With this Christmas cookie recipe, nothing can go wrong: The butter cookies to cut out are an absolute classic and guaranteed to succeed!
Are you looking for a good, easy Christmas cookie recipe for cutting out? Here it is! With our cookie dough for butter cookies, this Christmas baking classic is sure to succeed - perfect for baking with kids or last-minute baking.
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Taste and Occasion
Easy Christmas cookies are highly underrated, in my opinion. Sure, I also want to bake a few new creations each year. A cookie plate without butter cookies to cut out is still missing something… In many families, there are tried and true Christmas cookie recipes. This cookie dough from shortbread is our classic from grandma. And has been used, with minor variations, for decades for all sorts of varieties.
No wonder: the easy basic Christmas cookie recipe always works. The result is wonderfully crumbly. The taste is amazingly buttery. And last but not least, the Christmas cookies look easy and varied - for example, by decorating them sometimes with icing and colorful sprinkles, sometimes brushed with egg yolk or even just dusted with powdered sugar.
Ingredients
If you want to bake quick Christmas cookies, you can't get around a good basic dough. You can make this one with cold butter or as a stirred shortbread with softened butter. The dough is the perfect base for cookie baking with kids. With the little ones, make sure that only one part is used at a time. The rest of the shortbread dough stays in the fridge for now.
How to make the Cut Out Christmas Cookies
Let's start! First, Put the flour and sugar in a bowl. Now, add the butter in small pieces and the egg and knead into a shortcrust dough. Form dough into a large ball and refrigerate wrapped in foil for at least half an hour. It's time to preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Divide dough ball in half (return one half to the refrigerator) and roll out on a baking mat or lightly floured work surface. Cut out cookies and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Then, do the same with the second portion of dough. Knead dough scraps together again and again and chill briefly. Brush the cookies with whisked egg yolk and bake for about 10-12 minutes (depending on thickness). In the end, let cool, remove from baking sheet and decorate as desired with icing, decorative sprinkles, etc.
Top Tip
I usually make double the amount - so the butter cookies last a little longer 😉 . Below, you'll find a few tips to ensure that nothing goes wrong with the basic cookie recipe.
The cookie dough does not become smooth but crumbly!
The cookie dough crumbles when rolled out!
The cookie dough is too soft!
Bake cookie cutters for how long and at how many degrees?
How long will the butter cookies keep?
Recipe Card
Best Cut Out Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
- 250 grams (2 cups) wheat flour
- 90 grams (½ cup) sugar
- 125 grams (⅔ cup) butter
- 1 egg, medium
Instructions
- Put the flour and sugar in a bowl. Add the butter in small pieces and the egg and knead into a shortcrust dough. Form dough into a large ball and refrigerate wrapped in foil for at least half an hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Divide dough ball in half (return one half to the refrigerator) and roll out on a baking mat or lightly floured work surface. Cut out cookies and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Do the same with the second portion of dough. Knead dough scraps together again and again and chill briefly.
- Brush the cookies with whisked egg yolk (see notes). Bake for about 10-12 minutes, depending on thickness. Let cool, remove from baking sheet and decorate as desired with icing, decorative sprinkles, etc. (see notes).
Notes
- The Christmas cookies taste delicious on their own. If you want to decorate them additionally, there are many possibilities: 1. Brush with beaten egg yolk before baking and decorate as desired with (bake-safe) sugar sprinkles. 2. After baking, let cool and brush with icing and sprinkle with sugar decorations 3. Alternatively, carefully melt white or dark chocolate glaze and use for coating. Instead of covering the cookies entirely with it, you can also spread fine chocolate lines on them.
Ingredient substitutions
Variations
In addition to this cookie dough for cutting out, I make vanilla crescents and cinnamon stars every year. And if it has to go particularly fast, there are the 3-ingredient biscuits. The gingerbread men are also great. Feel free to tell me in a comment what your absolute must-haves are during the Christmas season!
Nutrition
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About Kathrin & Jan
It's like a little miracle to me every time. Seemingly simple ingredients are made into something that can brighten up your life. Butter, sugar, eggs, and flour melt into an airy biscuit, a fine tart, a juicy cake, or a crispy biscuit. Baking simply makes you happy. Welcome and enjoy our blog!
Kathrin & Jan
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