The Best Sugar Cookie and Icing Recipes for Making Holiday Magic With Your Family

Baking sugar cookies with your kids at Christmas time is a fun and delicious way to spend quality time together and create lasting memories. Not only will your kids have a blast rolling out the dough, cutting out cookie shapes, and decorating the cookies with icing and sprinkles, but they will also learn valuable kitchen skills and develop a love for cooking and baking.

To get started, you will need a simple sugar cookie recipe, some all-purpose flour, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt. You will also need a rolling pin, cookie cutters in festive shapes, parchment paper, and a baking sheet.

First, cream together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Let your kids use the cookie cutters to cut out the shapes and place them on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cookies are cooling, you can make the icing. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup of confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract until smooth. If the icing is too thick, add a little more milk. If it is too thin, add a little more confectioners' sugar. If you want to add color to the icing, divide it into separate bowls and stir in a few drops of food coloring until you achieve the desired shade.

Once the cookies are cool, let your kids use a small spoon or piping bag to drizzle or pipe the icing over the cookies. Encourage them to be creative and have fun with the decorations. You can also add sprinkles, nonpareils, or other small candies to the icing before it sets.

After the icing has set, your delicious and beautifully decorated sugar cookies are ready to be enjoyed! They make a great treat for your family and friends, or a fun and festive addition to your Christmas cookie platter.

Baking sugar cookies with your kids at Christmas time is a fun and rewarding activity that will create lasting memories and foster a love for cooking and baking. So gather your ingredients, put on your aprons, and get ready to have a blast in the kitchen with your little ones. Happy baking!

Best Sugar Cookie Recipe for Christmas Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined.

4. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

6. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out desired shapes with cookie cutters and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

7. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

8. Once the cookies are cool, you can decorate them with icing or sprinkles if desired.

Enjoy your delicious sugar cookies!

Best Icing Recipe for Sugar Cookies at Christmas

Here is a simple and delicious recipe for icing to decorate sugar cookies:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar

• 2 tablespoons milk

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Food coloring (optional)

Directions:

1. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. If the icing is too thick, add a little more milk. If it is too thin, add a little more confectioners' sugar.

2. If you want to add color to the icing, divide it into separate bowls and stir in a few drops of food coloring until you achieve the desired shade.

3. Use a small spoon or piping bag to drizzle or pipe the icing over the cooled sugar cookies. Allow the icing to set before serving or storing the cookies.

Enjoy your beautifully decorated sugar cookies!