It’s that time of year again, when people bust out their best holiday treats. You may or may not know that I am not much of a baker but a many years ago my friend Susan shared with me the magical ways of the sugar cookie, and I was hooked.
Every time I share a photo on Instagram, I get asked for the recipe and while I’ve posted about it before, I’m sharing it again today in the spirit of Christmas cookies.
The recipe I’m sharing today originated from Sara Fehling, who shared it with Susan, who passed it along to me! I am literally no baker but this recipe makes it seem like maybe I am.
This is my 2025 update post, as I’ve been making these for many years now and have a few tips and an updated recipe for you to download. The recipe has not changed. I just tightened up the instructions a little bit to make it easier to follow, and added a few notes.
But here are some key things to help your cookie making adventure!
First things first, you’ll need a good rolling pin, and ideally one designed for the even rolling out of dough.
This is the Precision Rolling Pin from The Cookie Countess. This has one purpose: perfectly even depths for your rolled out dough.
I also use cookie cutters and icing bags from Holly Fox. I adore her designs! And she is an AMAZING cookie artist. We also use her her bag clips and they are fantastic! We have used her icing bags (without tips) for several years now. Just snip off a VERY tiny bit off the end—smaller for detailed work, larger for flood work—and you’re good to go!
We used to use couplers and tips but this is so much simpler!
Next you need to have the tools of the trade. My KitchenAid stand mixer makes the process so much more do-able. I have bird wrists. I’m not a good by-hand mixer kind of gal.
You’ll also need to get gel coloring for your icing. There are many different gel colors to choose from. I have one line linked in my supplies that we really like.
In 2025, my daughter and I did all the baking on a Saturday, and all the icing on a Sunday. We both agreed this was such a good way to go!
Also, this recipe works great with gluten free flour! We just used Bob’s Red Mill for one batch and there was ZERO dough spread, thanks to chilling the dough and the new mats we are baking on.
So now that you have all the tools and you’re ready to go, how ’bout I give you the recipe?
DOWNLOAD RECIPE
A few extra things to note:
• When I make this cookie recipe, I halve it and make a double batch. Twice. As much as I love my mixer, it has a harder time handling the full 6 cups of flour the recipe calls for. I much prefer to make a half batch, roll out the dough, pop it into the fridge to chill and then tackle batch no. 2. Yes, it makes for more clean up (I start each batch with a clean mixer bowl and paddle) but it’s easier for me to manage.
• I only bake one sheet of cookies at a time. It takes longer, but you can definitely do more if you like.
• The origninal icing recipe called for almond extract, but I ALWAYS flavor with vanilla. It’s a personal taste. I can’t stand the taste of almond extract in anything, though I adore almonds. Go figure.
• In the icing recipe, Sara divides her icing while it is still thick, then adds water to each bowl as she goes. I tend to get my icing a bit more fluid before I divide and conquer. So I add successive tablespoons of water to the mixer until it gets a bit thinner. The danger is that you’ll get it too runny, which you don’t want. I find the icing making stage is the most tedious. Both from getting the consistency right to getting the colors right. It takes time and if you get it too runny, you can always add more powdered sugar. There is a great tip for the right consistency in the PDF.
• Tie off your pastry bags very tightly. What has happened to me on numerous occasions is that I’m so focused on piping on that frosting, I don’t notice that I’m squeezing it up and out of the bag. And yes, that’s a messy clean up.
• Lastly, have fun. Experiment. Make mistakes and practice. Making cookies with Aidan is such a joy, especially on the holidays, so get a partner to help and have at it.
Of course, the best part about all of this is that if you like sugar cookies, you are going to love how they taste.
If you visit my Instagram profile, I have a saved story called Cookies. I made that a few years ago to give a visual reference for many of the steps!
Enjoy!
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