These cookies are so ridiculously simple and good … an all-time classic favorite! 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 for a little variety (we like this all-natural powder coloring). We sometimes mix in pomegranate or beet juice 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!
Sponsor Shoutout: Grassland Dairy
Speaking of all-natural ingredients, what makes this recipe work is all that yummy butter! Butter is most definitely a REAL FOOD over any fake stuff such as margarine (sometimes called “plant butter”), which is manufactured from refined vegetable oils and artificial flavors. And we love how our partners at Grassland now offer a Non-GMO butter option … definitely a better choice for butter! When a product is Non-GMO Project Verified that means they are able to trace the absence of GMOs from seed to feed to table. Grassland is also made from milk from cows not treated with rBST hormones.
Grassland Butter has been a family-owned company for 115 years and is currently available in parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Greater New York City and Maryland. See where you can find Grassland Butter at a store near you through this link!
Cookie Recipe
Now, even with all that natural butter, dye-free decorations, and whole-wheat flour, these cookies are still a special treat in our book because of the refined sugar! BUT, when you want to indulge in something sweet, we feel “made-from-scratch” is the best way to go! So indulge and enjoy…
Make-ahead tip:
You can make this dough days or even weeks in advance and store it in the freezer (as pictured) until you are ready to bake. One of the super easy things about this recipe. We’ll definitely be making this one time and time again.
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 used Grassland butter.
- Sugar – Yes, you heard right! An occasional treat around here.
- Eggs – We get ours from the farmers’ market.
- Vanilla extract – Try making your own! It also makes great Christmas gifts.
How to Make My Super Easy Icebox Sugar Cookies
- Whisk it: Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and whisk.
- Mix it: With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy and well blended. Add in the egg and vanilla until well combined.
- 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.
- Bake it: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Gently peel the plastic off of the log and thinly slice into 1/8-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
- 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 sprinkles and other toppings, if desired, and let the icing harden before stacking.
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.
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons butter, softened (we used Grassland Butter)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the icing:
- 1 1/2 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.
To bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Gently peel the plastic off the log and thinly slice into 1/8-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.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from Joy of Cooking.
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
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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!