Santa Claus Cut Out Cookie Recipe (2024)

With a crispy outside and soft on inside, these is the best cut out cookie recipe you will ever try! Perfect plain or decorated.

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Mom started making these delicious cut out cookies in the early 1950’s. The cutters are from Aunt Chick’s. They are available again today, using the same injection molds that the originals were made from in the 1940’s.

Here is a link to the site for the cutters. These cookies are really easy but decorating takes a bit of time.

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Ok, bare with me just a moment. Then on to the important facts…

When we were little, my parents, (bless their hearts, but they were crazy!!) used to put up the Christmas tree, decorate it, get all the presents under it and everything after we went to bed on Christmas Eve!

When we woke up on Christmas everything was new and beautiful. It seemed like magic to us.

My father still tells stories of putting together the Easy Bake Oven for one young girl, and all of the parts weren’t in the box! He had to improvise and the story goes, he went to sleep about 5AM and my brothers and I were up by 6AM! 🙂

That must be why I am such a cook now. I got started early.

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Why is this the best cut out cookie ever?

• The outsides are crispy outside and the insides are soft and chewy, the perfect combination!
• They freeze for at least 2 months in air tight containers and are still delicious.
• The dough is easy to work with.
• They hold their shape well for easy decorating
• Are great plain or frosted, whichever you prefer
• Super buttery and lots of vanilla flavor
• Use any cutters you like, for any season. Hearts, pumpkins, turkeys, they are all cute.

Ingredients you need

For Dough

• all-purpose flour
• Salt
• baking soda
• unsalted butter
• Sugar
• large eggs
• pure vanilla extract

For Buttercream Frosting (adapted from Betty Crocker Cookbook)

• unsalted butter
• powdered sugar
• Milk
• pure vanilla extract

For Decorating

• sweetened flaked coconut
• Colored Sugars, red for Santa
• Assorted Sprinkles
• Buttercream Frosting
• egg white, for Santa
• red food coloring, for Santa

How to make them

The dough

• Add soft butter to mixing bowl. Beat.
• Carefully measure dry ingredients
• Add sugar to butter and cream together.
• Crack 3 room temperature eggs in a separate bowl.
• Add eggs and vanilla to creamed butter.
• Mix well.
• Then beat until light and fluffy.
• Add dry ingredients and just incorporate. Divide into 2 to 3 portions. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate 2-3 hours, or overnight.

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How to cut out

• Roll out small portions of dough to about 1/4″ thick. Cut out with your favorite cutter.
• When using 3-D cutters, press dough into grooves to create the 3-D affect.
• Place cookies on a well greased or parchment lined cookie sheet or on a silpat .
• Cut raisins in half for eyes on Santa. If raisins are huge, they may have to trimmed down a bit to be in scale to the cutter. Press down so that they stay.
• Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Check after 8 to make sure they are not getting too brown. Cool on wire rack thoroughly before decorating.

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For frosting

• Add softened butter to mixing bowl.
• Cream in sifted powdered sugar.
• Add a bit of milk until desired consistency.

IMPORTANT NOTES-

• You want the frosting very firm when doing the hat, eyebrows and mustache.
• Don’t add vanilla until after these areas are done so that the frosting is very white.
• You can also add more milk to thin to a more spreadable consistency before you do the beard.

How to decorate

• Paint smile on with a very fine paintbrush, or use the tip of a toothpick, dipped in straight red food coloring.
• Whisk egg white with red food coloring. Use cotton swab to make cheeks and nose.
• Sprinkle with red sugar while still wet.
• Use the same process with egg wash and sugar to do the hat.
• Let sit to dry a few minutes and then brush off the excess sugar. Use cotton swab, toothpick or clean fine brush.
• Using a piping bag or the tip of a baking spatula, apply frosting to the areas that are eye brows and mustache. I like to fluff the frosting up a bit so that they look more like hair.
• Use the same process for the rim and tip of hat.
• Apply frosting to beard area with a baking spatula. Top with coconut, lightly pressing down to make the coconut stick.

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Pro tips to ensure your success

• If the dough is a bit sticky, don’t be afraid to flour the cutters and the board. it won’t affect the flavor at all.
• Make sure your butter is very soft before mixing.
• Measure the dry ingredients carefully. With only 7 ingredients there is very little room for error.
• Let the dough chill overnight for best success, but at least 2-3 hours.
• Roll out small pieces of dough at a time so that the remaining dough stays firm.
• If dough is difficult to roll, when first removed from the refrigerator, let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.
• If dough gets too warm after rolling, set it in the freezer for a few minutes before rerolling.
• You can reroll scraps too.
• Never put the raw dough on a warm or hot cookie sheet. Always make sure that you place dough on a cool, or cold cookie sheet. (Freeze the sheet for a few minutes or place outside in the garage.) This will lessen spreading.
• If your cookies are spreading out a bit more than you like, freeze the cookies on the cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes to chill the butter back up.
• Do not double recipe unless you have 6 or 8 quart mixing bowl, like my kitchenaid! The dough is too thick!
• A favorite way to eat them is directly out of the freezer. They are nice and crispy. Others prefer them soft so just let thaw for a few minutes.

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How to store cut out cookies

Let cookies thoroughly air dry for at least of few hours before packing.

Cookies will store in the refrigerator 4-5 days. For best results freeze cookies up to 2 months in an airtight container. Pack cookies with waxed paper between layers. Add crumbled up waxed paper to fill void areas.

Thaw how ever many you need to serve, or eat them straight out of the freezer.

Other vintage Christmas cookies

• Ischler cookies– Austrian shortbread with chocolate and apricot
• Hilda brötchen – German shortbread cookie with jam
• Jam filled cookies
• Apple cookies
• Ambrosia macaroons
• Chocolate peppermint stars
• Lace Cookies
• Vanillekipferl

• Kitchenaid mixer
• rolling pin
• unbleached parchment paper
• non stick cookie sheet
• Aunt chick’s Christmas cookie cutter set
• spatula, baking spatula

Aren’t they cute? Wait to see the kids’ faces light up when they see these! That makes it worth the effort.

I hope you enjoy the recipe for Santa Claus Cut Out Cookies! I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a healthy, prosperous, New Year!

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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.

Enjoy. And have fun cooking!

Originally Published 12/23/2015 Updated 2/2/2022