Cut Out Christmas Sugar Cookies With Sprinkles (Without Brown Sugar)
Best, easy, simple and delicious cut out sugar cookies recipe with step by step instructions to prepare the cookie dough, cut out different shapes using cookie cutters, bake the cookies and also notes on adding colorful rainbow sprinkles or easy frosting using icing sugar.These make great Christmas cookies, Easter cookies or cookies for any holidays or special occasions and make great homemade gifts for family and friends too.You can make either crispy or soft sugar cut out sugar cookies using this recipe.
Servings 32 cookies
Calories 116kcal
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- salt a pinch
- 1 ¼ cup sugar
- 1 large eggs
- 1 stick butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons oil I used canola oil
- extra flour as needed for dusting
Instructions
To prepare the cookie dough
- In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder and salt until they are evenly mixed.
- In another bowl, mix well the softened butter and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
- Beat the egg very well and add this to the butter sugar mixture, also add the vanilla extract and mix well to combine.
- Transfer the wet ingredients mixture to the dry flour mixture, mix well using a spoon and then knead well with your hands.
- Add the oil and knead again. Now the sugar cookie dough is ready, cover and keep it in the refrigerator to chill the cookie dough for about half an hour (if you keep more time, the cookie dough will harden, if that happens you can leave it in the room temperature until you can work on it again of if you are in a hurry you can microwave it for 4 to 5 seconds which will help).
To cut the cookies
- Divide the cookie dough into four equal sections so you can easily work with them.
- Take one section of the divided dough and place it in a dusted (with flour) clean flat surface.
- Roll the dough little thick (about ¼ inch) and using cookie cutters, cut the shapes. If its difficult to take the cutout from the remaining of the dough, you can slowly move the cookie cutter towards the edge and slowly slide the cutout onto your hand, then place it on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminium foil. To make this easier, always try to make the cuts near to the edge of the rolled dough so you can easily move them out.
- Cut out different shapes using different kinds of cookie cutters if you wish (if needed knead and roll the dough again, as you cut the shapes. If you are using a lot of different kinds of cookie cutters at the same time with the rolled dough, you can make all the shapes at the same time which maybe more easy to do as well) and place them all in the cookie sheet with enough space in between (the cookies will slightly enlarge as they get baked, so do not keep too close).
To bake the cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.
- Once the oven is hot enough, place the first batch of cookies in the oven.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or couple of minutes more if you want them crispy.
- Once the cookies are baked, transfer them immediately from the hot oven to avoid further baking which will make them harder.
- Let the cookies sit in the cookie sheet for few minutes until they are cooled. Enjoy them as they or you can frost them if you wish.
- Similarly work with the rest of the cookie dough as well (you can do it in multiple batches in whichever shapes you like).
Notes
You can decide if you want soft sugar cookies or crispy ones or you can find a balance by choosing a texture in between.
I found that baking the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes (depends on the oven too) will give you soft sugar cookies while baking for 12 minutes is just perfect (crispy and soft) while baking for 14 minutes will give very crispy and somewhat browned but still very delicious sugar cookies.
The times can also slightly vary based on different ovens, so you have to find out what's the right cooking time for you, but 10 minutes is what I would recommend for if you are trying this out for the first time.
To make round shaped cookies without cookie cutter or without rolling the dough
You can always roll the dough and make the round shaped cookies using round cookie cutters, lids etc if you wish.
However you do not need to use any of these as you can easily make simple round cookies using the sugar cookie dough.
To do this, simply make small balls (about 1 inch in diameter) out of the cookie dough and place them in the cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminium foil. Make sure to leave some space between each ball.
Gently press the cookie dough balls a little with your palms. Now that's enough, it will bake just like the other cookies.
To add the sprinkles for easy decoration
If you are not frosting the cookies but want to add a little color, you can easily add some rainbow sprinkles to your cookies.
This has to be done before baking. To do this, once you have placed the raw cookies in the cookie sheet, you can add a little sprinkles on top of each cookie, and using your hand, gently press them into the cookie dough.
Now the decorated cookies are ready for baking.
Sugar cookies with sprinkles make easy, simple and delicious Easter cookies or Christmas cookies which also make great gifts for holidays.
More notes and directions inside the blog post on how to make simple frosted sugar cookies with frosting made using icing sugar.
Nutrition
Calories: 116kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 28mg | Potassium: 40mg | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 100IU | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.6mg