I love adding a creative twist to holiday cookies like my reindeer tracks pudding cookies, muddy buddy cookies, and Christmas crack cookies. But there’s something special about a really good classic holiday cookie.
But don’t call these soft frosted Christmas cookies boring! They went through a rigorous amount of testing to yield the thick texture that melts in your mouth! Add a dollop of perfectly balanced frosting and you have a cookie that rivals some of my favorites like brown sugar pop tart cookies and chocolate chip pudding cookies.
The Soft, Frosted Christmas Cookie Everyone Asks For
Every December, my kids start asking when we can make “the sprinkle cookies,” and this is the recipe they mean.
These cookies hit that perfect balance of soft, fluffy, and frosted without being overly sweet or cakey. They have the classic Christmas sugar cookie taste you get from a holiday bakery case, but they’re simple enough for a cozy night-in with kids on stool-tops and sprinkles everywhere (my favorite way to bake!).
Put them in a cookie box and be prepared to share the recipe!
Need more festive Christmas cookies? Try mini Christmas cookies, peppermint chocolate chip cookies, or Italian sprinkle cookies next!
What Makes These Cookies So Soft? (It’s the Bakery Trick You’re Probably Not Using)
The secret to ultra-soft Christmas cookies comes down to three things I learned during testing:
- Oil = reliable softness: Most bakeries add a small amount of oil to keep cookies soft even after a few days. Oil stays liquid at room temperature, which means the cookies won’t turn firm or crumbly.
- Cornstarch = pillow texture: Cornstarch lightens the flour mixture and helps the cookies stay thick without spreading. It also gives that classic bakery-style lift. I tested these with 1/2 cup, 1/4 cup, and 2 Tbsp (the winner).
- Room temp butter (67°F): Room temp is much cooler than you think. Cooler butter leads to dense cookies. Too warm, and the cookies melt. 67°F gives you ideal aeration when creaming the butter and sugar.
These techniques together are why these cookies taste like they came from a bakery display case rather than a home kitchen.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- All-purpose flour and cornstarch: For cornstarch and to keep them extra soft.
- Unsalted butter: soften to just room temp!
- Granulated sugar: I tried powdered sugar and they were too dry so use granulated for sure.
- Vegetable or avocado oil: The key softness booster that bakeries use.
- Egg: Binds and adds richness.
- Vanilla + almond extract: The signature holiday sugar-cookie flavor combo.
- Holiday jimmies: They don’t bleed like nonpareils.
- Frosting ingredients: Butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and more sprinkles.
How to Make Soft Frosted Christmas Cookies
Step 1. Mix the wet ingredients: Cream the butter and sugar. Add the oil, eggs, and extracts.
Step 2. Whisk the dry ingredients: combine the flour, corn starch, and salt.
Step 3. Combine and add sprinkles: Beat in the dry ingredients then stir in the sprinkles until evenly distributed.
Step 4. Scoop and bake: Use a large cookie scoop and bake for 10–12 min, until the edges are set and the tops look matte but not golden. Underbaking gives you soft cookies.
Step 5. Make the frosting: Beat butter until smooth, whip in powdered sugar, and vanilla until fluffy, then stir in sprinkles.
Step 4. Frost the cookies: Spread the frosting onto the completely cooled cookies and top with more sprinkles.
My Top Tips After Recipe Testing 6 Times
- Too much cornstarch makes the cookies dry and crumbly instead of soft.
- Flour under-measured by even a tablespoon can make them spread too much. Use the spoon and level method or weigh for best results.
- Powdered sugar in the dough made them dry. Creaming the granulated sugar was much better!
- Weighing your ingredients gives the best, most consistent results.
- Use room-temperature butter (~67°F): most people assume it’s warmer and this results in cookies that spread too much.
- Do not overbake: The tops should look just set, with no browning.
Decorating Ideas for Classic Christmas Cookies
- Holiday jimmies mixed into the dough and sprinkled on top.
- Plain white frosting with red + green sprinkles on top.
- Pastel pink frosting for a Lofthouse vibe.
- Dye the frosting red and green frosting.
- Pipe a thick swoop or simply spread with a knife.
- Sprinkle with festive sprinkles: perfect for kids decorating night!
More Festive Holiday Cookies
Soft Frosted Christmas Cookies
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Ingredients
Cookies
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil or avocado oil
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup holiday jimmies
Frosting:
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar up to 1/2 cup more as needed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Kosher salt to tast
- 1/4 cup holiday jimmies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix dry ingredients (2 min): In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together until combine.3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Beat wet ingredients (5 min): In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or large bowl with electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on high for 2 minutes. Turn the mixer on low and add the avocado oil, egg, vanilla, and almond extract until combined, stopping to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1 large egg, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon almond extract
- Combine and add sprinkles (3 min): (With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients until combined. Stir in the sprinkles with a rubber spatula.1/2 cup holiday jimmies
- Scoop and bake (10 min): Use a large cookie scoop to drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet 2-3 inches apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops look just set. Cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and swirl with a glass or large cookie cutter for a perfect circle if desired. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make the frosting an decorate (10 min): In a large bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add more powdered sugar a Tablespoon at a time to thicken it to desired consistency. Stir in the sprinkles and spread the frosting on the cooled cookies.3/4 cup unsalted butter, 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, Kosher salt to tast, 1/4 cup holiday jimmies
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQs
Using oil (a bakery tip), measuring the flour properly, and underbaking them slightly keeps christmas cookies extra soft.
Too little flour or if the butter was too warm are the most common reasons. I also prefer using a light-colored baking sheet to keep them from spreading.
Yes really similar! But with a homemade flavor and fluffier frosting
No chilling needed, which is why I love these Christmas cookies! The cornstarch and flour ratios keeps them from spreading.
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These are AMAZING! Im making them again for Valentines Day!
So glad you love them!!
Well I’m never rolling or cutting out sugar cookies again! No need when this recipe is SO GOOD and SO EASY!
Thank you Allyson!!
Omg these cookies were utterly divine! Everyone ate them before I got a chance to frost them! I was a little worried about not chilling the dough in advance but I trusted the recipe and dang they were delicious. Thank you!!
Ps I used coarse kosher salt because that was all I had on hand and they had the perfect hint of salt.
So glad you loved them Jessica!
Hello, how large is your cookie scoop?
I’m excited to make these for Christmas next week! Did you happen to do any tests with gluten free 1:1 flours? My father-in-law has an allergy, and I’d love to know if you think they would turn out!
Hi Lauren! Sorry for my late reply. I haven’t tested this recipe with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend yet, so I can’t say for sure how they’ll turn out. If you try it, I’d recommend using a high-quality cup-for-cup blend with xanthan gum and keeping an eye on the bake time, since GF dough can bake a little differently. I’d love to hear how it goes if you make them!
Can you use cake flour in this recipe or does it need the higher protein of AP flour?
Hi Dani! I’d stick with all-purpose flour for this one. The recipe already includes cornstarch to soften the cookies, and using cake flour (which is much lower protein) can make them too delicate and more likely to spread. AP flour gives the structure these cookies need while still keeping them soft.
Made these with my daughter. They were very easy and so delicious. I will actually keep this frosting recipe and use it for cakes and other things from now on best, frosting recipe I’ve made at home. Fully and oh so yummy!!
Wow, thank you Heather!
Hi Molly! These sound so yummy. I would like to add them to my cookie boxes for friends and neighbors, but am wondering if it work if I were to make smaller cookies so I get a bigger yield (and they are more aligned with the size of the other cookies I’m making). Thank you!!!
Delish!! Easy to follow and so so yummy!
Thank you Jamie!
Can you use vegetable oil instead of avocado
Hi Kelly. Yes you can!
Cookies turned out really tasty. My only gripe about this recipe is for the icing, I had to use my hands to work the butter and powdered sugar together because the sugar was floating everywhere and wasn’t combining well. But everything else was really easy to follow. These cookies are REALLY SWEET and SO RICH. One cookie is plenty. Really happy with the way they turned out. I hope they are a crowd pleaser at my work holiday party. I’m really glad I made them, and I’m excited to use more of Molly’s recipes in the future.
Hi Marissa! Thanks for the feedback! That can definitely happen if the powdered sugar is added all at once. A good tip is to start the mixer on very low and add the powdered sugar gradually, or cover the bowl loosely with a towel while mixing to keep it from flying everywhere. Once it starts to combine, it smooths out quickly.
How do you scoop your flour? Fluff, spoon and level? Is there no baking powder or soda?
Hi Chelsea! Flour: I recommend fluff, spoon, and level to avoid packing in too much flour.
Leavening: This recipe intentionally has no baking powder or soda. The cookies are meant to be soft and thick, with structure coming from the butter, oil, egg, and cornstarch rather than rise.
Excited to try these! Making them this week for friends and then hopefully again for Christmas!
Question: what if I don’t have a paddle attachment for my mixer? Can I use regular beaters?
Hi Ashley! Yes — regular beaters work fine. Just mix on medium speed, scrape the bowl often, and if the dough seems too soft, chill it briefly before scooping. I hope you all enjoy them!
This is the BEST sugar cookie I’ve ever tasted. The actual cookie isn’t too sweet, which compliments the sugary frosting perfectly. Even a few days later they are still moist and melt in your mouth. I am obsessed!!
What a compliment. Thank you so much Kaylee!!
I just made these cookies and OMG…….they are so good and I haven’t even frosted them yet. They are moist and I like having a smaller size. They are not going to last long!!! Delicious!!! I highly recommend these cookies
Thank you so much Debbie!! So glad you love them.
I am going to make them, but I am giving 5 stars because the recipe says Jimmies!!!
Haha! Let me know how they turn out! 🙂
Can these be made with a vegan butter and still come out good? I have someone coming for Christmas that is allergic to dairy and I really wanted to make cookies.
Hi Connie! Yes, vegan butter works really well in this recipe! The texture stays soft and tender, and the cookies still hold their shape. The only difference is that vegan butter is sometimes a little softer, so if your dough feels extra soft, just chill it for 20–30 minutes before baking. For the frosting, vegan butter also substitutes perfectly. They’ll still come out delicious for your guest!