One of my favorite Christmas memories is the smell of these Soft Vanilla Cookies baking on a cold winter day. It takes me back to when I was little, and would help my mom bake cookies while Christmas music played in the background.
My mom usually isn’t particular about ingredients until it comes to real vanilla. One thing I do remember about my childhood is that she always had real vanilla extract in her cupboard.
I use real vanilla in my cookies too. The smell and flavor are better than an imitation vanilla. It is also the vanilla flavor I grew up with, and no one can beat mom’s baking.
These soft vanilla cookies are the perfect Christmas treat. They are great for gift giving.
Looking for more great sugar cookies? Then you MUST try our Santa Sugar Cookies, Cake Mix Sugar Cookies, and Valentine Sugar Cookies. All are delicious and have the great taste of vanilla.
Ingredients needed for Soft Vanilla Cookies:
- Butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Salt
- Baking Powder
- Flour
- Powdered Sugar
- Milk
- Sprinkles
How to make Soft Vanilla Cookies Recipe:
Soft vanilla cookies are so easy to make. The full recipe with ingredient amounts is located at the bottom of this post.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and granulated sugar. Mix in eggs and vanilla until combined. Add salt, baking powder and flour. Mix until well combined.
Cover and chill for at least one hour in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Use a glass and flatten each cookie to 1/2 inch in thickness.
Bake for 9-10 minutes, watching carefully to be sure they aren’t overcooked. I like to take mine out before they start turning golden brown.
Let the cookies cool completely.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together all frosting ingredients until smooth then spread on top of cookies.
Immediately top with sprinkles before frosting firms up.
Looking for more EASY Christmas Cookies?! Try these 50 Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes with Few Ingredients!
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Could I make this dough ahead of time?
You can always make soft vanilla cookie dough ahead of time. However, I wouldn’t recommend making it more than 24 hours in advance since cookie dough can dry out really easily in the fridge.
If you do make the cookie dough ahead of time, be sure it is in an airtight container, or wrapped tightly in a bowl covered with plastic wrap to keep all the moisture in.
I would also allow it to sit on your counter 15 minutes before baking, to soften it up.
Could I shape Soft Vanilla Cookies with a cookie cutter?
The dough for soft vanilla cookies is extremely soft. It isn’t like your other sugar cookie dough recipes. It would be really difficult to roll this dough out with a rolling pin.
We wouldn’t recommend it, but if you add a little more flour, to thicken the consistency of the cookie dough, you could roll it out easier.
Again, this is not recommended, and the soft vanilla cookies will lose their soft texture and sweet taste.
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Looking for more holiday cookies? Here are a few of our favorites:
- Cake Mix Christmas Cookies
- Christmas Tree Cupcake Topper
- Christmas Santa Cookies
- Christmas Tree Brownies
- Molasses Cookies
- The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies
Soft Vanilla Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter, softened
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 ¼ cups flour
Frosting
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ Tablespoon vanilla
- 3 Tablespoons milk
- ⅓ cup sprinkles
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and granulated sugar.
- Mix in eggs and vanilla until combined.
- Add salt, baking powder and flour. Mix until well combined
- Cover and chill for at least one hour in the refrigerator.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Roll dough into 1-inch balls and flatten using a glass until 1/2 inch thick.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until barely beginning to turn golden brown.
- Let cookies cool completely.
Frosting
- In a large mixing bow, cream together all frosting ingredients until smooth.
- Frost cookies and top with sprinkles.
- Store in an airtight container.
Notes
- crushed candy canes
- crushed Butterfingers
- crushed Andes mints
- gingersnap cookie crumbles
- M&M’s
- mini chocolate chips
- frosting designs
- shredded coconut
Nutrition
This post was included in our 4 Quick and Easy Christmas Cookies video – for more inexpensive and delicious recipes like this one, click here to check it out!
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