Holiday Sugar Cookies

How can you make this Christmas sugar cookie recipe your own?

Want to give your Christmas sugar cookies your own unique twist this year? You have many options if you get a little creative. Switching up the zest is one of the easiest ways. Swap in orange zest for the lemon, and maybe add a pinch of cinnamon, too. Grapefruit zest and cloves is also a nice combination. If you want to make your Christmas sugar cookies feel Scandinavian, try adding a healthy dose of cardamom. And don’t forget the world of extracts—there is more than vanilla at your disposal. Try coffee, orange blossom, peppermint or rum extract!

How else can you decorate Christmas sugar cookies?

While these sugar cookies are cut into circles, you can switch it up by rolling out the chilled dough and using almost any cookie cutter you have on hand. Try different shapes and sizes; just be sure to keep the dough rolled to about 1/8-in. thick. When it comes to frosting them, you can spread the frosting on with a small spatula to cover the top of the whole cookie, or put a star tip into a piping bag, and pipe small green stars around the outside edge to form a holiday wreath.

How should you store Christmas sugar cookies?

These Christmas sugar cookies store beautifully in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature. If you want to hold onto them longer, you can freeze the cookies for up to 6 months. If you frost them before freezing, some of the frosting may fall off when they thaw—so plan on frosting them after they thaw out.

—James Schend, Taste of Home Deputy Culinary Editor