These Easy Christmas Sugar Cookies are simple and delicious to enjoy for the holidays. My grandma has been making these cookies since I was a child, and they are always a delight.
Recently, I went digging around in my grandma’s recipe box in search of this delicious cookie recipe. I discovered that the recipe is written on the back of a crumbled up programming for a Christmas church play, which made me laugh. I guess that’s when you really know you’ve found Grandma’s recipe!


Christmas Sugar Cookies – What You’ll Need
Ingredients for the cookies
- 1 cup of butter
- 2 cups of sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup of vegetable oil
- Dash of salt
- 1 tsp of vanilla
- 5 cups of flour
- 2 tsp of baking soda
- 2 tsp of cream of tartar
- Sugar
- Sprinkles
Ingredients for the icing
- 3 egg whites
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups of powdered sugar
Baking tools
- Christmas cookie cutouts (optional)
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheets
- Rolling pin
Recipe Yields 4 Dozen

Step One
In a large mixing bowl, cream the 1 cup of butter and 2 cups of sugar together until you get a light and fluffy consistency.

Step Two
Next, add the 2 eggs, 1 cup of vegetable oil, 1 dash of salt, and 1 tsp of vanilla.
Step Three
Gradually add 5 cups of flour and mix well in between cups. Then, add the 2 tsp of baking soda and 2 tsp of cream of tarter. Mix well for about 1-2 minutes.
Step Four
When everything is combined and well mixed, begin spooning out portions of the dough and roll into small balls.
Next, pour a good amount of sugar into a medium-large sized bowl. Then, roll the balls of dough into the sugar and set on parchment paper.

Step Five
Once all of the balls of dough are rolled in sugar, begin flattening them out. A rolling pin will work best, but you can of course use your hand if needed. Ideally, the dough should be fairly flat (they will puff up in the oven!)
If you are using Christmas cookie cutters, start cutting out your dough into shapes. Make sure your cookie cutters are all roughly the same sizes – otherwise your cookies will bake inconsistently.
Once all of your cookies are flattened and shaped, lay them out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Step Six
Preheat your over to 350 degrees (Fahrenheit) and bake 8-10 minutes. Be sure to not let the cookies brown!
Step Seven
While the cookies completely cool, you can start making the icing. The cookies need to cool for at least an hour.
In a large bowl, combine the 3 egg whites and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Mix until frothy. Gradually, add the 4 cups of powdered sugar and mix on low. Once all the sugar is added, mix on high for about 30 seconds until the icing is glossy.
Step Eight
Once the cookies have completely cooled off, begin icing and decorating them.
Personally, I choose to not use food coloring when decorating my cookies. It’s time-consuming and makes a huge mess! Alternatively, I love to dress my cookies up with different sprinkles.
Eat & Enjoy!
I hope you enjoy these simple and delicious Christmas cookies. They go perfect with a cup of hot cocoa and of course, a classic Christmas movie!

Looking for more recipes this holiday season?
Check out one of my favorite holiday snacks, Christmas cheese ball.

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