The best sugar cookies are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and perfectly smooth on top for easy decorating.


Classic Holiday Sugar Cookies Recipe

Make sure you have everything you need for your next holiday baking project.

1. __Sugar cookie dough__: For best results, make the dough the day before you plan to bake and decorate the cookies.
2. __Cookie cutters__: Whether you're using festive shapes or simple rounds, cookie cutters are a must for sugar cookies. 
3. __Food coloring__: If you're making colored sugar cookies, gel food coloring is easier to incorporate than liquid food coloring.
4. __Cookie icing__: Royal icing, made from confectioners' sugar and egg whites, is a favorite because it's easy to work with and hardens when dry.
5. __Piping bag and tips__: You can make most designs using a few disposable plastic piping bags, a coupler, and a fine tip. 
6. __Small bowls__: If you're working with multiple colors of icing, keep each color in its own small bowl with a dedicated spoon or spatula. Cover the bowls with plastic wrap to keep the icing from drying out.

For spectacular holiday sugar cookies, follow these baking and icing tips.

1. __Refrigerate the cookies before baking__. This helps the cookies keep their shape by preventing them from spreading out too early in the baking process. 
2. __Work quickly__. Royal icing dries quickly, which is great because it allows you to decorate with multiple colors on the same cookie. But when working to fill an area with color (known as "flooding"), make sure you work quickly enough that the icing won't dry before you've filled the entire area.
3. __Make a border with icing__. When making a filled design, always pipe the border first. This will help the icing stay within the lines.
4. __Let the icing dry completely__. Royal icing will start to harden within a couple of minutes, but give cookies about four hours to dry completely before storing. To protect your designs, store cookies on their sides between sheets of parchment paper.

The best sugar cookies are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and perfectly smooth on top for easy decorating.


Make sure you have everything you need for your next holiday baking project.<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Sugar cookie dough: For best results, make the dough the day before you plan to bake and decorate the cookies. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Cookie cutters: Whether you&#39;re using festive shapes or simple rounds, cookie cutters are a must for sugar cookies. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Food coloring: If you&#39;re making colored sugar cookies, gel food coloring is easier to incorporate than liquid food coloring. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Cookie icing: Royal icing, made from confectioners&#39; sugar and egg whites, is a favorite because it&#39;s easy to work with and hardens when dry. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 5. Piping bag and tips: You can make most designs using a few disposable plastic piping bags, a coupler, and a fine tip. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 6. Small bowls: If you&#39;re working with multiple colors of icing, keep each color in its own small bowl with a dedicated spoon or spatula. Cover the bowls with plastic wrap to keep the icing from drying out. </li></ol>

6 Things You Need to Make Sugar Cookies

For spectacular holiday sugar cookies, follow these baking and icing tips.<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Refrigerate the cookies before baking. This helps the cookies keep their shape by preventing them from spreading out too early in the baking process. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Work quickly. Royal icing dries quickly, which is great because it allows you to decorate with multiple colors on the same cookie. But when working to fill an area with color (known as &quot;flooding&quot;), make sure you work quickly enough that the icing won&#39;t dry before you&#39;ve filled the entire area. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Make a border with icing. When making a filled design, always pipe the border first. This will help the icing stay within the lines. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Let the icing dry completely. Royal icing will start to harden within a couple of minutes, but give cookies about four hours to dry completely before storing. To protect your designs, store cookies on their sides between sheets of parchment paper. </li></ol>

4 Tips for Decorating Holiday Sugar Cookies

Classic Holiday Sugar Cookie Recipe

The best sugar cookies are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and perfectly smooth on top for easy decorating.