Christmas Sugar Cookie Recipe And Decorating Fun

This is my family’s recipe for the BEST homemade sugar cookies and frosting. It’s a family tradition for all of us to get together around Christmas time to make and decorate these. My husband loves these cookies so much that he gobbles down a dozen in one sitting. Since he loves them so much we have made it a family tradition to start making them more often than just at Christmas. We do them for most holidays now and sometimes just because.

Here is the recipe. Depending on the cookie cutter sizes, you use this should make you about 3 dozen cookies. I usually double the recipe if I’m bringing them to a family event or if my husband is feeling extra hungry.

Ingredients for sugar cookies-

1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tablespoons of milk

Cookie Preparation:

1) Cream shortening. Add the sugar and eggs and beat well. Add the vanilla and dry ingredients alternately with milk and mix well.

2) Roll the dough 1/8 of an inch thick on a lightly floured surface.

3) Use cookie cutters to make whatever shapes your heart desires.

4) Put the cookies on a baking sheet and bake in a 375 degree oven for 6 minutes. Make sure to watch the cookies as they are baking and take them out when they are a beautiful light golden brown color.

Frosting ingredients:

3/4 cup Crisco Shortening
3 and 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla

Frosting Preparation:

1. Beat all these ingredients together until smooth.

When the cookies are cooled, use food coloring to color the frosting all different colors. Use a spoon to scoop the frosting in decorating bags. We think these Wilton Decorating Bags work the best but you can use whatever bags you like!

*If you don’t have frosting bags and tips you can simply spoon the frosting in a zip lock bag and use a scissors to snip off an edge. This will work just fine!

Frosting the cookies is the really fun part because you and your kids can get really creative. You can make the cookies any shapes and colors you’d like and you can even color the cookie dough red and green with food coloring, too! Your children will love decorating these cookies just as much as they will love eating the finished product!

These cookies are delicious and a great way to get all the family together to have some holiday fun!