Easy Slice ‘n’ Bake Vanilla Bean Christmas Sugar Cookies w/Whipped Buttercream.

It’s Christmas Sugar Cookie Day!!

No really, I have been waiting for this day forever. Who couldn’t love a good sugar cookie?!?!  Crazy people that’s who.

I am currently having the problem that I only want to bake sweet things. Normally I have trouble coming up with sweet recipes, but this December I have so many that I want to make and not enough savory recipes. Like on Sunday, I set out to make two new savory dishes for you guys and they both just fell horribly flat. I think this was mostly because I wasn’t extremely excited about either recipe and I really just wanted to be baking and singing along to Christmas music.

Have I ever mentioned that I have always thought I would make the perfect Mrs. Claus? Because I have said this to my mom my whole life and now apparently I have the guts to tell all of you this. It’s because I can’t see you. Trust me, the online me is so much more daring and I guess personal. Meet me face to face and I am kind of shy. It’s better now that I am older though. As a kid, I clung to my mom’s hip like no kid you’d ever seen before.

Actually, when I was really young I wouldn’t even let my dad hold me. UGH. I was so mean, but hey, he’s pretty much my favorite person now.

Sorry, too much information for a cookie post.

SO. You know all those picture perfect Christmas cookies that basically look like Christmas cookie perfection? Yeah, these are not them… and they are not meant to be. I have always, always wanted to make the cut-out cookies, complete with the royal icing, pretty sanding sugar and little details like Santa’s rosy cheeks. I pretty much envy the beyond talented people who can create those gorgeous cookies. BUT I have finally accepted that, one, I do not have the patience for them, and two, they will never turn out as perfect as I want them to. Plus, if I am being honest, I really only like the look of those perfectly pretty cookies, the taste? Not so awesome.

This year, I finally decided to just give up on the perfect look and go for cute and good. Or ok, cute and delicious.

The verdict? It worked out so much better for me, and my day didn’t end with me covered in royal icing, sprinkles and crying on the floor while eating a sub-par cookie. Total upgrade.

These are cookies for people who want to have fun making cookies, people who have kids or people who just want a good frickin’ cookie. The whole slice and bake thing takes the effort right out of these and saves you your sanity. And the easy delicious frosting saves you from hours of trying to create the perfect picture cookie only to come up with something that looks like an art project gone so wrong. Plus, um again, they are so good.

The cookies are just a simple blend of butter, sugar and vanilla. Pretty much just like any other sugar cookie, but these have the vanilla flavor bumped up to the max. I love vanilla, and it’s Christmas time and that just means vanilla to me. The boys actually loved the cookies all by themselves. No frosting, no sprinkles. That was a little odd seeing as they love sugar, but I have to admit that the cookies themselves are perfect on their own. Soft, sweet and so vanilla-ey.

I still added frosting to most of the cookies though because no Christmas cookie should be left unfrosted. It’s just common sense. I went with a vanilla buttercream, but there’s a little secret ingredient involved. Salted caramel. It’s only a fourth of cup, but it just makes the frosting melt in your mouth. SOOOO good. Addictingly good.

I made my own, but you can use store-bought for a quicker frosting.

To decorate? I kept things SO simple. I used Christmas cookie cutters to make gingerbread men, Christmas trees and Santa hats. Couldn’t be easier. Just place the cookie cutter on top of the frosted cookie and sprinkle a little sanding sugar inside the cutter. Shake the cookie to evenly distribute the sanding sugar. DONE. My kind of cookie decorating.

If you want to make shapes with the cookies, this dough works great for that too. Just roll out the dough to about an eighth inch thickness, cut your cookies and bake as directed.

When I made these, there were of course a zillion snowboarders around from the US Team and yeah, they devoured these cookies. Said they were the best ever… maybe that’s why they haven’t left the house since?

Come on, these Slice ‘n’ Bake Vanilla Bean Christmas Sugar Cookies are pretty cute, right?!?