Festive Santa Sugar Cookies

These Festive Santa Sugar Cookies are soft, buttery, and vanilla-sweet, with a crisp royal icing finish that holds fine details. The decorating is more forgiving than it looks, and the dough stays easy to roll and cut.

Yield: About 24 cookies | Time: About 1 hr 10 min, including 10 min chilling

Ingredients

For the cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour — This gives the cookies their structure. Spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off so you don’t pack in too much.
1 cup unsalted butter, softened — Softened butter creams properly with the sugar and traps air for a tender bite. Unsalted lets you control the salt.
1 cup granulated sugar — This sweetens the dough and helps the butter cream into a light base.
1 large egg, at room temperature — It binds the dough and adds richness. Room temperature helps it blend in smoothly.
2 tsp vanilla extract — Vanilla is the main flavor in a sugar cookie. Pure extract gives the best taste.
2 tsp baking powder — This gives the cookies a little lift so they stay tender rather than dense.
1/4 tsp salt — This balances the sweetness and brings out the vanilla.

For the royal icing

3 cups powdered sugar — This is the base for the royal icing. Sift it first if it is clumpy so the icing comes out smooth.
2 tbsp meringue powder — It gives the royal icing strength so the details hold their shape. Look for it in the baking aisle or with cake decorating supplies.
5-6 tbsp warm water — Add it gradually to the icing. Too much water makes it runny, so add a little at a time.

For decorating

Gel food coloring, red, black, and peach, as needed — Use gel rather than liquid coloring, because it gives bright color without thinning the icing.
Sugar pearls, black and red, as needed — These make the eyes, cheeks, and buttons. They are decorative, so use as many or as few as you like.

How To Make Festive Santa Sugar Cookies

Cream the butter and sugar.
Beat the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Use a stand or hand mixer on medium speed.

Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Scrape the bowl down a few times so no butter is stuck on the sides.

Mix in the dry ingredients. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix on low just until a dough forms. Stop as soon as no dry flour shows, since overmixing makes the cookies tough.

The dough should feel soft and slightly firm. If it is very sticky, chill it for 15 minutes before rolling.
Roll and cut the Santa shapes.
Divide the dough in half and roll one portion on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick. Keep the other half covered in the refrigerator while you work.

Cut out Santa shapes with a cookie cutter and move them to a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving a little space between them.

If the shapes feel soft or warm, chill them for 10 minutes. This keeps them from spreading in the oven.

Bake the cookies. Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the cookies are set and the edges look just barely golden.

Pull them out when the centers look set. They will look slightly pale in the middle but firm up as they cool.

Let the cookies rest on the pan for 2 minutes, then move them to a rack to cool completely before icing. Icing warm cookies makes the colors bleed.
Make and color the royal icing.
Whisk the powdered sugar and meringue powder together in a bowl. Add the warm water a tablespoon at a time, mixing on low until the icing is thick but pipeable.

Divide the icing into small bowls and color portions with red, peach, and black gel food coloring as needed. Keep a portion of the icing white for the beard. Cover the bowls with a damp towel so the icing does not dry out.

Use a small round tip or a piping bag. Pipe the red suit and hat first, then pipe a swirled white beard and trim.

Let each section set briefly before adding the next so the colors stay crisp. If the icing spreads too much, it is too thin; add a little more powdered sugar.
Add the faces and details.
While the icing is still soft, press in the black sugar pearl eyes and the red sugar pearl cheeks and buttons.

Then let the icing set completely, which usually takes several hours at room temperature. The icing will look glossy when wet and turn dull and matte as it dries.

Do not stack or pack the cookies until the icing is fully set, or the details will smear.

Where This Recipe Can Go Wrong

Cookies that spread. Warm dough melts into a flat shape. Chill the cut shapes for 10 minutes before baking to keep the Santa outlines sharp.

Runny icing. Too much warm water makes the icing too thin to pipe. Add the water slowly and check the consistency often.

Smeared details. Piping the beard before the suit has set can blur the colors. Let each section firm up slightly before adding the next.

Serving and Storage

Santa cookies on a plate with Christmas decorations in the background

Once the icing is fully set, store the decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Place parchment between layers to protect the faces.

You can freeze the unbaked dough for up to 3 months. Wrap it well and thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before rolling. Baked, undecorated cookies freeze for up to 3 months; thaw them at room temperature and decorate once fully cool.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make the dough ahead of time?

Yes, you can refrigerate the dough for up to 2 days before rolling. Decorate the cookies the day you plan to serve them for the cleanest look.

Can I use liquid food coloring instead of gel?

You can, but it will thin the icing and the colors will be less vibrant. Gel coloring is the better choice for this recipe.

Why did my cookies spread?

The dough was likely too warm when it went into the oven. Chilling the cut shapes for 10 minutes before baking usually prevents this.

How do I know when the cookies are done?

They are done when the edges look just barely golden and the centers look set. They will firm up as they cool on the pan.

Hailee Nova