate all things dessert related. After all, tea and cake is one of the most important food groups.

So come holiday time, you’d think that every English kitchen would be stocked, brimming full with Christmas cookies.

Au contraire.

Instead, the holidays here mean delighting in mince pies, Christmas puddings, and chocolate. And I mean A LOT of chocolate. While I’m game for all of these new foodie additions, it wouldn’t feel like Christmas until I made a little something of my own to incorporate into the mix.

Bring on the absolute best sugar cookies you’ll ever have.

These are made only at Christmastime. (Okay, okay, maybe we’ll spill over into January too. Shh…)

This recipe has been passed through my family. From my Grandma to her daughters, from my mom to me. So you know it’s got plenty of love in there too. You can’t go wrong.

So join me, make these cookies and put everyone under your Christmas cookie spell.

The Absolute Best Christmas Sugar Cookies

What you’ll need
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup of REAL butter (apparently, do not substitute)
3 1/2 cups white flour (I used wholemeal this time, but it’s better with white flour)
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
2 tsp cream of tarter (key ingredient!)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

First things first.

Cream together the butter and eggs.

This is about the correct butter sizing that you should use. However, I tend to guesstimate. Best results stick straight to the recipe.

Then, add the three eggs and butter to a large bowl and mash it together.

Now, mix in the rest of the items on the list.

See how easy this recipe is to make?

All mixed together? The dough should be moist and have the same overall consistency.

Moving onto the baking prep work.

Grease the cookie sheet. I used the giant butter for mine.

After the pans are all ready, it’s time to roll out the dough. Make sure to put A LOT of flour on your rolling surface so that the dough doesn’t stick. Also sprinkle flour on the rolling pin too.

Use your muscles and let’s roll it out!

J was really into cutting out the Christmas shapes, so I let him take over the reigns.

Set the oven at 375°F (190°C) and bake for 6-8 minutes. Watch the cookies and take them out before they become too crisp. The cookies are best if they are on the soft side.

Let the cookies cool.

Now, onto the frosting!

Vanilla Butter Frosting

What you’ll need
3 cups powdered sugar (in the UK, icing sugar is what you’ll need)
1/3 cup margarine or butter, softened (you can probably get away with even less than this)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
About 2 tablespoons milk (any kind)
Also get some food coloring! Red and green for Christmas anyone?

Mix the powdered sugar and butter.

Stir in vanilla and milk. Beat it together (you can use a hand mixer for this, but it’s easily done with a spoon). Mix until the frosting is smooth and of a good spreading consistency.

Add in more milk or powdered sugar until you reach your desired effect.

My advice is to spread the frosting on a cookie as a tester. If it drips off the sides, add more sugar to your mixture. If the mixture needs adjusting, just eat that “ruined” cookie for good measure, it was a test cookie anyways!

Okay, admittedly, this does not look the most appetizing. But I promise you it is! Check out the frosting.

Take some of the original frosting batch and divide it up into individual bowls. Then add whichever food coloring to the bowls.

Again, not the most glamorous of photos.

Also, after taking these, I ended up adding more sugar to make the frosting thicker. You want your frosting to be much thicker and smoother than this.

Okay, frosting made? Time to decorate the cookies!

What do you guys think?

I have a few recommendations before you get started on your own.

First, no matter what they look like in the end, if you use this recipe, the cookies will be delicious. Even with gooey frosting, still amazing.

Second, the ingredients are there for a reason. Stick to them. It’s the holidays. I know we all want to be healthy and fabulous. But if there is ever a time to completely cheat your diet, it’s now. And it’s with these. I promise.

I made this cookies with wholemeal flour. While they were still really delicious, I think they turn out much better using white flour.

So instead of my usual move, recreating a recipe in the healthiest way possible, I need to take a step back and enjoy these as they are. And you should too!

Make these for your loved ones, friends, in-laws, the office party…

They truly are the absolute best Christmas sugar cookies.

xx Kelly