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.
Related recipe: These Andes Mint Cookies are a holiday favorite! Get the recipe HERE!
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.
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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
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
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Cookie Sheet
Recipe Details
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Would you be able to use cookie cutters on this type of cookie?
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Is there any reason I couldn't make this dough and let it chill in the fridge for a few days before baking? Is there a good/better way to make the dough ahead of time and not bake it the same day?
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You can freeze the dough, too.
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Thanks for sharing this great recipe, wow did we ever loves this one! I posted a recipe review on my site if you'd like to check it out :-)
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I prefer the soft cookies, easier to bite, and extract all of the flavors, instead of chewing a hard cookie.
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Do you use unsalted butter?
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I bought some Nordic Ware cookies pan and I want to use them but I am not sure if that pans are good for all cookies recipes for example , your vanilla cookies. Please let me know what kind of recipe will I use in those pans.
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How to store these cookies especially with the frosting on it? I am planning on making these for Christmas. Just abit worried about the storage. Thanks for your quick response!
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What recipe did you use for the frosting? Did I miss it somehow? I am looking forward to making these.
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How many dozen cookies will one batch make?
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Is there a step to roll in sugar or not? I see it but I don’t and planning to try recipe:)
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They were very easy to make and really tasty. Not too sweet which was awesome because the icing makes up for that. We even doubled the recipe because 24 cookies don’t last very long, especially when you’re sharing with the neighbors. BUT the recipe itself doesn’t say anything about rolling the dough balls in sugar (like the intro says) so figuring out how to smash them with a glass was tricky because they stick to the bottom really bad. Will be making these again though!
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Dip your glass in flour and this will make the cookies not stick!
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I found it a little dry. Is it because I used unsalted butter? If that would not be the problem, what can I add.
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I absolutely love these! They are so easy to make and I love that you can save the dough for later if you want to make a double batch and only bake half, which is what I do. They always come out perfect, even though I am not the best chef. I also love that you roll them in sugar because it gives them a nice outer layer, but if you want them to be less sugary you can just not roll them in sugar. The only concern is that they are almost exactly like store bought cookies, which some people don't like (like they don't really burn, they are crumbly and buttery at the same time). But if you are on the fence about these just MAKE THEM THEY ARE SO GOOD!!!
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Excellent Recipe. I absolutely HATE cooking but sometimes I will give it a try. Maybe the reason I am not a fan of cooking is because usually the finished product doesn't come out as I expect it to. I just made these for the first time and they were wonderful! Super simple and so soft and tasty. The frosting is melt in my mouth perfect. I have already gifted some and fixin to make another batch. This time I will roll a few in sugar as suggested just for a different taste, but really these are perfect as they are. The cookies came out soft and even after 2 days, still moist. this recipe is a keeper!! Thanks so much!
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What if my dough turns out extremely sticky and fluffy? I can’t roll into balls. I don’t know what I did wrong
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Does the frosting set up a bit so they can be stacked?
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What is if I don't have parchment paper or a silicone mat?
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I don't ordinarily comment but I gotta say thanks for the post on this perfect one : D.
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Are the cookies sweet enough without the frosting (maybe if I rolled then in sugar)? They sound ready good, we just don't like frosting.
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This looks delicious! How many cookies do you get out of the recipe?
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Everyone loved these cookies so soft and yummy. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe. This will be added to a family favorite
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These cookies are soft and delicious! My favorite 2020 cookie recipe!
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These cookies are AMAZING. The first time I made them, I accidentally used too much milk in the frosting. So I added some cream cheese to try to thicken it up. It still ended up more like a glaze, but they were so addicting, I could not stop eating them! Pillowy soft, perfect amount of sweetness. I made them a second time, being careful w amount of milk in frosting. This produces A LOT of frosting and I used about half for a full recipe of cookies. But still insanely delicious. Going to make them again once I restock on my ingredients :) I suggest using a butter spray for the glass before flattening the dough. I had to spray quite frequently. And the faster you can work, the better. Preventing the butter in the dough from warning up will help keep the dough less sticky.
