The title says it all! Tender and buttery sugar cookies are topped with a fluffy homemade buttercream icing for the most delicious and festive sweet treats. This frosted Butter Dream Sugar Cookies recipe does not require refrigeration and bakes up perfectly formed Christmas cookies that hold their shape… Truly a dream come true!
Baking up and sharing large batches of cookies are some of my most beloved Christmas traditions. I especially love how fun they are to decorate with a yummy thick buttercream frosting and sprinkles – the more festive, the better!
But when it comes to the actually cookie itself, I want a no-fail and familiar classic buttery sugar cookie… This is THAT recipe you need for your all of your holiday celebrations and special occasions.
Stock your refrigerator with plenty of butter and bring out your favorite holiday cookie cutters for butter dream sugar cookies. You are sure to make these frosted Christmas cookies part of your family’s traditions, too!
Recipe Ingredients
This recipe calls for 1 1/2 pounds of butter! This is the joy you want to share.
For the Butter Sugar Cookies
- Unsalted butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Milk
- Vanilla
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Flour
- Egg
- Water
- Egg wash
Buttercream Frosting Ingredients
- Butter
- Powdered sugar
- Heavy cream or milk
- Vanilla
- Salt
Christmas sugar cookies aren’t complete without a few sprinkles, sanding sugars, and dragees.
How to Make Butter Dream Cookies
Note: This recipe yields 2-4 dozen cookies depending on the shape and size of the cookie cutters you use. Keep this in mind when choosing cutters and deciding how many batches you need to bake.
Firstly, Make the Sugar Cookie Dough
- Measure and prep all of the cookie dough ingredients. Add butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl.
- Cream butter and sugar until very fluffy and creamy, about 7-8 minutes.
- Mix in eggs one at a time. Mixture will be very creamy.
- Add milk and vanilla. The mixture will look very curdled, but don’t worry.
- Mix in 6 cups of the flour with salt and baking powder that have been sifted together. Add remaining cup of flour a little at a time until the sugar cookie dough is manageable but not too sticky.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. I rolled my dough out to just a bit over 1/4-inch thick because I like a thick sugar cookie…yum. cut out the cookies – PUSH RIGHT DOWN Place each cut cookie onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Next, Bake the Cookies
- Brush with an egg that has been beaten with 2 teaspoons water. The egg I used had an extremely bright yellow yolk (go chicken!), but I’d prefer it not to be so golden to be honest. It is what it is.
- Bake in a 350F degree preheated oven for 8-12 minutes or just until the bottoms are beginning to brown lightly.
Cool completely on a wire rack before decorating the butter dream sugar cookies.
Meanwhile, Make Buttercream Icing for Cookies
- Gather and prep all ingredients for fluffy buttercream icing. Begin by creaming the butter. I let the butter mix for 3-4 minutes on low speed.
- Gradually add 3 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar. Scrape down sides of the bowl.
- Add vanilla and heavy cream (or milk) and mix until smooth and creamy.
- Add remaining 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Mixing and scraping between each addition.
How to Decorate Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting
Transfer the frosting to piping bags. Or place in a ziploc plastic bag, and snip the very corner of the bag to create a makeshift piping bag. Alternatively, you can simply use the flat side of a knife to smear on just the right amount of frosting you like!
Quickly pipe frosting onto each cookie, or spread on the icing with a flat spatula or small knife.
Add a few little holiday sprinkles and share the joy!
Top Recipe Tips
- For soft cookies do not over mix the dough. Combine ingredients just until the soft dough forms, and then stop.
- Roll out the dough evenly. I suggest using a rolling pin lightly dusted with flour and a pastry ruler, if necessary.
- Push right down on the cookie cutters. Try to not twist back and forth. This will keep the edges neat and firm.
- Cool the cookies completely before adding the buttercream frosting onto the sugar cookies. Otherwise the icing will melt on the warm cookie.
- Add color to the frosting by mixing in food coloring, one drop at a time, before decorating the cookies. Divide the buttercream frosting into separate containers to add the color, then place in individual piping bags (if using).
Frequently Asked Questions
Sugar cookies, like these, are made with a sturdy butter-heavy dough that’s rolled thin before stamping. Butter cookies, on the other hand, are made with even more butter to create a more fluffy and slightly loose dough.
The tip I used to pipe the sugar cookie tres is an Ateco #824. A Wilton 1M can also be used.
Yes, the buttercream frosting is made with butter and therefore needs to be refrigerated. Place the cookies in a container with a lid and keep in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
For the best taste I recommend freezing the cookies before frosting. Cool them completely, then wrap each cookie in plastic wrap. Place them together in a plastic ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter for 20-30 minutes before frosting the Christmas cookies with freshly made buttercream icing.
Yes, you can. Transfer unused buttercream to a container with a lid and keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. Let the container sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or so to soften before frosting the butter sugar cookies.
More Recipes to Try
- Chocolate Half Moon Cookies
- Peppermint Chocolate Drop Cookies
- Marzipan Sugar Cookies
- Scotch Shortbread Cookies
- Cracked Sugar Cookies
Share the joy this holiday season 25 days in 25 ways doing daily acts of service. For great service ideas, check out the awesome videos at #Lighttheworld.
Butter Dream Sugar Cookies
Tender and buttery sugar cookies are topped with a fluffy homemade buttercream icing for the most delicious and festive sweet treats. This frosted butter dream sugar cookies recipe does not require refrigeration and bakes up perfectly formed Christmas cookies that hold their shape!
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 7 cups flour approximately
- 1 whole egg
- 2 teaspoons water
- egg wash: optional
Fluffy Buttercream Icing:
- 1 lb of butter softened
- 7 cups powdered sugar sifted if lumpy
- 3-4 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- pinch of salt optional
Instructions
Sugar Cookies:
-
Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
-
In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 7-8 minutes.
-
Add the eggs one at a time until combined.
-
Add milk and vanilla. The mixture will look curdled.
-
Sift 6 cups flour, salt and baking powder together. Add to butter mixture. Add remaining flour a little at a time to make a manageable dough.
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Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. I rolled my out a little over 1/4-inch thick. Cut with desired shapes and sizes of cookie cutters. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
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In a small bowl, mix together egg and water for the glaze. Light brush the glaze over tops of cookies.
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Bake for 8-12 minutes or until the bottoms are beginning to slightly brown.
Cool completely. Ice with Fluffy Buttercream icing
Fluffy Buttercream Icing:
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In the bowl of an electric mixer, softened butter until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes.
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Gradually add 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1 cup at a time.
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Mix in milk and vanilla. Mix until creamy.
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Add remaining powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Mix for an additional 2-3 minutes until creamy and fluffy.
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Ice cooled sugar cookies.
Recipe Notes
Buttercream frosting is made with butter and therefore needs to be refrigerated. Place the cookies in a container with a lid and keep in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
To freeze: For the best taste I recommend freezing the cookies before frosting. Cool them completely, then wrap each cookie in plastic wrap. Place them together in a plastic ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter for 20-30 minutes before frosting the Christmas cookies with freshly made buttercream icing.
Your recipe
Sounds delicious. Can these be frozen befOre baking?
Yes the cutout cookies can be frozen before baking. Place the unbaked cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Put a single layer of cutout cookies on the baking sheet and freeze. Once the cookies are well frozen they can be placed in a freezer bag and kept in the freezer.
How to give iced cookies as a gift without smashing the icing?
Once the cookies are iced put them on a baking sheet in a single layer. Place in the freezer until completely frozen. Once frozen, the cookies can be gently stacked. I wouldn’t stack them more than 2 cookies high.
This looks so good! What a great treat to make with kids!
Could the frostIng been made in a kitchen Aid mixer vs and ELECTRIC mixer?
Absolutely!
Eggs are listed twice in the ingredient list, first it says 2 eggs and then it says 1 whole egg. Does that mean a total of 3 eggs?
The one whole egg is for an optional egg wash to brush on the cutout cookie before baking. It just gives the cookie an golden color and is completely optional.
What piping tip do you use for the tree?
The tip I used to pipe the sugar cookie tres is an Ateco #824. A Wilton 1M can also be used. I hope this helps.
Im so excited to try this, can I saran wrap and put them in room temperature gift bags for a day or two or will the frosting crumble/smoosh? Also, how long do these keep at room temperature?
I hope you receive my direct message. If not, I would definitely freeze the cookies. When you are ready to deliver the gift bags remove them from the freezer and place them in the gift. They will be so much fresher and won’t smoosh in the gift bag.
I see that you have a couple sugar cookie recipes.,,,which would you reccomend is the most melt in your mouth and soft cookie that would still hold a good fluffy thick buttercream?
Fabulous question. The sour cream sugar cookie is very buttery and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The Butter dream sugar cookie is a close second. I think the butter dream would hold a lot of thick buttercream without any trouble. The sour cream sugar cookie doesn’t hold its shape as well as the butter dream but would be heavenly. It doesn’t hold its shape as well. It will spread a bit. I hope this answers your question. I’d love to hear which your choose.
I went with the Sour Cream Sugar Cookie. It was very soft! It held the buttercream with no trouble. They were eaten with enjoyment by my family. thank you!
Wahoo!!! The sour cream sugar cookie is a family favorite. Thank you so much for following up!
What tip did you use on the round cookies?
I used a Wilton 1M star tip.
Does the icing harden and if so how long do you have them sit out?
So sorry I didn’t see your question earlier. I took a few days off for the holidays. The icing doesn’t harden much. It will get a thin dried crust on the icing, but soft inside. It will start to crust a bit after sitting out for 4-5 hours. I put the iced cookies on a baking sheet and place them in the freezer until hardened. Once frozen the cookies can be stacked inbetween sheets of parchment or waxed paper then returned to the freezer until ready to thaw.
Given the amount of butter, should you store these in the REFRIGERATOR?
Refrigeration isn’t necessary. If I make them ahead, then I freeze them. Keeping them at room temperature makes them softer to eat.
Are these high altitude? I’m at 5000ft
Yes, they are. I’m at almost 5,000 ft and they work every time. You shouldn’t have any trouble. Please let me know if you do.
Is this buttery sugar cookie recipe for high altitudes? I am at 5000ft (I also inquired a moment ago regarding another of your sugar cookie recipes) I just need a recipe that will work for me here in the AZ mountains. Hope to hear back soon, thanks!
I hope you haven’t had to wait long for a response. I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you immediately. I’ve been up to my elbows dipping chocolates. Yes, again on the sugar cookie recipes. I bake them all at 5,000 ft elevation. I live in the foothills in Sandy, UT. Altitude baking is my life. ๐
You responded so quickly, thank you so very much! I’m really excited to try your recipe. I want to decorate some cookies with royal icing. Does it matter if I use your ‘Sugar Cookie’ recipe or the ‘Buttery Sugar Cookie’ recipe do you think? Or with the icing lay the same on top of either? I’m new to baking, so I genuinely don’t know if it would make a difference. Thank you so much for your help, I really appreciate it
My above comment I meant “Buttery” recipe VS “cut out” recipe
I also wanted to ask, so that means all your recipes here on this site are high altitude then? That’s wonderful!
Where did you get your christmas tree cookie cutter?
Oh my goodness I don’t remember. I have had it for so many years. I’m pretty sure it’s from a local baking store. Sorry I’m not much help.
I found one that looks just like this one on amazon
Why the egg wash?
The egg wash is optional. It just gives the cookie a bit of a shine.
Is there 3 eggs mixed in? Or just 2? It says 2 eggs, 1 whole egg and then egg wash? Is the 1 whole for the wash? Thank you โฅ๏ธโฅ๏ธ
I’m sorry for the confusion. The recipe only has two eggs mixed into the batter. The egg wash for the top of the cookies would require another egg and is completely optional.
The perfect sugar cookie! This is the recipe i have been searching for!!!
Thank you so much. It’s such a delicious buttery cookie.
How long can they be stored if theyโre frozen?
They can be frozen for 2-3 weeks.
Just wondering about making ahead and storage? The fro is so fluffy, do you haVe to store single level and in frig? Im assuming theyre not really staCkable.
I generally freeze the cookies on a baking sheet in one layer. After frozen, then they can be stacked between sheets of waxed or parchment paper.
How much vanilla in the frosting?
So sorry I left that out of the recipe. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla in the recipe. I have corrected the error on the printable and post. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.