A slightly crispy outside and an ever so slightly chewy center with a colorful sugar coating is what makes Santa's Favorite Sugar Cookies so enticing.
Leave these colorful red and green rolled sugar cookies out, along with a tall glass of cold milk, and I'll bet Santa dear will leave you everything you wish for under the tree.
Table of Contents Found Here
- The ingredient list:
- Kitchen tools and equipment needed:
- Can these cookies be frozen?
- How many cookies does this recipe make?
- Crisco or butter? Which to use?
- Can these cookies be rolled in something other than red and green sugar?
- How this recipe came to be:
- How to make Santa's Favorite Sugar Cookies:
- Memories included:
- Why these are Santa's favorite cookies?
- Additional Christmas cookie recipes:
- Printable Recipe Card
- Please comment if you've made this recipe.
This recipe was originally shared in 2010, and updated in 2017 with new photos. In 2020 I'm updating this post once again with additional valuable information, including a recipe card with nutritional information. However, the recipe itself has remained unchanged.
The ingredient list:
- brown sugar
- granulated white sugar
- butter-flavored shortening (butter can be substituted)
- egg
- baking soda
- cream of tartar
- salt
- pure vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- red and green decorating sugars
Kitchen tools and equipment needed:
- hand mixer or stand mixer
- measuring cups and spoons
- large bowl (if using a hand mixer)
- small bowls (for colorful sugar)
- spatula
- baking sheets
- parchment paper
- cooling rack
- air-tight containers (for storage)
Can these cookies be frozen?
Yes!!!
Store them in an air-tight container in the freezer for up to 6 months, and then celebrate Christmas in July! LOL
How many cookies does this recipe make?
42 cookies, if you roll into an approximate 1" ball.
Crisco or butter? Which to use?
You can use either, but I always use the butter-flavor shortening. I think it gives the cookies a lighter texture, and that is what gives these cookies their retro feel (in my honest opinion).
Can these cookies be rolled in something other than red and green sugar?
Of course.
How much fun would these be rolled in colorful sprinkles for birthdays? Or red and blue sugar for patriotic celebrations? Or green for St. Pat's Day? Or just red for Valentine's day?
I think you can see where I'm going with this.
The only thing you can't do then is call them Santa's favorite sugar cookies. HoHoHo!
So don't forget to print this recipe out, and use it all year through! You'll be glad you did!
How this recipe came to be:
I've been making Santa's Favorite Sugar Cookies every year since I was newly married. And before that, it was my favorite Christmas cookie as a child.
It's the cookie that brings back the most wonderful holiday memories for our sons and for me, and it's the cookie that we all still consider one of our very favorite Christmas food traditions.
Below is the original photo from 2010 and an updated photo from 2017 below that.
How to make Santa's Favorite Sugar Cookies:
- Cream the shortening and sugars until light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla extract and egg and blend until combined.
- Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt until a soft dough forms.
- Roll the dough into 1" balls and then roll into sugar.
- Place the cookie balls onto parchment-lined baking sheets and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 12-15 minutes.
Not your typical sugar cookie recipe:
My mom got this recipe from our neighbor, Mrs. Rogers, back when I was a kid.
I remember these cookies being rolled in plain granulated sugar. Mrs. Rogers called them sugar cookies, and it was obvious why.
However, after I got my hands involved I added the red and green sugar touch, and soon they became known as Santa's Favorite Sugar Cookie.
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Memories included:
When we got married, and Mark and I started our own family, there were certain traditions I wanted to continue from when I was a little girl and hopefully pass along to our two boys.
These cookies were one of the things I incorporated throughout the years to fondly rekindle my joyous Christmas memories.
I am happy to report that our boys (now grown) feel exactly the same way about these cookies as I did, and still do to this day.
Christmas just wouldn't be the same without Santa's Favorite Sugar Cookies.
Some of our favorite times spent eating Santa's Favorite Sugar Cookies was during Christmastime at the zoo when the boys were little.
We'd bundle everybody up, hop in the car and go to the Brookfield or Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago along with a thermos of hot chocolate and a bunch of candy canes.
There was something magical about walking among all the twinkling white lights, visiting the zoo animals, and munching on these tasty cookies feeling all safe, snug, and happy.
It warms my heart just thinking about those times.
Or there were the times (many of them) that we'd grab a blanket, a tin of these cookies, more hot chocolate, and then jump in the car and drive around the different communities in our area looking at all the Christmas lights and decorations.
With Christmas music gently playing on the car radio, we were safe, warm, and blessed to be together.
Why these are Santa's favorite cookies?
These were the cookies our boys always left out for Santa, along with a big glass of milk on Christmas Eve.
Santa never disappointed, and always finished them off leaving only a few crumbs behind, which is why they're so aptly named Santa's Favorite Sugar Cookies.
Don't forget the reindeer:
Being the animal-loving family we are, we always fed Santa's reindeer, too.
On Christmas Eve we'd toss apple and carrot chunks up on the roof for the reindeer to munch on while Santa was busy leaving presents under the tree.
On Christmas morning, our boys would run down to the tree, then to the plate to see if Santa had liked the cookies they'd left for him, then quickly head outside to see if the reindeer had enjoyed their snack of carrots and apples.
Those reindeer never failed to bring delight to our two small boys because, wouldn't you know, those apples and carrots were always gone by Christmas morning!
It was always so wonderful to know that everyone, the reindeer included, had a lovely snack on Christmas eve before continuing on into the night! 🙂
Thanks for allowing me to take a walk down memory lane, twinkling lights included! 🙂
Additional Christmas cookie recipes:
- Christmas Cream Cheese Sprinkle Cookies (shown below)
- Soft Cinnamon Sugar Gingerbread Cookies (not shown)
- Peppermint Shortbread Cookies (shown below)
- Gingersnap Cookies (not shown)
- Snowball Cookies with Pistachios and Cranberries (shown below)
- Grandma's Anise Cookie Bars (not shown)
- Santa's Favorite Sugar Cookies (shown below) THIS IS THE PLACE!!
When you make today's recipe (and I hope that you will), I'd appreciate it if you'd take the time to come back and give it a star rating along with a comment on why you rated as you did.
Search engines such as Google appreciate comments and ratings and, in turn, will show my recipes to more people. Please look for the pink star rating box within the printable recipe card. Thank you!!
Printable Recipe Card
Santa's Favorite Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup shortening I used butter flavored Crisco, or softened butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- red and green decorating sugars
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
- Cream the sugars and shortening (or butter) together in a large bowl.
- Add the egg and vanilla. Blend to combine.
- Blend in the salt, cream of tartar, baking soda, and flour until just combined.
- Roll the dough into balls approximately 1" in size and roll the balls into the decorating sugar.
- Place the sugared cookie balls onto a parchment-lined (optional) baking sheet.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until slightly puffed.
- Remove baking sheets to a cooling rack and cool completely.
- Continue with the remaining batter.
Notes
Nutrition
I sincerely hope you've enjoyed today's easy Christmas cookie recipe for Santa's Favorite Sugar Cookies as much as I've enjoyed bringing it to you!!
Should you have any questions or comments regarding anything you've seen on my site, please don't hesitate to reach out to contact me. It is always my distinct pleasure to get back with you just as soon as I possibly can!
Thank you so much for visiting me today in my Kudos Kitchen. I hope you found something you'll love and that you will come back and visit me often. Please know that there is always room for you around my kitchen table!
Until we eat again, I hope you have a delicious day!
Sandy Catterson says
These are the best sugar cookies I have ever made. I rolled mine out and cut with cookie cutters. So cute
Renée says
That's great, Sandy! I've never done that before with this recipe and I applaud you for going rogue!
I'd love to see some photos if you'd like to share them. Tag me as @kudoskitchen across all of social media and I should be able to see them.
Thanks for the comment and have a wonderful Christmas!
Renee
Noelle Simpson says
These are so cute!! Perfect for the kiddos, can't wait to make them!
Renée says
They're going to love them, Noelle!
Enjoy!
Willie says
These are a great classic cookie that I always want around for the holidays! Simple, fun to make and always a huge hit!
Renée says
Always! 🙂
Thanks, Willie!
Anne Stern says
Ho! Ho! Ho! Thank you for this lovely recipe, I’m going to try it with half shortening and half butter, I’ll let you know how the taste and texture turn out, I’m hoping for crispy outsides with soft and chewy in every bite.
Renée says
Great idea to do half and half, Anne! I'm sure they'll be delicious!!! I think I'll try that next year also.
Anne Stern says
Renée, do just the tops get dipped in the coloured sugar? Do I flatten the balls or will that magic happen as they bake?
Renée says
Magic happens, Anne. Roll the balls in the sugar and they'll flatten as they bake.
Anne Stern says
You write beautifully, many thanks for sharing your family tradition and your recipe. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Renée says
Thank you so much, Anne! I appreciate that. Merry Christmas!
Carole says
Such Christmassy colours! Thanks for linking this in as well. Have a good one
Shanbanan says
Using butter will make the cookies flatter, I imagine, as the melting point for butter is lower. Also, I doubt you will get 60 cookies with about 4-ish cups of dough unless you make your balls smaller to begin with.
Looks like a nice recipe though, and I love the memories you talked about. So many of my own memories are tied to food
Ms. WhitePlates says
I love sugar cookies! The sugar cookies out of my step-dad's huge "Great American Cookbook" were the first cookies I baked on my own without any adult supervision and I still have a special fondness for them. For some reason that recipe called for refrigerating the dough for an hour but I don't always see that in sugar cookie recipes. It did make them extra soft.
Kudos Kitchen says
I'm glad to have touched a chord with many of you about this post. I never know how my writing will sound to others but I'm glad to hear that it translates well.
Manu says
Beautiful family story! I don't know if is the time of the year or if I'm really a very sensitive person but I had water in my eyes while reading your post! I think you are a very good writer and have beautiful stories to tell!
Love the recipe! And the tradition!
Have a good week!
Lisa says
I love it when recipes bring back memories. I think it's great that you've passed down such neat traditions to your children. I'm sure they'll always treasure them. By the way, I'm holding a giveaway on my blog for Orglamix Organic makeup and you're welcome to come by and enter.
Maranda says
This is probably one of the best posts I've ever read! I loved it. I could taste these cookies and the hot chocolate as I walked through the zoo with you. I may take your cookie tradition and make it one of my own with my Little Butt. I'll bet she would love to help me roll these through the red and green sugar. Thanks so much for sharing!
Sue says
I'm sure these cookies taste as good as they look! Love the sparkle! Your house looks so festive too!
Amanda says
They look so beautiful!!! And I am assuming utterly delicious. 🙂 Great job!
Paula says
Oh Renee, I so enjoyed reading about your family traditions with these cookies. Such a lovely post and such a lovely cookie. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Megan says
Everything looks so festive! The cookies, the house, the mood. I love it!
Elle says
So pretty! And I'm sure the kids as well as the adults love to devour them. 😉
Becki D says
Beautiful post! Sounds like your boys have an amazing Mama. 🙂
Kudos Kitchen says
That's a good question. I've never tried this recipe with butter before (I've stuck with tradition and not messed with this) but I'll bet it would work fine. I'd love to know how they turn out if you try it. Let me know.
Anonymous says
Hello-
I am a new baker-can butter be used rather than the shortening? And would you say that this recipe will make about 60 cookies?
Renée says
Yes, butter can be used in place of the shortening but the cookie texture will be slightly different as the shortening contains 100% fat and the butter does not. This recipe makes approximately 42 cookies.