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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?
Easy Slice ‘n’ Bake Vanilla Bean Christmas Sugar Cookies w/Whipped Buttercream.
Servings: 60 Cookies
Calories Per Serving: 206 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Cookies
- 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla bean seeds removed (optional)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract* optional
- 2 eggs
- 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Buttercream Frosting
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup homemade or store-bought salted caramel sauce
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2-4 tablespoons heavy cream
- assorted sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
- To make the cookies, cream the butter, sugar, vanilla bean, vanilla extract and almond extract in a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy, about a full 3-5 minutes.
- Add the eggs and mix until evenly combined. Add half the flour, baking soda and salt, beating until combined. Add the remaining flour and beat until the dough forms a ball.
- Place half the dough on a large piece of plastic wrap and shape into a 10-inch log. Repeat with the remaining dough. Now try and make sure each log is pretty rounded and then wrap in a generous amount of tin foil. This will prevent the dough from forming a straight edge. Place the logs in the fridge for at least one hour or up to three days.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Remove one roll of dough at a time from the fridge. Unwrap the dough and slice crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, turning the dough a quarter turn after each slice to help keep the cookies round. Place 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. If your cookies aren’t as round as you want them to be, shape the dough with your fingers.
- Bake 8 minutes for soft cookies. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining roll of dough, if desired.
- To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl with a hand mixer) beat together the butter and powdered sugar until smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla, pinch of salt and caramel, beat until combined Add the heavy cream and beat another 3 minutes or until the frosting is light and fluffy, add more cream to your liking.
- Frost the cooled cookies and decorate as desired. To make the shapes of your favorite christmas symbols, find some smaller Christmas cookie cutters and gently place in the center of the cookie. Sprinkle the inside of the cookie cutter with sanding sugar or sprinkles. Shake the cookie a little to help evenly distribute the sanding sugar and then remove the cookie cutter.
- Store cookies, covered for up to four days at room temperature.
Notes
*If you do not have almond extract on hand or cannot find it, feel free to just leave it out. BUT I think it makes these cookies great.
*The cookie dough can also be stored in the freezer. To bake remove from the freezer and let sit on the counter for 5 minutes prior to slicing. Bake As directed.
Come on, these Slice ‘n’ Bake Vanilla Bean Christmas Sugar Cookies are pretty cute, right?!?
This post was originally published on December 2, 2014
Hi there! I realize the icing is soft, but do you have any tips on how to store them, so not to destroy the beautiful decorating? 5 dozen is a lot to store with soft icing! But it sounds so good, I’m dying to try! Could they be frozen once made? I’ve done that successfully with mini cupcakes before…
Hi!!
So I really don’t have a great answer for this. I just line them up on cookie sheets. That said I do think these would freeze great. Sorry I could not help more!
Oh my gosh. I found you through pinterest, these are LITERALLY the greatest sugar cookies I have ever made/eaten in. my. life. I made the cookies with my toddler last night, we couldn’t stop eating them! We added the icing this morning, and she was just licking the icing off the cookies it was so tasty. Thank you SO much for an actually delicious and easy sugar cookie recipe!
These look great! Two questions:
1) How do you make the rose petal looking effect with the icing?
2) Will the icing harden a bit so I can wrap these and give them as part of a cookie exchange?
Thanks!
Hey!!
So I used a piping bag + pastry tip to do that. I used tip large star tip. It is pretty easy to do with that tip. Let me know if you have questions!
The frosting will not harden though, it is a soft frosting. Let me know if you have other questions!
Your cookies look absolutely amazing, I love how you decorated them! Still looking for the perfect Christmas Sugar Cookie, I may have to give this recipe a try!
Thanks Katie! Hope you give the cookies a try! 🙂
You’re so interesting! I don’t believe I’ve truly read a single
thing like this before. So great to find another person with original
thoughts on this subject. Really.. many thanks for starting this up.
This web site is one thing that is required on the internet, someone with some originality!
Can the icing be made without the caramel sauce?
Yes, that will work fine. Hope you love these!
These were Ah-mazing! I love them plain, but the icing… the icing! It made these surpass any other sugar cookies I have ever made or tasted previously. Brava!
SO happy you loved these, THANKS!
I only made the cookies…they are seriously delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi there, these look so good! I just have one question, when using this for cut-out cookies rather than slice and bake, do the cookies hold their edges well or do they tend to spread out at all? thanks for the recipe, I’ll be trying them out!
Hey Gina, if the dough is chilled prior to baking, they hold their shape pretty well. Hope you love these!
These cookies are sooooo good. Thanks so much for the recipe! The almond extract really makes them taste special. I didn’t have vanilla bean so I added a 1/2 teaspoon more vanilla extract. I totally burnt the caramel for the frosting so instead I made a regular buttercream frosting and added some cinnamon to add a little extra flavor and it worked well.
The words escaped from my mouth: “Wow, yummy, delicious, awesome!!” 🙂
Thank you!
Do you think I can make this frosting and use it as a filling in candy chocolate cups? I was also wondering how the frosting tastes.. creamy caramel or buttery?
Hey Isabella, I think that would be fine. The frosting is is creamy and buttery. It’s a good balance.
Hi! these cookies look awesome! One question though — how many cookies does one batch make? I know it depends on the size of the log and the thickness of the slice, but a general idea would be great 🙂
Maybe I did something wrong but followed directions exactly and ended up with bland little cake like things thar fall apart, not really cookies
Oh no, I am so sorry. Did you follow the recipe? Happy to help if you have any questions.
Hey Kai, about 40-50 cookies.
Hope you love these!
I’m confused about the vanilla bean-do I dice it? Or take it out at some point like a bay leaf? Thanks.
Hey, just saw your comment and had the same exact question. I did some searching on other sites and it says to scrape the seeds out and use the seeds in the recipe. You can store the empty pods in a canister of sugar to make vanilla-sugar. Good luck!
You just take out the seeds. Here is a great how to:
Could a chocolate drop be added on top
f course!
Oops. Meant of course!