Soft and delicious, these sugar cookies are perfect for Christmas! Growing up, I made these cookies using my grandma’s old recipe card, and the recipe is still one of my favorites today.
When he was growing up, these cookies were my dad’s favorite breakfast.
My grandmother—his mom—would whip up a big batch of these sugar cookies, roll them into a log, and store it in the freezer. Some mornings, she would cut off a few cookies, throw them in the oven, and that would be breakfast for the day. With four boys in the house, can you really blame her?
As I was growing up and started to gain an interest in baking, my dad shared this recipe with me. I remember baking these cookies in our kitchen before Christmas each year, peering at my grandmother’s handwritten recipe on a tiny index card. After all the cookies had been eaten, my dad would immediately beg me to make more, and it was usually hard to say no.
One of my favorite parts about recipes is how they can transcend generations. I will always feel a connection to my dad (and my grandmother) when I make these cookies, and I hope to one day share them with my children as well. I hope you find as much joy from these sugar cookies as my family does.
How to Make Grandma’s Sugar Cookies
In terms of cookies, it doesn’t get much easier than these. Here’s all you need to do to make these sugar cookies:
1. Start by making the cookie dough. Mix together the softened butter and sugar until fluffy, then add in the beaten eggs, vanilla extract, and milk. In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, then add these to the mixture until just combined. Be sure not to overmix so the cookies don’t get too tough!
2. Wrap the cookie dough and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. I like to pat my cookie dough into a circular disk and then firmly wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes, but you can also refrigerate it for up to 2-3 days if you are making the dough in advance.
3. Roll out and cut the cookies. Lightly flour your work surface, then roll out the cookie dough until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Cut out the cookies using whatever cookie cutters you’d like, then transfer the cookies to a sheet tray. I like to re-roll the cookie scraps as much as I can to get as many cookies as possible.
4. Bake the cookies! Bake the cookies at 375°F for 8-12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown around the edges. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. If desired, you can decorate the cookies with royal icing, or you can leave them as is. My dad actually prefers to eat them plain!
Helpful Tools to Make Grandma’s Sugar Cookies
These cookies are great because you can make them with whatever cutters or tools you have on hand. However, if you really want to step up your sugar cookie game, here are some tools I recommend:
- Wooden rolling pin — I prefer rolling pins without handles because I think you get a more even and consistent roll
- Piping bags — These are great to put icing in to easily decorate
- Decorating tips — This is the set of piping tips I have, and you can get so creative with all the options
- Gel food coloring — all. the. colors.
- Christmas cookie cutters — If you don’t have any Christmas cookie cutters lying around, this would be a great place to start!
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Grandma’s Sugar Cookies FAQ
Can you make the cookie dough ahead of time? Absolutely! I personally love to make these cookies in a few stages so that I’m not too overwhelmed all in one day. Tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, this dough can be refrigerated for up to 2-3 days. Alternatively, you can freeze the dough for up to 2 months—just let it thaw to room temperature before rolling it out.
Can you double the recipe to make more cookies? Yes, you can double (and even triple) this recipe with ease. If you do so, I would recommend separating the cookie dough into a few circular disks before refrigerating it. You will also want to roll the dough out in stages so that it’s manageable.
Any other tips for perfect sugar cookies? Here are a few:
- Make sure to use softened butter, not melted! If the butter has melted, the dough will be too soft and you will have to refrigerate it for a longer period of time.
- Don’t skip the refrigeration time for the dough! This lets the dough firm up, which makes it easier to roll out later.
- Flour your surface well so that the dough doesn’t stick. Honestly, is there anything worse than cookies that won’t come off the counter?
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Grandma’s Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 52 minutes
- Yield: 24 3-inch cookies 1x
Description
Soft and delicious, these sugar cookies are perfect for Christmas! Growing up, I made these cookies using my grandma’s old recipe card, and the recipe is still one of my favorites today.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (113 g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (204 g)
- 2 eggs, well beaten (100 g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (2 g)
- 1 tablespoon milk (15 g)
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (355 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (6 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (3 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (5 g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a sheet tray with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
- Make the cookie dough: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a rubber spatula), cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, and milk, then add these liquid ingredients to the creamed butter mixture. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the main mixture and mix until just combined, scraping as needed.
- Pat the cookie dough into a circular disk and tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out.
- Time to cut out the cookies! Lightly flour your work station and roll the cookie dough disk out until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Cut out the cookies using your desired cookie cutters, then transfer them to the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8-12 minutes, or until they are lightly golden brown around the edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Eat the cookies as is, or decorate them using royal icing! I love to color my royal icing using gel food coloring. Additionally, you can decorate the cookies with sprinkles or whatever else you have on hand.
Notes
- The number of cookies that this recipe yields depends on the size of the cookie cutter you use.
- If you’d like to prepare the dough ahead of time, you can refrigerate it for 2-3 days or freeze it for up to 2 months. You can also freeze the baked cookies and let them thaw to room temperature before serving.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: sugar cookies, christmas cookies, cookies
Grandma Hargett would be very honored (and proud).
I hope so!