Name: Snowflake Sugar Cookies
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 2 h 10 min
Yield: 35 cookies
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2.25 cups all-purpose flour; 0.25 tsp baking powder; 0.25 tsp salt; 0.75 cup unsalted butter; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 egg; 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract; 1.5 cups powdered sugar; 1 tbsp meringue powder; 3 tablespoons water

These snowflake sugar cookies are the perfect cutout Christmas cookies that bake up soft, hold their shape, and taste buttery & sweet just as they should. Decorate them with a super simple royal icing without egg whites, lots of sprinkles, and anything else that would make them festive enough to leave out for Santa! These truly are the best cutout sugar cookies that hold their shape but also have a delicious soft, buttery texture that's good enough to eat on their own.

Dessert

2 h 10 m

American

Sloane’s Table

March 16, 2026

Atsloanestable.com

From the Cook

1/3

Snowflake Sugar Cookies

Sloane’s Table Verified

Atsloanestable.com

Ingredients

Warning0 allergens identified

Snowflake Sugar Cookies

Sugar Cookies

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

¼ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¾ cup unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla paste or extract

Royal Icing

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

1 tbsp meringue powder

3 tablespoons water

Instructions

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Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar for 1-2 minutes.

Next, beat in the egg and vanilla.

Scrape down the bowl and add in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Do not over mix!

Shape the dough into a flat disk and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to overnight.

When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface (or between two floured pieces of parchment paper), roll out ⅓ of the cookie dough to about ¼" thick. Keep the rest of the cookie dough in the fridge. Cut out as many snowflakes as you can with a cookie cutter.

Shape the remaining cookie dough into a disk and refrigerate for a few minutes if has become too warm.

Re-roll and continue cutting out until all dough is used up.

Place cookie dough on the prepared baking sheets about an inch apart and freeze for at least 15 minutes.

Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes until barely golden around the edges. Allow to cool completely before decorating with royal icing.

In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water.

Using an electric mixer, beat on high speed for about 1-2 minutes until thick.

Transfer the icing to a small piping bag and with a very small round piping tip.

Decorate cookies as desired.

Nutrition

My Calorie Intake

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Tips & Tricks (5)

Chill Dough Between Cuts ❄️
Refrigerate your dough for at least 30 minutes before cutting, and place cut cookies back in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking to prevent spreading and ensure crisp edges with a soft center.
Use Room Temperature Butter 🧈
Cream softened butter with granulated sugar until pale and fluffy (2-3 minutes) to incorporate air, which creates the signature tender, buttery texture these cookies are known for.
Master Royal Icing Consistency 🎨
Mix meringue powder royal icing to two consistencies—stiff peak for piping outlines and thin consistency for filling—by adjusting water gradually to prevent bleeding and achieve professional-looking snowflake designs.
Don't Overmix the Dough 🚫
Mix ingredients just until combined after adding flour; overmixing develops gluten and creates tough, cake-like cookies instead of the desired soft, tender texture that makes these cookies special.
Bake on Parchment Paper 📄
Always use parchment paper to prevent browning on the bottom and ensure even baking; this also makes transfer easier and helps maintain the cookies' delicate snowflake shapes without breakage.