This Christmas Donut Cookies recipe makes about 24–30 buttery, tender sugar cookies with charming donut shapes, colorful holiday icing, and plenty of festive sprinkles. The cookies take about 25–35 minutes to prepare, need at least 30 minutes of chilling, bake in 8–11 minutes per tray, and can be decorated in another 20–30 minutes.
Each cookie has lightly crisp edges, a soft center, and a sweet vanilla flavor that pairs beautifully with red, green, and white icing. They are easy enough for a beginner baker, fun to decorate with children, and pretty enough for cookie exchanges, Christmas dessert tables, or edible gifts.
Jump to RecipeWhy You’ll Love This Recipe
These Christmas Donut Cookies bring together everything people enjoy about a classic holiday sugar cookie: a tender buttery crumb, a gentle vanilla aroma, and a sweet icing finish. The donut shape makes them feel playful and distinctive without requiring a complicated decorating technique.
Unlike fried donuts, these cookies are baked in the oven and prepared from a simple roll-and-cut dough. The center hole creates extra space for icing and sprinkles, while the firm shape makes the cookies easy to arrange in gift boxes or hang on a dessert platter.
They are also wonderfully adaptable. Make the icing red, green, and white for a traditional Christmas palette, or let everyone decorate a few cookies with their own combination of sprinkles.
If you enjoy cookies with a filled center, you may also like these turtle thumbprint cookies, which bring chocolate, caramel, and nuts to the holiday cookie tray.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The dough uses everyday baking staples, but each ingredient has an important role in the final texture. Softened butter should be pliable rather than melted, because melted butter can make the dough greasy and encourage the cookies to spread.
- Butter: Unsalted butter provides rich flavor and allows the salt level to stay balanced.
- Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and helps create lightly crisp edges.
- Egg and vanilla: The egg binds the dough, while vanilla gives the cookies their familiar bakery flavor.
- Flour, baking powder, and salt: These create the structure, gentle lift, and balanced taste.
- Icing ingredients: Confectioners’ sugar, milk or water, vanilla, and optional corn syrup make a smooth topping that is easy to tint.
- Decorations: Gel coloring, Christmas sprinkles, and nonpareils provide the festive finish.
For a slightly different flavor, add ½ teaspoon almond extract along with the vanilla. You can also add ¼ teaspoon nutmeg for a taste reminiscent of cake-style donuts.
How to Make It Step-by-Step
Step 1: Begin by placing the softened butter and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat them together for 2–3 minutes, until the mixture looks pale, light, and creamy; this helps create a tender cookie rather than a dense one.
Step 2: Add the egg and 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Beat until the egg is fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl so the mixture is evenly combined.
Step 3: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and fine salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture gradually, mixing only until no obvious streaks of flour remain and a soft dough forms.
Step 4: Divide the dough into two equal portions and flatten each into a disk. Wrap both disks and refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes; this short rest makes rolling easier and helps prevent spreading during baking.
Step 5: Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C), then line baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with one disk at a time, roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to approximately ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.
Step 6: Cut the donut shapes with a donut cookie cutter. If you only have a plain round cutter, cut the large circles first and use a smaller cutter or piping tip to remove the center, saving the small dough rounds for another bake.
Step 7: Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them. If the shapes become warm or look soft, chill the cut cookies on the tray for 10–15 minutes so the donut holes remain neat.
Step 8: Bake each tray for 8–11 minutes, watching closely near the end. The cookies are ready when the edges are set and only very lightly golden; avoid overbaking if you want a soft sugar-cookie texture.
Step 9: Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes after removing them from the oven. Transfer them to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely, since warm cookies can cause the icing to melt or slide.
Step 10: Make the icing by mixing 2 cups confectioners’ sugar with 2–3 tablespoons milk or water, ½ teaspoon vanilla, and the optional tablespoon of light corn syrup. The finished icing should be thick but spreadable, so add liquid very gradually if it needs loosening.
Step 11: Divide the icing between small bowls and tint it with gel food coloring. Use red, green, and white for a classic Christmas look, keeping the colors bold without adding excess liquid.
Step 12: Dip the tops of the cooled cookies into the icing or spread it on with a small knife. Add sprinkles or nonpareils immediately while the icing is wet, then leave the cookies undisturbed for 30–60 minutes to set.
Decorating Ideas for Christmas
The easiest decoration is a single icing color topped with contrasting sprinkles. Try white icing with red and green nonpareils, red icing with white sugar pearls, or green icing with tiny gold or silver decorations.
For a bakery-style appearance, spread a smooth layer of icing over the top while leaving the donut hole open. You can also drizzle a second icing color across the first once it has begun to set, creating delicate stripes without needing piping bags.
To make a mixed platter, keep some cookies white, tint others red or green, and finish the rest with a two-color design. A few plain cookies can be stacked beside the decorated ones for a simple contrast.
For another classic holiday option, compare these traditional thumbprint cookies with the donut-shaped design. Both are excellent choices when you want a festive assortment with different textures and appearances.
Pro Tips for Perfect Donut Cookies
- Soften butter correctly: Let it sit at room temperature until it presses easily with a finger, but do not melt it.
- Measure flour carefully: Weighing 360 g is the most accurate method. If using cups, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it rather than scooping directly from the bag.
- Keep the dough cool: Work with one disk while the other remains refrigerated. Cool dough cuts more cleanly and holds the center holes better.
- Avoid overmixing: Once the flour disappears, stop mixing. Excess mixing can produce cookies that are tougher than intended.
- Use gel coloring: Gel food coloring gives strong Christmas colors without thinning the icing as much as liquid coloring.
- Cool completely: Even slightly warm cookies can soften the icing and make sprinkles slide off.
For the cleanest edges, use a sharp cutter and press straight down rather than twisting. Re-roll scraps gently and only as often as needed, since repeated handling can make the final cookies less tender.
Storage, Gifting, and Make-Ahead Advice
Allow the icing to set fully for 30–60 minutes before storing the cookies. Place them in an airtight container with parchment between layers so the decorations do not stick together.
At room temperature, the cookies are ideal for holiday serving and gifting when kept tightly covered. For a cookie exchange, package them in small cellophane bags or shallow tins after the icing has completely hardened.
The dough can be prepared in advance, divided into disks, wrapped, and chilled before rolling. If you are planning several batches, work from cold dough and bake one parchment-lined tray at a time for the most consistent shapes.
For a naturally spiced companion on your holiday platter, these soft snickerdoodle cookies make a lovely contrast with their cinnamon-sugar coating.
Ways to Customize the Recipe
These cookies are designed to be festive, but the base recipe can fit many occasions. Use pastel icing for spring, orange and black decorations for Halloween, or simple white icing and silver sprinkles for a winter party.
You can sandwich two cooled donut cookies with a thin layer of icing for a more indulgent treat. Press the top cookie gently into the filling so the icing reaches the inner and outer edges without breaking the delicate shape.
For a seasonal pumpkin-inspired cookie table, place these beside pumpkin chocolate chip cookies or gluten-free pumpkin cookies. The variety gives guests a choice between crisp-edged sugar cookies and softer, warmly spiced bakes.
Christmas Donut Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Beat the softened butter and granulated sugar for 2–3 minutes, until light and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla extract, then mix until fully combined.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Add the dry mixture gradually to the butter mixture, mixing only until a soft dough forms.
- Divide the dough into two portions, flatten each portion into a disk, wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes. Chilling makes the dough easier to roll and helps the cookies keep their donut shape.
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll one dough disk on a lightly floured surface to approximately ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.
- Cut donut shapes with a donut cookie cutter, or use a plain round cutter and remove a smaller circle from the center. Transfer the shapes to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
- Bake for 8–11 minutes, until the edges are set and only very lightly golden. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.
- Whisk the confectioners’ sugar, milk or water, vanilla, and optional corn syrup into a thick but spreadable icing. Divide it into bowls and tint each portion with gel food coloring.
- Dip or spread icing over the cooled cookies, then add Christmas sprinkles or nonpareils while the icing is wet. Let the decorated cookies set for about 30–60 minutes before stacking or packaging.
Notes
Final Thoughts
Christmas Donut Cookies are a cheerful addition to any holiday baking day. The dough is straightforward, the donut shape is instantly charming, and the icing turns each cookie into a small edible decoration.
For the best results, keep the butter softened but not melted, chill the dough for at least 30 minutes, roll it to about ¼ inch thick, and bake only until the edges are set and lightly golden. Cool the cookies completely before adding icing, then decorate while the surface is still wet enough to hold every sprinkle.
Whether you serve them with hot cocoa, pack them as gifts, or invite the family to decorate a batch together, these cookies are sure to disappear quickly. Make the colors traditional or create your own festive palette, and enjoy a homemade Christmas treat that looks as delightful as it tastes.