Your New Holiday Tradition: Cut-Out Sugar Cookies With Buttercream Icing
These sugar cookies with buttercream icing are soft, light, and perfect for cut-out shapes and decorating! With simple ingredients, step-by-step instructions, and your favorite friends and family around you, these cookies are perfect for holidays, birthdays, or just because!
Making homemade iced sugar cookies has long been one of my favorite Christmas traditions! I remember baking in my mom’s kitchen as a child. My mother, grandmother, sister and I would gather around the tiny kitchen island to bake and decorate cookies together, and it was always one of my favorite days! I love sharing this tradition with my kids now, too! Here is our tried-and-true recipe, a few options for dietary restrictions, and decorating ideas!
If you also love holiday baking, try out this delicious pumpkin chai bread, easy quick cinnamon rolls, and this delish homemade hot cocoa recipe!
What are Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Icing?
These sugar cookies are classic cut-out cookies with a delightfully soft and buttery texture. Topped with a smooth, creamy vanilla buttercream icing, they’re perfect for decorating with sprinkles, food coloring, or royal icing details. Whether you’re baking for the holidays, a birthday, or just because you want to, these dreamy sugar cookies with buttercream icing will add a touch of sweetness to any occasion.
Why make this Sugar Cookie with Buttercream Icing Recipe?
These sugar cookies are ideal for anyone who wants a fun, hands-on activity that kids and adults alike will enjoy! The dough is simple to work with, and the buttercream icing is perfect for decorating with food coloring and festive toppings. This makes it a great way to celebrate the holidays and spend time with loved ones. Plus, these cookies hold their shape beautifully, so you can create adorable holiday shapes without the hassle of spreading or sticking.
If you’re not yet convinced, here are four more reasons why you should bake these cookies:
- They’re easy to cut into any shape, so the sky’s the limit!
- The buttercream icing is simple to make, smooth, and perfect for piping if you want to get fancy.
- The icing can be tinted with food coloring to match any theme or holiday.
- They’re perfect for a fun family baking project!
Sugar Cookie Ingredients
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Pure vanilla and almond extract
- Flour: If I want to make a gluten-free version, I like to use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF Baking Flour, but any organic all-purpose flour will also work.
- Baking powder
- Salt
Buttercream Icing Ingredients
- Organic butter
- Organic powdered sugar
- Organic vanilla extract
- Organic heavy cream
- Accouterments: Plant-based food coloring, sprinkles, edible sequins, crushed candy canes, etc., can be used to decorate as you wish!
Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Icing Variations
- Add a little zest: For a lemony twist, add 1 Tablespoon of lemon zest and 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice to the dough.
- Get a little spicy: Add ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the dough for a warm, spiced cookie.
- Get a little nutty: Use almond extract instead of vanilla in the buttercream for a nutty flavor.
I hope you love this recipe!
Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Icing
Make perfect sugar cookies with buttercream icing—soft, sweet, and easy to decorate!
Ingredients
Sugar cookies:
- 3/4 cup organic unsalted butter, slightly softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup organic granulated sugar
- 1 large organic egg
- 2 teaspoons organic, pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon organic almond extract
- 2 and 1/4 cups Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF Baking Flour OR organic all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Buttercream icing:
- 2 sticks organic butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 and 1/2 cups organic powdered sugar (you can add 1/2 cup more if you want it a little sweeter!)
- 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
- 1 T organic heavy cream (add more for a thinner consistency if you want to pipe onto cookies)
- Plant-based food coloring, sprinkles, edible sequins, crushed candy canes, etc., can be used for decorating as you wish!
Instructions
Sugar cookies:
- In the large bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until creamed and smooth—about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high until light and fluffy, about 3 or 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl periodically. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract and beat on high until fully combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Turn the mixer down to low and add about half of the flour mixture, mixing until just barely combined. Add the rest of the flour and continue mixing until just combined.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll each portion out onto a piece of parchment to about 1/4″ thickness. Stack the pieces (with paper) onto a baking sheet, cover lightly, and refrigerate for about an hour or up to 2 days. Chilling is important–don’t skip it! This makes the cookies easier to handle when cutting and transferring.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Remove one of the dough pieces from the refrigerator and cut into desired shapes. Transfer the cut cookies to the prepared baking sheet. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until very lightly colored on top and around the edges. Make sure you rotate the baking sheet halfway through bake time. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing and decorating!
Buttercream icing:
- Add the softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium speed until fluffy. Turn the mixer down to low and add in the powdered sugar, about 1 cup at a time. Stop to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as you go! Keep mixing and scraping until all the powdered sugar is mixed into the butter. With the mixer on low, add in the vanilla extract and heavy cream (or milk!). Whisk well until the icing is light and fluffy – about 2-3 minutes!
- If you’re adding food coloring, pour the powder into a small bowl and add water to it. Whisk well. Turn the stand mixer on low, then slowly pour the food coloring into the icing mixture and mix for a few minutes until fully combined–scraping the sides as needed.
- Use a small spatula, piping bag or squeeze bottle to ice! Remember that if you are using piping bags or squeeze bottles, you will need to thin the icing more. Top with desired toppings, and enjoy! These never last long around our home!
Notes
- Add 1 Tablespoon of lemon zest and 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice to the dough for a lemony twist.
- Add ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the dough for a warm, spiced cookie.
- Use almond extract instead of vanilla in the buttercream for a nutty flavor.
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