1-Step 1: Prepare Your Dry Ingredients Start by whisking together 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. This ensures the leavening and salt are evenly distributed throughout the flour. Set this mixture aside while you work on the wet ingredients. Having everything measured and ready makes the process smoother and more enjoyable.

2-Step 2: Cream the Butter and Sugar In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat 3/4 cup room temperature unsalted butter with 3/4 cup granulated sugar. You want to beat this mixture for about 3 minutes on medium speed until it’s smooth, creamy, and slightly lighter in color. This creaming process incorporates tiny air pockets that help the cookies maintain their tender texture. The butter should be cool to the touch around 65°F and soft enough to leave a gentle fingerprint when pressed, but not so soft that it looks greasy or melted.

3-Step 3: Add Egg and Flavorings Add 1 large room temperature egg, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, and the optional 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon almond extract to the creamed butter mixture. Beat until everything is fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. The mixture should look uniform and creamy. If you’ve ever enjoyed our brown butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, you know how much flavor a good extract can add to a recipe.

4-Step 4: Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients With your mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix only until the flour is just incorporated overmixing develops gluten and leads to tough cookies. The dough should come together in a cohesive ball but still look slightly soft. Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see streaks of dry flour.

5-Step 5: Roll and Chill the Dough Divide the dough in half for easier handling. Roll each portion to about 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Rolling before chilling is much easier than trying to roll cold, hard dough. Stack the rolled dough sheets with floured parchment between them, cover the stack with plastic wrap or foil, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, or up to 2 days. This chilling step is essential because it firms up the butter, which prevents the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.

6-Step 6: Preheat and Prepare Baking Sheets When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F and line your baking sheets with fresh parchment paper or silicone baking mats. These liners prevent sticking and make cleanup incredibly easy. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes if it’s very firm.

7-Step 7: Cut Out Your Shapes Using your favorite cookie cutters, cut shapes from the chilled dough. Press the cutter straight down without wiggling, which helps maintain crisp edges. Place the cut cookies about 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets to give them room to expand slightly. Gather the scraps, re-roll them, and cut more shapes until all the dough is used. Try to keep the re-rolled pieces to a minimum for the most even baking results.

8-Step 8: Bake to Perfection Bake the cookies for 11 to 12 minutes. You’re looking for edges that are dry and set but not browned this keeps them soft and tender. The tops should look matte and no longer shiny. Every oven is slightly different, so check a minute early on your first batch. Pull them out when they still look slightly underdone in the center, as they’ll continue cooking on the hot baking sheet.

9-Step 9: Cool the Cookies Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to wire cooling racks. This brief rest allows them to firm up enough to move without breaking. Cool the cookies completely before icing warm cookies will melt the icing and create a mess rather than a beautiful design.

10-Step 10: Prepare the Icing While the cookies cool, make the easy icing. In a bowl, stir together 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or substitute water for white icing), 2 teaspoons light corn syrup, a pinch of salt, and 4.5 to 5 tablespoons room temperature water. Start with less water and add more gradually until the icing ribbons off a spoon and holds its shape briefly before smoothing out. The corn syrup creates that gorgeous, glossy finish that makes decorated cookies look so professional.

11-Step 11: Decorate Your Cookies Divide the icing into small bowls if you want multiple colors. Tint each portion with gel food coloring a small amount goes a long way, and gel won’t thin the icing like liquid food coloring can. Use piping bags for detailed work or squeeze bottles for flooding larger areas and kid-friendly decorating. Dip cookie tops directly into thicker icing, or pipe outlines and fill them in with thinner icing. Add sprinkles while the icing is still wet so they adhere properly.

12-Step 12: Let the Icing Set This final step requires patience but is absolutely essential. Let the decorated cookies sit at room temperature for 24 hours before stacking or packaging. The icing needs this time to fully harden so it won’t smudge or stick to other cookies. Place them in a single layer on wire racks or flat surfaces, away from fans or humid conditions. Once set, your beautiful Christmas sugar cookies are ready to share, gift, or enjoy!