Frosted Drop Sugar Cookies
These sugar cookies are the easiest way to spread some holiday cheer. They’re simple to make, but the fun part comes with the frosting. A swirl of red and green makes them perfect for Christmas! The cookies themselves are soft, buttery, and just the right balance of sweet. It’s a great way to get into the holiday spirit without much effort.
Making these cookies is a breeze, and the recipe is pretty straightforward. Mix up the dough, scoop out the cookies, and bake. The real fun comes when it’s time to frost! You don’t need to be an expert decorator to make them look great. Just pipe or spread a little frosting on top, add a swirl of red and green, and you’re done. I promise you’ll be proud of your work—and your guests will be impressed.
So, next time you're looking for a simple yet festive treat, give these frosted sugar cookies a try. They’re easy enough to make with kids, fun enough to customize, and guaranteed to be the star of your holiday spread. Happy Baking!
With Love,
Your Baker, Hannah
Convinced it’s time for Christmas cookies? Here’s a grocery list of everything you’re gonna need!
Ingredients Needed to Bake Frosted Drop Sugar Cookies:
Salted Butter
Granulated Sugar
Egg
Vanilla Extract
Almond Extract
Baking Soda
Cream of Tartar
Salt
All-Purpose Flour
Powdered Sugar
Heavy Cream
Red and Green Food Coloring
(To make it even easier, you can hit the “Get Ingredients” button inside the recipe, and these items will be added straight to your shopping cart at the grocery store of your choice.)
Ingredient Substitutions:
Butter: If you prefer, you can substitute salted butter with unsalted butter and add a pinch of salt.
Almond Extract: If you don't have almond extract, you can use more vanilla extract or even a small amount of hazelnut extract for a different flavor profile.
Heavy Cream: You could substitute heavy cream with half-and-half, though it might affect the texture slightly.
Food Coloring: If you want to skip the artificial food coloring, consider using natural alternatives like beet juice for red and spirulina powder for green.
What Tools Do You Need to Bake Frosted Drop Sugar Cookies?
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Step-by-Step Instructions for Baking Frosted Drop Sugar Cookies:
Make the Dough: Cream together the room temperature butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract, mixing on low until well incorporated.
Stir in the baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt, and then gradually add the flour, mixing until a dough forms.
Shape and Bake the Cookies: Scoop dough into 12 equally sized portions and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges and soft in the center. Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before transferring to a cooling rack.
Make the Frosting: Beat together butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Add heavy cream, vanilla extract, and mix until fluffy. Separate frosting into three bowls and color with red and green food coloring.
Pipe or spread the frosting onto the cooled cookies, topping them with festive swirls.
FAQs About Baking Drop Sugar Cookies:
How to Make the Fluffiest Frosting?
The key to fluffy frosting is mixing it well. Beat the butter and powdered sugar until light and airy before adding in the cream and vanilla. Ensure the frosting is light, smooth, and holds its shape.
How to Prevent Your Cookies from Being Too Hard?
Overbaking cookies can lead to dryness. For soft cookies, bake until the edges are lightly golden, and the centers remain soft. Allow them to cool on the sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
How to Store Your Baked Cookies
Store your frosted sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. If you want to store them longer, you can freeze them in a sealed container for up to a month. Just make sure the frosting is completely set before stacking them.
Recipe for Frosted Drop Sugar Cookies:
Soft and Chewy Christmas Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Into a large mixing bowl, place your room temperature butter and granulated sugar. Using an electric hand mixer, mix on high until the butter and sugar and light and fluffy, with no lumps of butter left.
- Once mixed, add in your egg and vanilla extract, almond extract, and mix on low speed until the egg is incorporated. (Do not over mix, as this will change the texture of the cookies by allowing to much air into the dough).
- Next, add in your baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt and mix to combine.
- Once all of the ingredients have been mixed, add in your flour and, using a wooden spoon, stir by hand until the flour has been well incorporated and the dough has come together fully.
- After your dough has been mixed, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and scoop 12 equally sized cookies onto it.
- Place your cookies into the oven and bake them for 12-15 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown and the centers are still soft and fluffy.
- Once the cookies have baked, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool slightly before transferring them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Begin by placing your butter into a medium mixing bowl, and mixing it on high with your electric hand mixer until it is light and fluffy.
- Once your butter is fluffy, add in half of your powdered sugar and mix on medium speed until it has been fully incorporated into your butter.
- Next, add in the remaining powdered sugar, vanilla, and the heavy cream, and mix on high until your frosting is lightly and fluffy (this may take just a couple of minutes).
- Once your frosting has been mixed, grab 2 more small mixing bowl, and distribute 1/3 of your frosting into each of them. (You should now have 3 bowls of frosting.)
- Next, into 1 of the three bowls, add in your red food coloring (as much as you need for your desired color), and mix well. Repeat this process in the next bowl with the green food coloring. You should now have one bowl of red frosting, one bowl of green frosting, and one bowl of white frosting.
- After you have made all of your frosting colors, lay a piece of plastic wrap (roughly 10 inches x 10 inches) onto your work surface, and place 3 vertical lines of frosting onto it (one line of each color).
- Form the frosting into a log by rolling up the plastic wrap and twisting the ends together. Gently cut one end of the plastic wrap off so your frosting can be piped.
- Fit a piping bag with your desired tip. Place the frosting log in the bag with the cut end going towards the piping tip, and pipe a swirl of frosting onto each cookie.
- Serve and enjoy!
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