Santa Sugar Cookies Recipe (2024)

These Santa Sugar Cookies are such a fun idea for Christmas. They are our favorite sugar cookie recipe. They have a secret ingredient that makes them moist and soft. You are going to love this recipe, and no fancy cookie cutter is needed!

Santa Sugar Cookies Recipe (1)

Christmas just isn’t Christmas without delicious Santa Sugar Cookies. Our family is full of sugar cookie junkies.

Our cute mom saw some Santa sugar cookies at a local restaurant and decided that she could easily make her own. These cookies were a huge hit at our party and if you need a darling cookie for a cookie exchange, this is your go-to cookie.

Our mom makes a killer sugar cookie- they are incredibly soft and delicious (the secret ingredient- sour cream). You can’t taste the sour cream, but it makes the cookies extremely moist and soft.

What could I use if I don’t have a circle cookie cutter for Santa sugar cookies?

We used a circle cookie cutter that was about 3 inches in diameter. If you don’t have a circular cookie cutter, that is a simple fix.

The top of a glass from your kitchen cupboard works great. You want it to be thin. We used a glass cup and it gives it a clean and sharp cut.

A glass that is smooth on all sides could also double as a rolling pin if you don’t have one.

What could I use instead of coconut for Santa’s beard?

We love coconut, but understand that it isn’t for everyone. If you are looking for a coconut substitute, we have a few ideas for you.

  • Piped frosting –This may take a little more time, but you could pipe on the white frosting just for the beard, so it looks different from the rest of the cookie. His beard will look as realistic as you desire, depending on what you use to pipe it.
  • Grated white chocolate – Grate a white chocolate bar with a cheese grater. It will make a great Santa beard.
  • White cotton candy– Cotton candy is sometimes difficult to find, but is often on the candy aisle. Also on Amazon.
  • White sprinkles –White sprinkles are probably the fastest alternative, next to coconut shreds. I like to use the long skinny white ones. But any white sprinkle will work.

Love Cookies? Try the rest of our 30 of the Best Christmas Cookie Challenge Recipes!

How to make Santa Sugar Cookies

You’ll be surprised on how easy these Santa Sugar Cookies are to make.

  1. In a large mixing bowl combine the butter, sugar, and eggs until well blended.
  2. Add in baking powder, vanilla, baking soda, salt, and sour cream and stir well. Fold in flour and gently combine.
  3. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Roll out dough on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut shapes with cookie cutter or glass.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 9 minutes. Be sure not to overbake.
  5. In another bowl combine all of the frosting ingredients together and set aside.
  6. Frost the cookie with the white frosting. Sprinkle the top 1/3 of the cookie with red sprinkles. (use the edge of a bowl as a guide to give it a rounded edge)
  7. Sprinkle the coconut on the bottom 1/3 of the cookie and a little up each side until it meets the red hat sprinkles.
  8. Place a mini marshmallow on the end of his hat, 2 chocolate chips for eyes, and a red hot for his nose.
Santa Sugar Cookies Recipe (2)

Related recipe: If you like these Santa sugar cookies, we have some more delicious recipes you might enjoy. These Soft Vanilla Cookies are another family favorite.

Looking for more EASY Christmas Cookies?! Try these 50 Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes with Few Ingredients!

Helpful items used in making Santa Sugar Cookies

  1. Rolling PinWe love this rolling pin. It has a non stick surface.
  2. 3 Piece Circle Cookie CuttersThese cookies cutters in 3 sizes can be used for many purposes.
  3. Cookie Sheet2 pack half sheet cookie pans.
  4. Mixing Bowl Set3 piece set in graduating sizes.

Have you heard about our newest cookbook, Copycat Cooking? We took over 100 of our favorite restaurant recipes and simplified them so that you can make them right at home!

Santa Sugar Cookies Recipe (3)

Every recipe has a beautiful mouth-watering photo and has been picky-eater approved. The directions are simple, easy to follow, and do not require any strange ingredients.

This cookbookincludes copycat recipes from Wingers, Texas Roadhouse, Starbucks, Panera, Cheesecake Factory, Kneaders, and so much more. We have you covered from drinks, to dessert and everything in-between.

SIX SISTERS’ STUFF COPYCAT COOKING<—–CLICK HERE TO ORDER!

Looking for more Christmas Cookie recipes? Here are a few of our favorites:

  • Cake Mix Christmas Cookies
  • Chocolate Reindeer Cookies
  • Christmas Santa Cookies
  • Soft Egg Nog Cookies
  • Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies
  • Soft Vanilla Cookies
  • Super Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe
  • Ginger Cookies with Eggnog Frosting

Santa Sugar Cookies Recipe (4)

Serves: 40

Santa Sugar Cookies Recipe

These Santa Sugar Cookies are such a fun idea for Christmas. They are our favorite sugar cookie recipe.

Prep Time 50 minutes mins

Cook Time 9 minutes mins

Total Time 59 minutes mins

PrintPin

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 1 ¼ cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 4 cups flour

Frosting

  • ½ cup butter softened
  • 3 Tablespoons shortening
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon milk

Santa Cookie Decorations

  • ½ cup red decorating sugar for the hat
  • ½ cup chocolate chips for eyes
  • 40 cinnamon candies for nose
  • 40 mini marshmallows for the hat
  • 1 cup shredded coconut for the beard

Instructions

  • Mix butter, sugar, and eggs until well blended.

  • Add baking powder, vanilla, baking soda, salt, and sour cream and stir well.

  • Add flour and gently combine. If too sticky, add just a little more flour and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

  • Roll out dough on a floured surfaceand cut with a circle cookie cutter (I used a 2 3/4 – 3 inch diameter circle cookie cutter).

  • Bake at 350 degrees for about 9 minutes (you don't want to overcook them!).

Frosting

  • Combine all ingredients and mix well. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar and if it's too thick, add a little more milk.

Assemble the Cookies

  • Frost the cookie and immediately after add the sprinkles to the top third of the cookie with red sugar crystals (we held the edge of a little bowl to cover the rest of the cookie while we sprinkled the crystals on and it gave the hat a rounded edge).

  • Next, sprinkle the bottom third of the cookie with coconut (and come a little up each edge to meet the hat) to make Santa's beard. If your frosting dried quickly, you can put a drop of water on your finger and spread it on the frosting- the coconut should stick perfectly after that.

  • Place a marshmallow on the end of the hat, the chocolate chips for the eyes, and the red hot for Santa's nose.

Notes

We used a circle cookie cutter that was about 3 inches in diameter. If you don’t have a circular cookie cutter, that is a simple fix.

The top ofa glass from your kitchen cupboardworks great. You want it to be thin. We used a glass cup and it gives it a clean and sharp cut.

A glass that is smooth on all sides could also double as a rolling pin if you don’t have one.

Nutrition

Calories: 204 kcal · Carbohydrates: 28 g · Protein: 2 g · Fat: 10 g · Saturated Fat: 6 g · Cholesterol: 28 mg · Sodium: 140 mg · Potassium: 29 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 16 g · Vitamin A: 243 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 15 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Equipment

  • Mixing Bowl

  • Cookie Sheet

Recipe Details

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

HAVE YOU CHECKED OUT OURYOUTUBE CHANNEL?

We have aYouTube channelwhere we show you how to how to make a recipe from start to finish in our kitchen. Our recipes are even picky eater approved!

Be sure to not miss another recipe! Follow Six Sisters’ Stuff onInstagram|Facebook|Pinterest|YouTube

If you made our recipe be sure to tag us on Instagram so we can see your hard work using#sixsistersstuff.

MEAL PLANNING MADE EASY

We have hundreds of simple and delicious recipes, your family is going to love. Each recipe is tried and true, so we are confident you will love it.

Santa Sugar Cookies Recipe (5)

Some of our best memories were made at the dinner table and that is something we wanted to help other families have time for.

Our simple weeklydinner meal planstake all the stress and guesswork out of
“What’s for dinner?” and turn it into a tradition of spending time with family.

Adjust your serving size to fit the needs of your family, and customize your plan with our library of 3000+ recipes. It’s time to start enjoying dinnertime!
Check out theSix Sisters’ Meal Planson Prepear today!

Join The Discussion

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Becca says:

    These Santa cookies have been a tradition in my family since I was a little girl! We decorate them assembly line style- one person would do the frosting, then pass it to the coconut person, then on to the person with the red hot nose, etc. One of my favorite childhood memories!

  2. Sarah Anderson says:

    I am new to your blog, and am in love! We travel to Children's Hospital every month for my son to receive his monthly IvIG treatment and I've been looking for something he can help me make for our infusion nurses next week. Success! I can't wait to get started! <3

  3. Jen says:

    Great idea! Any suggestions on what you could use for the beard instead of coconut? Thanks!

  4. Six Sisters says:

    White sprinkles would look cute too!

  5. Six Sisters says:

    They are a fun activity to do with the kids! Best of luck to your son! -The Sisters

  6. Stephanie Paxman says:

    Cute--love the coconut beard!

  7. Hanna says:

    This is so cute!!! I love it!!!! Great blog too. I'm Hanna and I am your newest follower:) HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!! You can find me at www.bouffeebambini.blogspot.com

    xoxoxo Hanna

  8. Mandy says:

    I remember these from when I was little! I loved seeing Camille on Fresh Living, by the way. Fun!

  9. Kara says:

    These are darling! Love that you only need a circle cookie cutter. I'm featuring them today at Creations by Kara. :)

  10. Ginger says:

    Featuring YOU today! Thank you for linking up to {wow me} wednesday!

    Ginger @ GingerSnapCrafts.com

    http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com/2012/12/20-holiday-ideas-recipes-crafts-take.html

  11. Darryl says:

    Do you mind if I quote a couple of your articles as long as I provide credit and sources back to your site?My blog is in the exact same niche as yours and my users would truly benefit from some of the information you present here.Please let me know if this okay with you.Regards!Feel free to surf to my web-site :: call of duty ghosts prestige hack

  12. Cassandra Royce-Sanderson says:

    Love your sight! Wonderful pics and great info, recipes, etc. Keep it up!~ Happy Holidays

  13. Shalee says:

    I made them last year for Christmas, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them so much they are now a tradition at our house for christmas. Thank you so much for this recipe.

  14. Maggie says:

    The concept of these cookies is darling. The recipe is terrible. I just threw out the cookies and frosting. Both were pretty much inedible.

  15. Alica says:

    I think the admin of this site is truly working hard in favor of his web page, for the reason that here every material is quality based stuff.Also visit my web page :: android jelly bean 4.3 note 2

  16. Angela says:

    Do you still make them? I’m looking for an amazing recipe using a variety of cutters.

Santa Sugar Cookies Recipe (6)

About The Author:

Camille Beckstrand

Camille Beckstrand is married to Jared and they have 4 kids. She loves a good true crime podcast, a big plate of cheesy loaded nachos, and going on adventures with her family.

Read More

More Holiday cookies for you:

Marshmallow Pumpkin Bars Recipe

40 minutes mins

Disneyland’s Copycat Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe

24 minutes mins

Congo Bars Recipe

45 minutes mins

Breakfast Burrito Casserole Recipe

55 minutes mins

Readers’ Favorite Recipes

Easy Baked Crack Chicken Recipe

30 minutes mins

Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars Recipe

40 minutes mins

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Peaches and Cream Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

20 minutes mins

Peach Cobbler Dump Cake {4 Ingredients} Recipe

50 minutes mins

Chicken Zucchini Casserole Recipe

55 minutes mins

Santa Sugar Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How many cookies does Santa eat in one night? ›

(If we're talking about just the U.S., it's approximated that of the 100 million households, about 1 million are serving sweets to St. Nick.) According to An Idea, If Santa takes two bites of each cookie served around the world, he consumes roughly 336,150,386 cookies.

What is the most popular cookie left out for Santa? ›

Chocolate Chip cookies

You can never go wrong with these classic, delicious cookies. Santa himself lists these as his favorites, and he prefers them soft and gooey with lots of chocolate chips. If you decide to leave these out for him, make sure there's a glass of cold milk nearby!

How do you make a Santa face on a cookie? ›

Instructions
  1. Begin by outlining the hat and beard.
  2. Use twenty-second icing to create a face.
  3. Immediately drop in two candy beads for eyes, then fill the hat.
  4. Let the cookies dry for 4-5 hours, then move on the the next steps.
  5. Fill Santa's beard and add a nose and wait for about an hour before moving on.
Dec 2, 2011

Why do kids leave cookies and milk for Santa? ›

The Dutch Connection

In the past, the Netherlands would celebrate Christmas on Dec. 6, so on Dec. 5 the kids would leave out their shoes and wake up to their shoes being filled with treats. This would change over time and eventually lead to children leaving out cookies and milk for Santa instead.

How much does Santa weigh? ›

The answers to the questions of Santa Claus's height, weight, and age have been released. He stands 5 feet 7 inches and weighs in at roughly 260 lbs before all the cookies and milk, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command's NORAD Tracks Santa program.

How much milk does Santa eat? ›

There are approximately 300 million kids or 86 million homes that celebrate Christmas. With 1 glass of milk left out for Santa in each home, Santa drinks around 86 million glasses or 688 million ounces of milk (that's enough to fill 8 Olympic-sized swimming pools!).

What is the least popular Christmas cookie? ›

On the naughty list of cookies, Americans gave the lowest win records to anise cookies, which only won 29% of its matchups.

What day do you leave cookies for Santa? ›

Children in the United States bake cookies for Santa and leave them out with a glass of milk on Christmas Eve. Some kids even leave carrots for Santa's reindeer. In other parts of the world, however, Santa's beverages are a bit harder.

Why do people leave Santa cookies? ›

Offering milk and cookies is an expression of gratitude. The treat shows appreciation to Santa for the gifts he leaves behind on Christmas Eve. It also signifies generosity, as you are sharing something with Santa, a quality often encouraged during the festive season.

How do you make a secret Santa? ›

Members of a group of friends, family, or coworkers draw random names to become someone's Secret Santa. The Secret Santa is given a wish list of gift ideas to choose from to give to their chosen giftee. After opening their present, the giftee has to guess which member of the group was their Secret Santa.

How to decorate a Santa Sugar cookie? ›

Use white icing to fill in the tip of the hat, the brim of the hat, the beard and to make 2 dots in the center of the face for the eyes. Place a red candy centered between the eyes at the top of the beard for the nose and a mini morsel on each white dot to make eyes. Top beard with whipped cream just before serving.

What cookies does Santa like? ›

But if I must, his favorites (in no particular order) are generally the classics:
  • Chocolate Chip Cookies: Make them chewy and chippy. ...
  • Oatmeal Raisin Cookies: It's one of his favorites as well as mine (hint, hint). ...
  • Sugar Cookies: A classic.
Dec 14, 2023

What is Santa called in Hawaii? ›

'Kanakaloka' is the Hawaiian word for Santa Claus.

What does Santa eat instead of cookies? ›

In the United States, many children leave a glass of milk and a plate of cookies for Santa. Some families deviate from the norm by leaving Santa and his reindeer carrots, pizza, or even celery.

When kids no longer believe in Santa? ›

The average age that children stop believing in Santa is eight. There's a huge amount of variation though — some kids will report it around four or five, some are closer to 12 or 13. So the average is eight, but each child's journey is different.

How much does Santa Claus eat? ›

All told, Santa could consume 71.2 billion calories before the night ends. More than half of those calories (40.4 billion) come from the legendary dairy consumption, and one cookie at each home adds another 30.9 billion calories. Whew! We'd say that number is just as magical as his overnight journey.

What cookies does Santa eat? ›

But if I must, his favorites (in no particular order) are generally the classics:
  • Chocolate Chip Cookies: Make them chewy and chippy. ...
  • Oatmeal Raisin Cookies: It's one of his favorites as well as mine (hint, hint). ...
  • Sugar Cookies: A classic.
Dec 14, 2023

What is Santa's second favorite cookie? ›

2. Holiday Candy Cookie Bites – Number two on the list of Santa's favorite cookies is Holiday Candy Cookie Bites, which is a holiday version of the year-round favorite, Chocolate Chip Cookies. Instead of traditional chocolate chips, these cookies are studded with red and green candies and white baking chips.

What is the longest Santa list? ›

Guinness World Records: Longest wish list to Santa. The longest wish list to Santa consists of 124,969 wishes, and was achieved by Beijing Hyundai and Mohe Tourism Bureau.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Edmund Hettinger DC

Last Updated:

Views: 6177

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (58 voted)

Reviews: 89% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Edmund Hettinger DC

Birthday: 1994-08-17

Address: 2033 Gerhold Pine, Port Jocelyn, VA 12101-5654

Phone: +8524399971620

Job: Central Manufacturing Supervisor

Hobby: Jogging, Metalworking, Tai chi, Shopping, Puzzles, Rock climbing, Crocheting

Introduction: My name is Edmund Hettinger DC, I am a adventurous, colorful, gifted, determined, precious, open, colorful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.