Description
These classic Christmas Cookies, also known as vanilla biscuits or sugar cookies, are soft, buttery, and lightly sweetened treats perfect for holiday decorating or enjoying plain. Made with simple pantry ingredients and customizable with icing or chocolate decorations, they bake to a delicate golden finish and offer a delightful balance of crisp edges and tender centers.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 225g / 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (or use salted, skip salt)
- 1 cup caster/superfine sugar (granulated white sugar okay too)
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg (55-60g / 1.9-2 oz)
- 3 cups plain/all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
Icing
- Icing for Sugar Cookies (optional, see separate recipe or use store-bought)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F), or 160°C if using fan-forced. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar on medium speed for about one minute until the mixture is light and creamy.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until fully incorporated, creating a smooth batter base.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the wet mixture. Begin mixing slowly to prevent flour from flying out, then increase speed to blend all ingredients. The dough will be clumpy at this point.
- Shape Dough: Dust a clean work surface with flour and scrape the dough onto it. Pat it together to form a rough shape, then divide the dough into two discs for easier handling.
- Roll Out Dough: Roll each disc to your preferred thickness: 0.3cm (1/8 inch) for thinner, crispier cookies, or 0.6cm (1/4 inch) for thicker, softer cookies. Sprinkle flour under and over the dough while rolling to prevent sticking.
- Cut Shapes and Arrange: Use cookie cutters to press out your desired shapes. Transfer them carefully with a knife or spatula onto the prepared baking sheets. Keep leftover dough refrigerated to maintain firmness for additional batches.
- Bake and Rotate Trays: Place both trays in the oven simultaneously—one in the middle rack and the other on the lower rack. After 5 minutes, swap their positions to ensure even baking. Bake for a total of 10 minutes until cookies are pale golden with lightly golden edges.
- Cool Thoroughly: Remove cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on the baking trays. They will finish setting as they cool to retain shape and texture.
- Decorate as Desired: Once cooled, decorate the cookies with icing, melted chocolate dips, a dusting of icing sugar, or silver edible balls. Alternatively, enjoy them plain as sweet, buttery vanilla biscuits.
Notes
- The total number of cookies depends on the size of your cutters and dough thickness; this recipe typically fills three baking trays.
- Swapping the oven trays halfway through baking ensures even cooking since the top rack tends to bake faster than the lower rack.
- This recipe is adapted from Sugar, Spun, Run’s classic Sugar Cookies recipe.
- Store cookies in an airtight container for up to one week to maintain freshness. Beyond this period, they remain edible but may dry out slightly.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (approx. 25g)
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 80mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 1.5g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
