Make a batch of soft frosted Christmas cookies this holiday season. Thick, soft sugar cookies are topped with a layer of sweet homemade buttercream frosting. The perfect cookie for the holidays, and easy to customize for any time of year.
In a large bowl, add room temperature butter and sugar. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until light and fluffy, about a minute. Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat until fully incorporated and fluffy, about a minute.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually stir (or use a mixer on low speed) dry ingredients into butter mixture until just combined.
Cover bowl and chill dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Refrigerating allows time for flavors to meld and also creates a firmer dough that's easy to roll into balls.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Remove dough from refrigerator. Scoop dough using a medium cookie scoop or shape by hand into 1.5 inch balls.
Place cookie dough balls 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheet. As is, dough balls bake into thick, rounded top cookies (as shown in photos). Optionally, flatten balls slightly using your hands or the bottom of a glass dusted with flour (to prevent sticking). This helps your cookies spread more and makes a flatter top for frosting.
Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until tops look set and edges barely begin to brown (times will vary based on your own oven and size of cookies). Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Buttercream frosting
In a medium bowl, add room temperature butter, confectioner's sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt. Whip until frosting is smooth and spreadable. Add more heavy cream as needed to achieve desired consistency.
Spread frosting with a knife onto completely cooled cookies (warm cookies will melt frosting). Or, use a piping bag with decorating tip. Cookies shown are piped with a rosette using a Wilton 2D tip.
Video
Notes
* I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure flour by weight (the gram measurements are in the parentheses in the recipe card). If you don't have a kitchen scale, use the spoon and level method. Stir the flour (especially if it's been packed down in a bag/container), then gently spoon into the measuring cup, leveling off the top with a knife. Scooping with a measuring cup compacts flour into the cup and adds up to 25% extra to the recipe, resulting in dry, bland cookies that don't spread properly.
Cookie dough will keep in refrigerator for 2-3 days, or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Cookies will keep for up to 5 days in a tightly sealed container at room temperature. Add a slice of bread to the cookie container to help keep cookies moist. Replace as needed (bread will dry out).
If not frosting sugar cookies, I suggest rolling in granulated sugar before baking. Without frosting, cookies are not very sweet on their own.