The BEST Sugar Cookie Recipe (aka Santa's favorite cookies) are soft sugar cutout cookies, festively decorated with sweet icing. This Easy Sugar Cookie Recipe checks all the boxes! We call this easy sugar cookie recipe SANTA'S FAVORITE COOKIE RECIPE because it's simple, classic, fluffy, and delicious. We love to decorate them with the kids to leave under the tree for Santa.
In a large bowl, with a hand mixer, beat the Crisco and sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg, milk, and vanilla until well blended.
1 cup Crisco® Baking Sticks Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 2 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Gradually add to the Crisco mixture on low speed until blended.
3 cups Pillsbury BEST™ All-Purpose Flour, 1½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Divide the dough into 3 pieces. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
Heat oven to 375ºF. Roll 1 piece of dough at a time on lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut dough with 2 to 3-inch floured cookie cutters. Place 1-inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 5 to 9 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool 2 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.
For the Icing
Sift the powdered sugar into a mixing bowl.
4 cups powdered sugar
Combine the corn syrup, milk (or water), and flavoring.
Turn the mixer on low until everything is moist - scrape the bowl often.
Turn the mixer to medium and mix until everything is well blended and smooth.
Divide the icing into as many bowls as you would like, and color with food coloring until you have a wide array of Holiday colors (don't forget to leave one bowl white!)
Food coloring
Decorate the cookies as desired.
Video
Notes
Using Crisco helps keep these cookies from spreading and losing their shape in the oven.
Milk: You can use water in place of the milk in the icing.
You can use vanilla extract in place of the almond extract in the icing.
Decorating Tip: We don't have the white and red stripes touch because they'll eventually bleed into each other as the cookies sit. I love the separated stripes for a fun and clean look!
Storage: Store Christmas cutout cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.