Our Classic Christmas Cookies are a timeless holiday favorite. With their soft texture, creamy flavor, and festive red and green sprinkles, these sugar cookies are easy to make and even easier to enjoy.
Old Fashioned Christmas Cookies
Our Classic Christmas Cookies are a timeless holiday favorite that will make your festive season extra special. When you think about holiday baking, these cookies shine brighter than the rest with their irresistible soft texture and creamy flavor.
What truly sets these cookies apart is their nostolgic presentation. Topped with festive red and green sanding sugar, they bring a splash of color to your holiday cookie tray. These cookies are perfect for holiday gatherings, cookie exchanges, or simply enjoying a cup of hot cocoa by the fire.
But don’t just take my word for it—baking these cookies is enjoyable and easy! With easy-to-follow steps, even novice bakers can whip up a batch that feels like a warm hug in cookie form. Plus, the joy of sharing these delicious treats with family and friends creates unforgettable memories that will last long after the holiday season ends.
If you like these Christmas cream cheese sugar cookies, then you will love my Christmas Sugar Cookie Recipe! Looking for something even easier, try our Christmas Cake Mix Cookies!
Ingredients Notes
- Salted butter: Adds richness and flavor to this Christmas sugar cookie recipe. If you are using unsalted butter, you will want to add another ¼ tsp of salt.
- Cream cheese: This is the secret to a soft and chewy cookie! I recommend using full-fat cream cheese in this cookie recipe, as it yields the best result because of the consistency it offers.
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract: Adds warmth and complexity to the cookies.
- Almond extract: Perfectly complements the vanilla. You can use all vanilla if you prefer, but we love the richness of the almond extract in the recipe.
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch: Softens the texture of the cookies, making them more tender and contributing to a melt-in-your-mouth quality.
- Baking soda: Helps the cookies rise and spread slightly, contributing to a light texture.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness
- Red and green sanding sugar: Feel free to customize the colors for any holiday or special occasion.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Classic Christmas Cookies
- Create The Cookie Dough: Beat together the butter, cream cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and almond extractuntil light and fluffy. Add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt and mix until a soft dough forms.
- Chill: Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- Decorate The Dough Balls: Scoop dough balls onto the cookie sheet, 1 inch apart, and then use a fork to make a criss cross pattern on top. Sprinkle with colored sugar.
- Bake: Bake at 350 degrees Fahenheit for 9-11 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing.
- Serve: Serve and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Old fashioned Christmas cookie recipes are great for giving as homemade holiday gifts. Package the cookies in cute boxes or tins and hand them out to teachers, friends, and coworkers.
These classic Christmas cookies are sure to impress! Whether you take them to a cookie exchange, gathering, or enjoy them at home, they’re guaranteed to be a hit!
Tips & Variations
- Before Baking: Make sure your butter and cream cheese are softened to room temperature.
- Dessert Is Done: Make sure you do not overcook these cookies. They should not brown on the edges at all. You want them to be soft, and they should look a bit undercooked when you pull them out of the oven.
- Don’t Skip A Step: The cookie dough must be chilled for at least a couple of hours to ensure the cookies bake up nice and soft and don’t spread too much on your cookie sheet.
- The Perfect Cookie Scoop Set: I love this set because it makes it much easier to get the perfect size scoop. This is a set of 3 so you always will have the right size!
- The best Silicone Baking Mat is a kitchen MUST HAVE! I use them to line my baking sheets for everything… from making cookies, sheet pan dinners, and so much more!
- Decorate Your Desserts: If you prefer, you can skip the sanding sugar and opt for frosting or a homemade icing instead. You can decorate sugar cookies for any holiday or season with colorful candy, sprinkles, non pareils, or a simple dusting of powdered sugar.
Proper Storage
- To Store: Baked and decorated cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 5-7 days. You can keep them on the countertop at room temperature or place them in the refrigerator.
- To Freeze: Like most cream cheese cookie recipes, these sugar cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Make-Ahead: One of the best things about a good sugar cookie dough is that it can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for a few days before using it. So, if you’d like to make this dough in advance, go right ahead! You can even freeze it for up to 3 months.
More Easy Christmas Desserts
If you tried this Old Fashioned Christmas Sugar Cookies Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!!!
Classic Christmas Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 1 stick salted butter softened
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoons almond extract
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Red & Green Sanding Sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl add butter, cream cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and almond extract. Using a hand mixer beat until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.1 stick salted butter, 2 ounces cream cheese, 1½ cups sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoons almond extract
- Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add flour, cornstarch baking soda, and salt. Turn the hand mixer to a low speed and combine the ingredients until a soft dough forms.2½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- Once the dough has been chilled for 2 hours remove from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place the balls on the parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, at least 1 inch apart.
- Using a fork make a criss-cross pattern pressing down lightly into the cookie dough.
- Sprinkle sugar with green or red sugar.Red & Green Sanding Sugar
- Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes. Make sure not to overcook these cookies – they should not brown on the edges at all. You want them to be soft, and they should look a bit undercooked when you pull them out of the oven.
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to continue cooling.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: Baked and decorated cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 5-7 days. You can keep them on the countertop at room temperature or place them in the refrigerator.
- To Freeze: Like most cream cheese cookie recipes, these sugar cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Make-Ahead: One of the best things about a good sugar cookie dough is that it can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for a few days before using it. So, if you’d like to make this dough in advance, go right ahead! You can even freeze it for up to 3 months.
- Make sure your butter and cream cheese are softened to room temperature.
- Make sure you do not overcook these cookies. They should not brown on the edges at all. You want them to be soft, and they should look a bit undercooked when you pull them out of the oven.
- The cookie dough must be chilled for at least a couple of hours to ensure the cookies bake up nice and soft and don’t spread too much on your cookie sheet.
- I love this Cookie Scoop set because it makes it much easier to get the perfect size scoop. This is a set of 3 so you always will have the right size!
- The best Silicone Baking Mat is a kitchen MUST HAVE! I use them to line my baking sheets for everything… from making cookies, sheet pan dinners, and so much more!If you prefer, you can skip the sanding sugar and opt for frosting or a homemade icing instead. You can decorate sugar cookies for any holiday or season with colorful candy, sprinkles, non pareils, or a simple dusting of powdered sugar.
Nutrition Info
It’s always fun to get into the holiday spirit, and what better way to do that than to make some delicious Christmas sugar cookie! This recipe will surprise you with how simple it is to make the ultimate, melt in your mouth, cookies. They make the perfect holiday snack to have around your home or to bring to a gathering.
These were so good!
Hi Jenn, what measurement is to be hosed to scoop the cookies? 1 TBSP?
Thanks
Hay QUen im pret sure it uno TBSP YAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS