Hanukkah Cutout Sugar Cookies Recipe
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These Hanukkah Cutout Sugar Cookies are the perfect addition to any Hanukkah celebration! Shaped like menorahs, dreidels, and stars, these buttery, soft cookies are decorated with festive blue and white sprinkles. Not only are they fun to make with family, but they also require no chilling time, making them a quick and easy holiday treat that everyone will love!
These delicious Hanukkah cookies will be the highlight of every Hanukkah party! So buttery and tender, these colorful Hanukkah shapes cookies disappear in seconds!
Why You’ll Love Hanukkah Cutout Sugar Cookies
- Fun and festive: These cookies are shaped like Hanukkah symbols, making them a fun and creative way to celebrate the holiday.
- Easy to make: With no need to chill the dough, you can prepare, bake, and enjoy these cookies in under 30 minutes.
- Perfect for kids: Kids will love helping to cut out the shapes and decorate the cookies with sprinkles, making it a great family activity.
- Buttery and tender: The dough creates a deliciously buttery cookie that is soft yet firm enough to hold its shape when baked.
- Customizable: You can use any food coloring or sprinkles you like to match your Hanukkah theme or personal preference.
Who says cookie baking is just for Christmas? You can make amazing cookies for Hanukkah too simply by using the Hanukkah-related cookie shapes and colors! The colors of Hanukkah holiday are white and blue, so for this easy cookie recipe we’ll color half of the dough blue by adding a blue food coloring (leaving the other half of the dough natural).
Ingredients For Hanukkah Cutout Sugar Cookies
- Unsalted butter – Adds rich flavor and softness to the cookies.
- Sugar – Sweetens the dough and helps create a tender texture.
- Egg – Binds the ingredients together and adds moisture to the dough.
- Vanilla extract – Infuses the cookies with a warm, sweet flavor.
- Flour – Forms the structure of the cookies, making them perfect for cutouts.
- Baking powder – Helps the cookies rise slightly, giving them a light and soft texture.
- Salt – Enhances the flavor and balances the sweetness.
- Blue food coloring – Used to color half of the dough for a festive Hanukkah look.
- Blue and white sugar sprinkles – Adds a decorative, festive touch to the cookies.
Kitchen Tools You Need To Make Hanukkah Cutout Sugar Cookies
- Mixer – To cream the butter and sugar together for a smooth dough.
- Measuring cups and spoons – For accurately measuring all the ingredients.
- Rolling pin – To roll out the dough to the perfect thickness.
- Hanukkah cookie cutters – To create festive shapes like dreidels, menorahs, and stars.
- Baking sheets – To bake the cookies evenly in the oven.
- Parchment paper – To prevent the cookies from sticking to the baking sheets.
The cookies made with blue dough will get sprinkled with the white sprinkles (or just regular white sugar) and the regular color cookies will get the blue sprinkles for contrast!
How To Make Hanukkah Cutout Sugar Cookies
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream the softened butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, then mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
- Gradually add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the mixture, stirring until the dough forms.
- Divide the dough into two portions and color one portion with blue food coloring.
- Roll out both portions of dough on a floured surface and cut out shapes using Hanukkah-themed cookie cutters.
- Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets and decorate with blue and white sprinkles.
- Bake the cookies for 7 minutes, or until they are lightly golden at the edges, then allow them to cool.
For the cutout shapes, just search for “Hanukkah cookie cutters” on Amazon – they only cost a few bucks! These Hanukkah cookie cutters have shapes of Jewish star, dreidel and menorah!
This Hanukkah sugar cookie recipe is as easy as it gets – you don’t even need to chill the dough! Just mix all ingredients, roll out the dough, cut shapes with cookie cutters and bake! It’s also a perfect Hanukkah holiday project for kids, so fun!
Here is the raw cookie dough just cut into shapes:
Serving Suggestions
- Serve these Hanukkah cutout sugar cookies as part of your dessert table at any Hanukkah gathering.
- Pair them with a warm cup of tea with lemon or hot cocoa for a cozy treat on cold winter nights.
- For a colorful dessert platter, serve alongside chocolate brownies and other Hanukkah sweets.
- These cookies also make great edible gifts—package them in a festive box and tie with a blue ribbon for friends and family.
- Create a fun dessert decorating station where guests can add their own sprinkles or icing to personalize their cookies.
Here is the raw cookie dough sprinkled with colored sugar:
Tips For Success
- Room temperature butter: Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature before mixing it with the sugar. This helps create a smooth dough and ensures even baking.
- Don’t overmix the dough: Once you add the flour, mix just until the dough comes together. Overmixing can make the cookies tough instead of tender.
- Flour your surface: When rolling out the dough, sprinkle flour on your work surface and rolling pin to prevent the dough from sticking. If the dough becomes too sticky, add a little more flour.
- Even thickness: Roll out the dough evenly to ensure that the cookies bake uniformly. Aim for about 1/4 inch thick for the best results.
- Chilling the dough (optional): Although this recipe doesn’t require chilling, if you find your dough too soft to work with, you can refrigerate it for 15-20 minutes before rolling it out.
Here are the Hanukkah cookies after baking:
Variations And Substitutions
- Different colors: While blue and white are traditional for Hanukkah, feel free to experiment with other food coloring options to match your party theme. Silver sprinkles can also add a festive, sparkly touch.
- Add flavoring: Enhance the flavor of your cookies by adding a teaspoon of almond extract or lemon zest to the dough for a subtle, refreshing twist.
- Gluten-free option: To make these cookies gluten-free, substitute the regular flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. Make sure the blend includes xanthan gum for the best texture.
- Dairy-free option: Swap out the butter for a plant-based alternative like vegan butter or margarine. This will make the cookies dairy-free while keeping the same buttery taste.
- Icing decoration: For added creativity, decorate the cooled cookies with royal icing instead of sprinkles. You can pipe on Hanukkah symbols or customize them with names and designs.
Enjoy these amazing homemade Hanukkah cutout sugar cookies!
Storage and Reheating
- Storage: Store these Hanukkah cutout sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. If you need to keep them longer, store them in the fridge to maintain their freshness.
- Freezing: The cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Roll the dough into balls or discs, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, and place them in a freezer-safe bag. Thaw in the fridge overnight before rolling and cutting out shapes.
- Reheating (optional): While these cookies are delicious at room temperature, you can lightly warm them in the microwave for 10 seconds to bring back a freshly baked texture if desired.
- Make ahead: You can prepare the dough in advance and refrigerate it for up to 2 days. Simply roll it out and bake when you’re ready to serve fresh cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use margarine instead of butter in this recipe?
Yes, you can substitute margarine for butter to make these cookies dairy-free. Just make sure the margarine is softened to room temperature for easy mixing.
Do I have to chill the dough before baking?
No, this recipe doesn’t require chilling the dough, which saves time. However, if you find the dough too soft to work with, you can chill it for 15-20 minutes to make rolling and cutting easier.
Can I freeze the cookies?
Yes, you can freeze the baked cookies or the cookie dough. For baked cookies, freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer-safe container. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
What type of food coloring should I use?
Gel food coloring works best for vibrant colors without adding too much liquid to the dough. You can also use natural food coloring if you prefer.
Can I make these cookies in advance?
Absolutely! You can make the dough up to two days in advance and store it in the fridge. You can also bake the cookies a day ahead and store them in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Here are some more Hanukkah recipes you’ll love:
Easy Hanukkah Latkes Recipe (these potato pancakes are the crispiest and yummiest ever!)
Homemade Gefilte Fish From Scratch (after you try this one, you’ll never want to eat gefilte fish from the can!)
Homemade Matzo Ball Soup (so simple, truly foolproof!)
Homemade Jewish Challah Bread (so soft and delicious, amazing!)
Hanukkah Cutout Sugar Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp blue food coloring
- Blue and white sugar sprinkles for decorating
Recommended Kitchen Tools (click the links below to see the items used to make this recipe)
- Hanukkah cookie cutters (Star of David, dreidel, menorah)
- baking sheets
- Mixer
Instructions
- To make these cookies, you need Hanukkah cookie cutters (you can buy them on Amazon).
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Put butter and sugar in a large bowl and mix with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Add 1 1/2 cup flour, baking powder and salt, and mix until combined. Add the remaining flour, and mix until combined.
- Divide dough into two equal parts. Add one part to the food processor fitted with a steel blade and add blue food coloring to it. Process for 1 minute, or until the dough is evenly colored blue.
- Roll each dough ball (white and blue) into a 12 inch circle. Cut out the cookies with a Hanukkah cookie cutters and put them on the baking sheet, spacing the cookies at least 1 inch. Combine the dough scraps back into a ball, roll it out again, cut out more cookies and repeat until all the dough is used.
- Sprinkle the light cookie dough with the blue sugar sprinkles, and the blue cookie dough with white sugar.
- Put the Chanukkah cookies in the oven and bake for 7 minutes.
Notes
- You can use any combination of sprinkles or edible glitter to decorate the cookies, adding a fun and festive touch to your Hanukkah celebration.
- If you prefer softer cookies, bake them for a minute less to achieve a more tender texture.
perfect for making any Hanukkah party special!
Your baby’s hand is so cute! 😂😍