Classic Christmas Sugar Cookie Cutouts

These pretty sugar cookies are a classic addition to the holiday cookie tray. They make great decorations, too! ...MORE+ LESS-

Cookies

1 1/2

cups powdered sugar

cup butter or margarine, softened

teaspoon vanilla

1/2

teaspoon almond extract

egg

2 1/2

cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

teaspoon baking soda

teaspoon cream of tartar

Betty Crocker™ Decor Selects candy sprinkles, nonpareils or colored sugars, if desired

cups powdered sugar

1/2

teaspoon vanilla

tablespoons milk or half-and-half

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1

In large bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, the butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, almond extract and egg until well blended. Stir in flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
2

Heat oven to 375°F. Divide dough in half. On lightly floured, cloth covered surface, roll each half of dough 3/16 inch thick. Cut into assorted shapes with cookie cutters, or cut around patterns traced from storybook illustrations. If cookies are to be hung as decorations, make a hole in each 1/4 inch from top with end of plastic straw. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
3

Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until light brown. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
4

In medium bowl, beat all frosting ingredients until smooth and spreadable. Tint with food color if desired. Frost and decorate cookies as desired with frosting and colored sugars.

For melt-in-your-mouth treats, be sure to mix cookies just enough—but not too much. Too much mixing can result in tough cookies.
Skip the decorator frosting and use part of a container of ready-to-spread frosting instead. The frosting layer will be a bit thicker this way, but it will be equally delicious!

1/2 Starch; 1/2 Fat;

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

More About This Recipe

No Christmas cookie tray is complete without these classic sugar cookie cutouts sitting next to the chocolate crinkles and gingerbread cookies. They’re pretty enough to be an ornament on the tree and tasty enough to fill Santa’s belly, so it’s no wonder they’ve been a Christmas tradition for generations. With tons of sugar cookie recipes to choose from, the best thing about these classics is that you can really make them your own. They’re the perfect canvas to show off your decorating skills or introduce your youngest bakers to cookie art. No matter your skill level, there are lots of ways to decorate classic sugar cookie cutouts; get creative with frosting or keep it simple by making green Christmas trees.