How to Make Sugar Cookies (Holiday Themed)
User Reviews
5
18 reviews
Excellent
-
Prep Time
30 mins
-
Cook Time
13 mins
-
Total Time
42 mins
-
Servings
22 -24
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Calories
112 kcal
-
Cuisine
International, Vegan
How to Make Sugar Cookies (Holiday Themed)
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This holiday-themed sugar cookie recipe combines butter, oil, sugars, and vanilla with a soft dough that chills before rolling and cutting into festive shapes. Baking at a moderate temperature produces tender, slightly crisp-edged cookies ready for decorating. The accompanying Swiss Meringue buttercream can be flavored or colored, enhancing the cookies for seasonal celebrations. This method supports customization through plant-based ingredient swaps and gluten-free flour alternatives, making it a versatile holiday treat to share or gift.
Description
How to Make Sugar Cookies (Holiday Themed) focuses on a cookie dough made from butter, sunflower or avocado oil, sugar, and vanilla, blended with all-purpose flour and leavening agents. The dough chills before being rolled thin and cut into holiday-themed shapes, then baked at 325°F for a delicate texture. The complementary Swiss Meringue buttercream uses egg whites, sugar, butter, and vanilla, lending a smooth, fluffy icing that can be colored or flavored as desired.
These cookies bake evenly with light golden edges and a tender center, making them a good base for festive decoration like sprinkles or chocolates. The recipe also suggests alternatives for plant-based ingredients and gluten-free flour blends to accommodate dietary preferences.
Cookies can be stored at room temperature, refrigerated, or frozen to maintain freshness. This recipe encourages customizing the buttercream with freeze-dried fruit powders or food coloring and adorning finished cookies for visual appeal during holiday gatherings.
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Ingredients
- 1/3 cup butter softened
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil or avocado oil
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup icing sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp almond milk or plant-based milk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 Tbsp
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- buttercream Swiss Meringue style
- 1 ½ egg room temperature, white
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter soft, unsalted, + 2 tbsp
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F, and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine butter and oil, with a hand mixer for 2 minutes until thoroughly combined.
- Add the granulated sugar slowly, with a hand mixer on medium/high speed until light and pale in colour.
- Next, add the icing sugar and whisk until combined and light.
- Slowly mix in the egg, vanilla, and milk, and beat until combined.
- Add the flour mixture and beat until no streaks or flour clumps remain, creating a smooth and uniform dough. Do not overmix.
- Cover the bowl in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30-45 minutes.
- Remove the cookie dough from the fridge and place it onto a gently floured surface, roll out to 1/8 – ¼ inch thickness.
- Use your favourite holiday cookie cutters to cut out your cookies and set them onto the baking trays. Continue these steps until you use all of the dough.
- Refrigerate the cookies for about 20 – 30 minutes prior to baking (you may need to place another sheet of parchment paper onto your baking sheet to layer the cookies for refrigerating).
- Space the cut-out cookies onto your baking sheets 2 inches apart from each other.
- Evenly space the cookie dough 2-3 inches apart onto the baking trays.
- Bake for 12 - 13 minutes, until slightly golden on the edges.
- Allow to cool on the baking trays for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
- While the cookies are baking, prepare your buttercream. Bring a pot, with a few inches of water, to a strong simmer.
- In a medium-sized stainless steel or glass bowl, combine egg whites and granulated sugar. Whisk to combine. Set the bowl on top of the pot with simmering water. The bowl should remain higher than the water level. Continuously mix and heat the egg whites and granulated sugar, until the sugar has dissolved. This will occur at 120F (50F). Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the bowl from the heat and transfer to a new medium or large-sized bowl. Using a hand or stand mixer, whip the egg whites and sugar on high speed until stiff peaks have formed. The meringue will look shiny. This will take 5 – 10 minutes. At this time, begin to add your soft butter in increments. Add ¼ cup of butter at a time, until fully incorporated. Continue to whip at high speed, scraping the edges of the bowl in between. Once you have added all OR most of the butter, continue to whip until it forms a light and fluffy icing (During the process of adding butter, it may seem soft OR look like it is curdled- continue adding your butter and whipping on high speed. The buttercream will come together.) Once the buttercream has come together, add the vanilla and whip on medium speed until fully incorporated. Divide your buttercream into small bowls and add your own colours or flavours! Prepare a couple of piping bags with small round piping tips, and add the buttercream to each one.
- Decorate the cookies as you wish! Add candies, sprinkles, etc.! Have fun and customize your holiday cookies!!
- To decorate your cookies similar to the trees, squeeze a small dot of icing at the top of your tree and gently swipe down to create an upside-down teardrop shape. Next, create another row and overlap more dots, to fill the next row of the cookie and remember to swipe down on the dots. It makes it look gentler. Then add some delicate gold sprinkles!!
- To decorate your cookies similar to the candy canes, Prepare a piping bag with white buttercream and one with red buttercream. Take the red piping bag and squeeze diagonal red lines across the entire cookie BUT leaving a small space (the side of the piping tip) to fill in with white. Pipe white buttercream lines in the empty spaces- in between the red buttercream lines!
Notes
- Buttercream can be tinted with freeze-dried fruit powder or food coloring before decorating.
- Cookies can be eaten plain or decorated with holiday-themed sprinkles or chocolates.
- Plant-based butter and milk can replace dairy in both dough and buttercream; buttercream butter can blend plant-based butter with shortening.
- Gluten-free flour can be substituted using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free blend.
- Flavor the icing with your preferred holiday spices or extracts.
- Store baked cookies in airtight containers: 2-3 days at room temperature, 5-7 days in the fridge, or freeze for up to 2-3 months.
- This recipe is suitable for decorating activities with family or friends during holidays.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Serving
24
Calories
112kcal
(6%)
Carbohydrates
9.1g
(3%)
Protein
0.6g
(1%)
Fat
8.4g
(13%)
Saturated Fat
4.2g
(21%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.5g
(3%)
Trans Fat
0.5g
(25%)
Cholesterol
24.7mg
(8%)
Sodium
69.9mg
(3%)
Sugar
8.9g
(18%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 22-24
Amount Per Serving
Calories 112 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 24 | |
| Calories | 112kcal | 6% |
| Carbohydrates | 9.1g | 3% |
| Protein | 0.6g | 1% |
| Fat | 8.4g | 13% |
| Saturated Fat | 4.2g | 21% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.5g | 3% |
| Trans Fat | 0.5g | 25% |
| Cholesterol | 24.7mg | 8% |
| Sodium | 69.9mg | 3% |
| Sugar | 8.9g | 18% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
18 reviews
Excellent
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