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Home » Recipes

Super Easy Icebox Sugar Cookies (with natural dyes!)

Five icebox sugar cookies with festive holiday sprinkles on a white plate.

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These cookies are so ridiculously simple and good ... an all-time classic favorite treat! Whether you're attending a cookie exchange, or just need a little something to leave out for Santa, made-from-scratch doesn't get much easier than this. You can either keep the 2-ingredient icing all white or mix in some colors that don't contain artificial dyes (we like this all-natural powder coloring). We sometimes mix in pomegranate or beet juice (and use less cream) to add a little color, too. We also like to go dye-free when it comes to our sprinkles and, since artificial dyes add no flavor at all, it will all still taste exactly how you're expecting!

Disclaimer: This recipe contains refined white sugar, which means it doesn’t technically follow our real food rules…so only enjoy in moderation!

And just look how fun things can still be even without anything artificial ... I went a little nuts and made these cookies ombre for a friend's exchange party a couple of years ago. I was excited to win first prize! It did take some time to keep adding in small amounts of color and remixing, but it was certainly a cookie night I will not forget. :)

A large batch of sugar cookies with green ombre frosting and decorative holiday sprinkles.

How To MakeIcebox Sugar Cookies

Now, even with all the dye-free decorations (and whole-wheat flour), these cookies are still a special treat in our book because of the refined sugar. BUT, you can use a little less sugar if you'd like and when you want to indulge in something sweet, we feel "made-from-scratch" is the best way to go! For more baking tips, check out this Tablespoons in a Cup post for conversion tips.

Make-ahead tip:

You can make this dough days or even weeks in advance and store it in the freezer (in plastic wrap as pictured) until you are ready to bake. Which is one of the super easy things about this recipe! We'll definitely keep making this one year after year.

Icebox Sugar Cookie Dough wrapped in plastic wrap.

Icebox Sugar Cookies Ingredients

  • Whole-wheat pastry flour - I recommend pastry flour over regular flour when baking cookies.
  • Baking powder - Just the standard stuff you've always used.
  • Salt - We prefer sea salt (do a taste test and you'll agree!).
  • Butter - I recommend organic or non-GMO butter.
  • Sugar - Yes, you heard right! Regular white sugar is an occasional treat around here.
  • Eggs - We get ours from the farmers' market.
  • Vanilla extract - Try making your own! It also makes great holiday gifts.

How to Make these Super Easy Icebox Sugar Cookies

  1. Whisk it: Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and whisk.
  2. Mix it: With an electric mixer, beat the softened butter and sugar until fluffy and well blended. Add in the egg and vanilla until well combined.
  3. Form it: Slowly add in the flour mixture until blended and smooth. Form into a smooth log about 11-inches long, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours.
  4. Bake it: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Gently peel the plastic off of the log and thinly slice into ⅛-inch thick pieces. Place on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart and bake just one sheet at a time until the cookies just begin to turn golden brown, about 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before adding the icing.

Icing Ingredients

  • Powdered sugar
  • Heavy cream

How to Make the Icing

  1. Mix it: Use an electric mixer to beat together the powdered sugar and cream until smooth. Divide and mix in any colors, if desired (we used natural food dyes). Use either a spatula or piping bag to decorate. Add dye-free sprinkles and other toppings, if desired, and let the icing harden before stacking.
Icebox sugar cookies on 100 Days of Real Food

Super Easy Icebox Sugar Cookies (with natural dyes)

While not completely "real food" due to the sugar, these Icebox Sugar Cookies are better for you with whole-wheat flour and natural dyes.
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Cook Time: 17 minutes mins
Freeze dough+cool cookies: 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
Total Time: 2 hours hrs 52 minutes mins
Course: Treats
Cuisine: American
Method: Baked Goods, Freezer Friendly, Too Easy
Diet: Peanut/Tree Nut-Free, Vegetarian
Print Recipe
Servings: 16 (makes about four dozen cookies)
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Ingredients
  

For the cookies:

  • 1 ½ cups whole-wheat pastry flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 10 tablespoons butter (softened)
  • ¾ cup sugar (could use less, ½ cup, if desired)
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the icing:

  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 7 tablespoons heavy cream (or 8 tablespoons depending on the desired consistency)

Instructions
 

For the cookies:

  • Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
  • Use an electric mixer to beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy and well blended. Add in the egg and vanilla until well combined. 
  • Slowly add in the flour mixture until blended and smooth. Form into a smooth log about 11-inches long, wrap in plastic wrap (pictured), and freeze for at least 2 hours or for as long as a couple of months.
    Icebox Sugar Cookies on 100 Days of Real Food
  • To bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Gently peel the plastic off the log and thinly slice into ⅛-inch thick pieces. Place on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart and bake just one sheet at a time until the cookies just begin to turn golden brown, about 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before adding the icing. 

For the icing:

  • Use an electric mixer to beat together the powdered sugar and cream until smooth. Divide and mix in any colors, if desired (we used natural food dyes).
  • Use either a spatula or piping bag to decorate. Add sprinkles and other toppings, if desired, and let the icing harden before stacking. Store in an airtight container. 

Notes

Adapted from Joy of Cooking.
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Super Easy Icebox Sugar Cookies (with natural dyes)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 197 Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value*
Fat 10g15%
Saturated Fat 6g38%
Cholesterol 38mg13%
Sodium 106mg5%
Potassium 87mg2%
Carbohydrates 26g9%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 17g19%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 330IU7%
Calcium 28mg3%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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About Lisa Leake

Lisa is a wife, mother, foodie, blogger, and #1 New York Times Best-selling author who is on a mission to cut out processed food.

Comments

  1. Hermione says

    December 12, 2019 at 12:09 am

    A good simple recipe that everyone should be able to make, thanks... However no one ever seems to mention all the non-real food additives in most heavy creams - even the organic ones. Why is it always so difficult to find unadulterated cream in the US?! I wish they’d lose the mono and di glycerides, carregenan, guar gum etc etc and just keep the fat so it whips up properly, cream should be just that - cream!

    Reply

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Meet Lisa! Lisa is a best-selling cookbook author, wife, mother, and passionate home cook. Lisa began blogging in 2010 and has created a community of millions of people who share her love of healthy living, real food ingredients, and family recipes.

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