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These Santa Sugar Cookies are so easy to make and are fun cookies to make with kids for the Christmas season and are one of my favorite old fashioned sugar cookies recipe. Made with pre-made cookie dough, pre-made frosting, and Christmas M&M’s, they are festive, old-fashioned sugar cookies that are perfect for enjoying with a glass of milk or giving as a holiday treat. You could even leave one out for Santa on Christmas Eve!

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Why I Love These Santa Sugar Cookies

Christmas is my favorite time of year because of all of the delicious treats! These adorable Santa Claus Cookies are an old fashioned recipe and a tradition in my family.

They are one of our favorite Christmas sugar cookies! My oldest son and I started making them for his preschool Christmas program a few years ago. We love making vintage recipes like this.

Now it is requested every year by my kids and neighbors! They are so easy to decorate, and can easily be decorated by kids. Such a fun Christmas activity! They would make a great addition to any cookie exchange.

Pre-Made Sugar Cookie Dough or Homemade Sugar Cookie Dough

To make Easy Santa Claus Sugar Cookies, you’ll first need to decide if you want to use store-bought dough or make your own. You can use my old-fashioned sugar cookie recipe for the found here.

It is a simple sugar cookie recipe that I have used for years and it has never failed me. It is a great recipe to make ahead of time. You can also use this recipe for soft sugar cookies as well.

If you decide not to make homemade cookie dough, store-bought cookie dough works great and makes these cookies super fast and easy to make with kids.

The frosting can also be store-bought or homemade. Use my favorite recipe found here.

If Using Pre-Made Cookie Dough

I used Pillsbury brand sugar cookie dough that comes in a tube shape. The easiest way to make Santa cookies using this dough is to slice about 1/2 inch of cookie dough and place dough on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet or greased cookie sheet. Bake according to the package directions.

If Using Homemade Sugar Cookie Dough

If you decide to make your own dough, which is super easy by the way, follow the recipe found here and use a round cookie cutter to cut the shape for Santa’s face.

Santa Cookies Ingredients

• 1 Package Pre-Made Sugar Cookie Dough (I used Pillsbury)
• 1 Container Pre-Made Buttercream Frosting (I used Betty Crocker)
• Red and Green M&Ms

Tools Needed to Make Santa Cookies

• Spreading Spatula
• Piping Bag
• Red Food Coloring
• Medium Star Tip
• Sheets of Parchment Paper
• Baking Sheet

How to Make Santa Sugar Cookies

[1] Bake the sugar cookies according to the package directions or use the Best Sugar Cookie Recipe found here.

[2] Divide the frosting in half. Leave half of the frosting white and use gel food coloring to tint the other half of the frosting red.

[3] Use a butter knife or small spatula to spread red frosting on the top 1/3 of the baked cookies.

[4] Fill a piping bag with white frosting and use a medium-sized star tip to trace a white line just below the bottom of the red frosting.

[5] Pipe a large star on the right side of the cookie, just above the white line (the tip of Santa’s hat).

[6] Use the star tip to pipe two dots for Santa’s eyes with a little bit of frosting and two curves for his mustache.

[7] Place two green M&M’s on the white frosting dots for Santa’s eyes and put a red M&M just above the mustache for his nose

How to Store Santa Cookies

These cookies can be stored in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap at room temperature for about 1 week. I like to add wax paper between layers to protect the decorations.

You can also freeze the cookies for up to 6 months in a freezer bag, just make sure they are completely cooled before storing them in a freezer-safe bag or container.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use different colors of frosting or M&Ms for my Santa cookies?

Yes, feel free to use any color combination that you like. These cookies are a great way to use up any leftover holiday candy or frosting!

Can I make the Santa sugar cookies ahead of time?

Yes, these cookies can be made 1-2 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. I do not recommend making them more than 2 days in advance as the cookies may start to become too soft.

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

If you do not have a circle cookie cutter, you can use any shape that you have on hand. I have used heart and star-shaped cookie cutters to cut shapes for Santa faces before and they turned out great! You could also just slice the dough into rounds or squares for a more traditional sugar cookie look.

Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoy these easy and oh-so-cute Santa Sugar Cookies! Your kids and other family members will love them this holiday season and will become one of your favorite cookies. Happy Holidays!

More Christmas Cookie Favorite Recipes: 

• Classic Sugar Cookie Recipe
• Melt Away Old Fashioned Christmas Cookies
• Christmas Snowball Cookies
• Gingerbread Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
• Eggnog Cut-Out Cookies
• Eggnog Frosted Cookies
• Old Fashioned Drop Sugar Cookies

Santa Sugar Cookies Video:

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