Description
These Best Soft Christmas Cookies are tender, buttery sugar cookies perfect for the holiday season. They hold their shape beautifully after cutting and baking, making them ideal for festive decorating with colored sugar or frosting. With a soft texture and classic vanilla flavor, these cookies are a holiday favorite for all ages.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 3.75 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1.5 cups white sugar
- 1 cup margarine, softened
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Gather Ingredients: Collect all the ingredients you need for the cookies to make the preparation smooth and efficient.
- Sift Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt to evenly distribute the leavening and salt through the flour. Set aside.
- Cream Sugar and Butter: In a large bowl, beat the sugar and softened margarine with an electric mixer until the mixture is smooth and creamy, which helps create a tender cookie texture.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Beat the first egg into the butter mixture thoroughly. Then add the second egg and vanilla extract, beating until combined.
- Combine with Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the sifted flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring just until the dough is combined, to avoid overworking which can make cookies tough.
- Chill Dough: Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 2 hours, which helps the cookies hold their shape when baking.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Set the oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease two cookie sheets to prevent sticking.
- Roll Out and Cut Shapes: On a floured surface, roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Use Christmas-themed cookie cutters to cut out shapes, arranging them evenly on the prepared cookie sheets. Gather the scraps, re-roll, and repeat until all dough is used.
- Bake Cookies: Place cookie sheets in the preheated oven and bake the cookies for about 6 to 8 minutes or until their edges are a light golden brown, indicating they are done but still soft.
- Cool: Allow the cookies to cool briefly on the baking sheet to firm up, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating or serving.
- Serve and Enjoy: Once cooled, enjoy the soft, tender cookies as they are, or decorate with frosting or colored sugar as desired for festive cheer.
Notes
- These cookies are soft and tender, perfect for cut-out shapes that hold their form well.
- For extra festive fun, sprinkle colored sugar on top before baking or frost them once cooled.
- If you prefer a richer butter flavor, you can substitute margarine with unsalted butter.
- Make sure not to overmix the dough after adding flour to keep cookies soft.
- Chilling the dough is essential for maintaining shape during baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 97 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 81 mg
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 8 mg
