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A hand stacking beautifully iced star-shaped Christmas Cookies with red and green sprinkles on a marble counter, with a metal cookie cutter in the background.

The Best Easy Christmas Cookies (No-Chill & Perfect Shapes!)

Skip the 2-hour wait! Our viral "No-Chill" sugar cookie hack gives you perfect, soft shapes in just 20 minutes. The ultimate easy Christmas cookie recipe for beginners!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Holiday
Calories: 110
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

The "No-Chill" Dough:
  • 1 cup Unsalted Butter (227g) COLD, cut into small cubes. Do not soften!
  • 1 cup Granulated Sugar (200g)
  • 1 Large Egg Cold, straight from the fridge.
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract (5ml)
  • 1/2 tsp Almond Extract (2.5ml) Optional, for bakery flavor.
  • 2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour (300g) Spoon and leveled.
  • 2 tsp Cornstarch (6g) The Secret Ingredient for softness.
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder (4g)
  • 1/2 tsp Salt (3g)
Easy Glaze (Optional):
  • 1 cup Powdered Sugar (120g)
  • 1 tbsp Milk (15ml) Plus more if needed.
  • 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract

Equipment

  • 1 Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer For creaming the cold butter.
  • 1 Rolling Pin
  • 1 Cookie Cutters Your favorite festive shapes!
  • 2 Baking Sheet(s) Lined with parchment paper.

Method
 

The "Cold Butter" Mix
  1. Preheat: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Cream (Don't Overmix): In a large bowl (or stand mixer), beat the COLD butter cubes and sugar on medium speed until just combined and crumbly (about 2 minutes). Do not beat until fluffy; we want the butter to stay cool!
    A glass bowl containing the crumbly mixture of cold butter and sugar, next to a stand mixer, preparing the dough for homemade Christmas cookies.
  3. Wet Ingredients: Add the cold egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mix until just combined.
    A hand sifting powdered sugar and flour through a sieve into a glass bowl containing the butter and egg mixture, preparing the cookie dough.
  4. Dry Ingredients: Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low speed just until a soft dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
    A hand pouring wet ingredients (like egg and vanilla) into a glass bowl of crumbly butter-sugar mixture, preparing to mix the christmas cookie dough.
Roll, Cut & Bake (No Wait!)
  1. Roll: Divide the dough in half. Place one half between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll to 1/4-inch thickness. (This hack prevents sticking without adding extra flour).
    A wooden rolling pin pressing a disk of chilled cookie dough between two sheets of parchment paper on a marble counter, preparing for rolled cookie dough cut-outs.
  2. Cut: Use cookie cutters to cut out your shapes. Place them on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart. (If the dough feels warm or sticky, pop the tray in the freezer for 5 minutes).
    A hand placing a star-shaped christmas sugar cookie cut-out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet next to circles and other cut-out cookie shapes.
  3. Bake: Bake for 8-10 minutes. They should look matte and set, but NOT brown. They will continue to cook on the hot baking sheet.
  4. Cool: Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
    Freshly baked, pale golden christmas sugar cookies cooling on a black wire rack, ready for christmas cookie decorating.
The "Easy Icing" Hack
  1. Mix: Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth.
    A hand whisking powdered sugar and milk in a white bowl to create a smooth, glossy glaze for christmas sugar cookies.
  2. Dip: Hold a cooled cookie by the edges and dip the face down into the glaze. Lift up, let the excess drip off, and place face-up on the rack to set.
    Hands dipping a cooled christmas sugar cookie into a bowl of white glaze, demonstrating the simple dipping method for christmas cookie decorating.

Notes

  • The #1 Rule: The secret to "No-Chill" is COLD butter. If you use warm or softened butter, the cookies will spread, and you must chill the dough for 1 hour.
  • Emergency Hack: If your cookies spread in the oven, use a round cookie cutter (larger than the cookie) to "swirl" around the hot cookie immediately after baking to reshape it.
  • Storage: Cookies stay soft for 1 week in an airtight container at room temperature.
  • Freezing: Freeze the raw, cut-out dough shapes on a baking sheet, then transfer to a bag. Bake from frozen (add 1-2 minutes to bake time).