Santa Claus Christmas Cookies 🎄🎅
These adorable Santa cookies are made with a soft sugar cookie dough and decorated with vanilla buttercream frosting. They’re festive, fun to make, and perfect for Christmas trays or gifting.
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
ÂĽ tsp salt
Red gel food coloring
Buttercream Frosting
½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1–2 tbsp milk or heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Decorations
Mini chocolate chips (eyes & buttons)
Red mini candy or sprinkle (nose)
Coarse sugar (optional, for sparkle)
Instructions
- Make the Dough
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (about 2–3 minutes).
- Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing until fully combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until a soft dough forms.
- Color & Shape
- Divide the dough into two parts:
Leave one portion plain (for face, beard, and hands).
Tint the other portion red using gel food coloring (for Santa’s suit and hat).
- Roll small balls of red dough to form Santa’s body and hat.
- Use plain dough for the face, hands, and trim.
- Assemble Santa shapes directly on a parchment-lined baking sheet, gently pressing pieces together.
- Bake
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C)
Bake cookies for 10–12 minutes, until set but not browned.
Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the Buttercream
- Beat butter until creamy.
- Gradually add powdered sugar.
- Mix in vanilla and milk until smooth and pipeable.
- Decorate
- Pipe buttercream to create Santa’s beard, mustache, and hat trim.
- Add mini chocolate chips for eyes and buttons.
- Place a red candy sprinkle for the nose.
- Sprinkle lightly with coarse sugar for a snowy effect (optional).
Tips
Chill dough for 20 minutes if it feels too soft.
Use a piping bag with a small star tip for the beard texture.
Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.