Christmas Butter Cookies Recipe (2024)

These easy-to-make 4-ingredient Christmas butter cookies are rich and delicious. These holiday butter cookies can be decorated with nuts, sprinkles, cherries, and more. You are only limited by your imagination.

It is that time of year! The holiday season is upon us, and what better time of year to make your favorite Christmas cookie for cookie trays, holiday parties, cookie exchanges, or a great holiday gift?

Christmas Butter Cookies Recipe

If you need a recipe for Christmas butter cookies, these simple, four-ingredient holiday butter cookies are the perfect cookie for the holiday season. I first posted this recipe almost ten years ago, which is my favorite holiday butter cookie recipe. This is certain to become one of your favorite recipes for how easy, versatile, and mouthwatering they are. So whip up a batch of cookies today!

This is a base recipe. You can definitely bake and serve these cookies using only the four ingredients listed to make them, and they are scrumptious! However, you can also jazz up the cookies. One batch can make very different-looking cookies depending on how creative you wish to be.

How to make butter cookies festive:

● Leave the natural dough color and bake.
● Leave the natural dough color and decorate the cookies before baking.
● Leave the natural dough color, dip in chocolate after baking, and add nuts or sprinkles to the wet chocolate.
● Color the dough.
● Color the dough and decorate the cookies before baking.
● Color the dough, dip it in chocolate after baking, and add nuts or sprinkles to the wet chocolate.

Tips and tricks for making these Christmas butter cookies:

● Use parchment paper, not wax paper when baking.
● I think the almond extract really makes these cookies. Feel free to substitute with vanilla extract or another extract of your choice.
● In the United States 8 tablespoons of butter = 1 stick, and 1 stick of butter = ½ a cup. This recipe uses 2 sticks of butter or 1 cup.
● Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature.
● Do NOT substitute margarine for butter.
● For my UK and Australian friends: confectioners sugar is icing sugar (powdered sugar, 10x).
● How to make colored sugar
● If you decide to pipe these cookies so they look like a homemade version of Danish butter cookies, use a large tip, and for best results chill the formed, piped cookies before baking so they do not lose their shape.
● I would not use this dough for cutouts, it will warm quickly and you will end up with a sticky mess.
● Decoration ideas include Christmas sprinkles, maraschino cherries, nuts, and colored sugar for a festive touch.
● If you would like to dip in chocolate, dark chocolate, or white chocolate, do so after the cookies have cooled. At that point, you can add sprinkles or nuts to the wet chocolate.
● Ingredients for this recipe are commonly found at your local grocery store.
● Storage – Store cookies in an airtight container separating the cookie layers with wax paper, in the fridge for up to a week and in the freeze for up to a month.
● Reheating – No

Need more Christmas cookie recipes for your holiday cookie tray? Try these Christmas cookie recipes:

● Cranberry Noels Cookie Recipe
● Fruitcake Cookies Recipe
● Grandma’s Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies Recipe
● Kris Kringle Cookie and Frosting Recipe
● Spritz Cookies

● If you like holiday butter cookies, you will love this easy shortbread cookie recipe.

Christmas Butter Cookie Recipe Ingredients:

● 1 cup Butter, softened
● 1½ cups All-purpose Flour
● ½ cup Confectioners Sugar
● 1 tsp Almond extract
● Decorating garnish: maraschino cherries, nuts, holiday sprinkles, or colored sugar (optional)

Christmas Butter Cookie Mise en Place:

● Stand Mixer (paddle attachment, whisk, bowls, etc.)
● Rubber Spatula
● Measuring Cup
● Measuring Spoons
● Parchment Paper
● Baking Sheets
● Plastic Wrap
● Wax Paper
● Wire Rack for Cooling

Christmas Butter Cookie Recipe Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Using a stand mixer, in a large mixing bowl, combine butter, flour, confectionery sugar, and almond extract; beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.
3. If you plan on coloring the dough, divide it if you are using more than one color. Add a few drops of food coloring or food gel to any dough you would like to color now.

4. Cover the cookie dough in the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
5. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

6. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. You need to work quickly because as the dough warms at room temperature, it becomes much softer. Scoop a teaspoon of batter into your hand and shape as a ball or oblong, flattening slightly.
7. Space dough balls 2″ apart on a cookie sheet.

8. If decorating, add chosen decorating garnish (sprinkles, nuts, maraschino cherries) and place it on top of the cookie.
9. Bake cookies in a preheated 350° oven for 13 minutes or until the bottom of the cookies is lightly browned (DO NOT OVER BAKE!)
10. Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes.

11. Transfer the baked cookies onto wire racks to finish cooling.
12. Store in an airtight container and separate each layer with wax paper.

● For more Christmas cookie recipes on Ann’s Entitled Life, click here.

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