These Holiday Slice and Bake Cookies are a fun, delicious way to enjoy a homemade treat during the holidays. With a pre-made dough, you can quickly slice, bake, and have warm cookies ready in minutes for sharing or gifting. They’re perfect for busy holiday seasons when you want a sweet touch without spending much time in the kitchen!
This Holiday Slice and Bake Cookies recipe post is sponsored by Ankarsrum. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make Beyond the Butter® possible!
This Holiday Slice and Bake Cookies recipe is a copycat Pillsbury version, but even better because they’re homemade, and you can make them for virtually any holiday, not just the major ones! These cookies were also inspired by my Super Soft Cut Out Sugar Cookies recipe—a favorite in my family! For the chocolate version, you can check out my Chocolate Cut Out Sugar Cookies!
You’ll love this recipe for its buttery taste, its soft and tender texture, and how easy they are to make thanks to my Ankarsrum Assistent Original Mixer, cookie beater whisks, and their stainless steel beater bowl that’s durable, heat resistant, and easy to clean!
You can even make these slice and bake cookies sparkle by rolling each cookie dough log in festive green and red sparkling sugars! They’re absolutely delicious and a winning cookie to add to any holiday cookie lineup!
For more recipes where I use my Ankarsrum mixer and its attachments, check out my Easy French Bread, Lemon Cheesecake, Mini Chocolate Banana Blender Muffins, Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream, and Carrot Cake Cookies!
Table of Contents
Ingredients
The ingredients shown in the image below are used to make this easy slice and bake holiday cookies recipe. Items noted in the bulleted list are key ingredients that needed a bit more explanation.
- Powdered Sugar. An optional step, but I recommend sifting the powdered sugar. The powdered sugar is what gives these cookies their soft and tender texture.
- Almond Extract. It is not a required ingredient, but boy, does this up the flavor of these slice and bake cookies! I highly recommend keeping it in!
- Sparkling Sugars. I got my red and green sparkling sugars from my local Giant. They come in wide plastic containers, which I found easier to work with versus the jars that sprinkles or sugars typically come in.
- Food Coloring Gels. I used the Satin Ice brand, which is gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, vegetarian, and kosher. Using only 4-5 drops with the cookie dough produced a nice, vibrant color that stayed this way after baking. I used green for the trees, brown for the gingerbread men, red (not their deep red), and white for the candy canes. The white food coloring gel took closer to 8-9 drops to lighten it.
For quantities and instructions, please see the recipe card below.
How to Make the Recipe
Below is a brief overview of how to make these slice and bake holiday cookies. Visit the recipe card below for the full printable recipe, which can be made using US customary or metric measurements.
Step 1. Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt (Images 1 and 2). Set to the side.
Step 2. Mix the wet ingredients. Using your Ankarsrum Assistent Original mixer, beat the unsalted butter at medium to high speed until smooth and creamy (Image 3). Add in the powdered sugar (Image 4), then add the egg and extracts and mix until well combined (Images 5 and 6).
Step 3. Add the whisked dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Gradually add in the dry ingredient mixture at low speed until just combined (Image 7). The cookie dough will start to pull away from the sides of the bowl and form clumps (Image 8).
Step 4. Divide the cookie dough. Two-thirds of the cookie dough will be what forms the log. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. The remaining third will be colored with the food coloring gel (Images 9 and 10). Add 4-5 drops of food coloring gel, then blend using your hands (with gloves, please!) (Image 11). Roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness between two sheets of wax paper (Image 12), then chill for 15-20 minutes in the freezer on a baking sheet.
Step 5. Cut out the center shape and stack. Take the chilled rolled-out green cookie dough out of the freezer and cut out the trees using your mini cookie cutter (Image 13). Place them on top of one another until you have a stack of about 7 to 7 1/4 inches (Image 14). Once done, carefully place the length of trees on its side and freeze for a minimum of 30 minutes. Meanwhile, take the wrapped, uncolored dough out of the fridge and bring it to room temperature.
Quick Tip: Keep your colored dough for the center shape chilled throughout this process. This will ensure your trees are easier to cut out and have crisp lines. I also recommend dabbing the top of each tree with a tiny bit of water to help them stick together better.
Step 6. Shape the cookie dough log. Cut strips of dough using a bench scraper and place them into the crevices of the tree (Image 15). The uncolored cookie dough should be soft and moldable. Keep building the dough around the trees until the log shape forms (Image 16). When done, double wrap in plastic wrap and/or wax paper or aluminum foil and place in the freezer for at least 2 hours. My preference is to leave them in the freezer overnight.
Quick Tip: I like to freeze my cookie dough logs upright by placing them in an empty cardboard butter box (that holds four sticks of butter), which can help keep the dough from freezing flat on one side.
Step 7. Slice and bake your cookies! Remove the cookie dough log from the freezer about 10-15 minutes before baking them. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, preheat your oven to 375ºF, and line two cookie sheets with either parchment paper or silicone baking liners. Slice each cookie about 1/4 inch thick, then place on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart (Image 17). I got six cookies per sheet. Optionally, roll the cookie dough log in sparkling sugar before slicing. Bake the cookies for 7-8 minutes, then remove from the oven. Transfer the cookies to cooling racks to cool completely, then enjoy (Image 18)!
Recipe FAQs
As you slice each cookie, rotate the cookie log 1/4 at a time.
Keep cooled slice and bake cookies stored at room temperature in a well-sealed food container with a slice of bread (to help keep them soft) for up to 5 days.
You can keep pre-made cookie dough logs stored in the freezer for up to three months. Double wrap the cookie dough logs in plastic wrap and/or a single layer of wax paper or aluminum foil.
More Holiday Cookie Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this Holiday Slice and Bake Cookies Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know your thoughts in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Easy Holiday Slice and Bake Cookies
Equipment
- Ankarsrum Assistent Original Mixer with cookie whisks
- Mixing Bowls for dry ingredients, mixing food colors with cookie dough
Ingredients
cut out sugar cookies
- 2 ⅔ cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Cream of Tartar
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 1 cup Sifted Powdered Sugar
- 1 Large Egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
- Food Coloring Gel, festive colors of your choice
- Sparkling Sugars, optional, for coating outside of cookie log
Instructions
Slice and Bake Cookies
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Set to the side.2 ⅔ cups All-Purpose Flour, 1 tsp Baking Soda, 1 tsp Cream of Tartar, 1/4 tsp Salt
- Using your Ankarsrum Assistent Original Mixer along with the cookie whisks, beat the unsalted butter on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy.1 cup Unsalted Butter
- Turn off your mixer and add in the powdered sugar. Blend it together with the butter over low speed until it's almost combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.1 cup Sifted Powdered Sugar
- Add in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract, mixing at medium-high speed until well blended.1 Large Egg, 1 tsp Vanilla Extract, 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
- Switching the mixer speed low, gradually add in the whisked dry mixture until fully incorporated. The cookie dough should start to form a ball and pull away from the sides.
- Take 2/3 (or 500 grams, if weighing) of the cookie dough, shape it into a disc or log shape, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate. That portion will be for the dough formed around the center shape. Place the remaining 1/3 portion of cookie dough (or 250 grams) into a separate bowl and add 4-5 drops of food coloring gel. Mix together with your hands (with gloves, please!), your hand mixer, or your Ankarsrum mixer.Food Coloring Gel
- Roll the colored cookie dough out to about a 1/4-inch thickness between two sheets of wax paper, then chill on a baking sheet in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. If the dough is still too soft, keep it in the freezer for another 10-15 minutes.
- Take the chilled rolled-out cookie dough from the freezer and cut out the trees using your mini cookie cutter. Place them on top of one another, dabbing a little bit of room temperature water in between each shape until you have a stack of about 7 to 7 1/4 inches in length. At any point, if the dough starts to become soft, place it back in the freezer along with the stacked cookie dough trees. Once done, carefully place the length of trees on its side and freeze for a minimum of 30 minutes. Meanwhile, take the wrapped, uncolored dough out of the fridge and bring it to room temperature.
- Using a bench scraper, cut strips of the uncolored cookie dough and gently push them into the crevices of the tree stack. The uncolored cookie dough should be soft and easily moldable. Keep building the dough around the trees until the log shape forms. Use plastic wrap or wax paper to help roll the dough into the log shape and give it a smoother surface. When done, double wrap the cookie dough log in plastic wrap and/or wax paper or aluminum foil and place in the freezer for at least 2 hours. My preference is to leave them in the freezer overnight.
- Remove the cookie dough log from the freezer about 10-15 minutes before baking. Adjust your oven rack to the middle position, preheat your oven to 375ºF, and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking liners. Slice each cookie about 1/4 inch thick, then place on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. I got six cookies per sheet. Optionally, roll the cookie dough log in the sparkling sugar before slicing.Sparkling Sugars
- Bake the cookies for 7-8 minutes at 375ºF or until the bottom and edges are a light golden brown. Allow the to cool on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them with a serving spatula to a wire cooling rack.
- You can store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature with a slice of bread for up to five days.
Notes
- This recipe yielded 16 cookies. Depending on the length of the cookie dough log and how thin or thick you slice each cookie will determine how many cookies you’ll end up with.
- I recommend using mini cookie cutters for the shapes, as regular-size cookie cutters will be too big.
- Use disposable food-safe gloves when handling the food coloring gel.
- Recipe bake times are approximate and will vary depending on your oven. Always begin checking on your recipe at the first recommended bake time listed.
- You can also premake the slice and bake cookies by freezing the cookie dough logs for up to one month. Double wrap the cookie dough logs in plastic wrap and/or a single layer of wax paper, then place them in a well-sealed plastic bag or container. Allow the cookie log to defrost for about 15 minutes on the counter before slicing the cookies to bake.
- For the candy canes, I divided the remaining 1/3 portion of the dough in half. I colored one portion with red food coloring gel and the other with white food coloring gel. I rolled them out between wax paper, chilled them in the freezer, and then cut them into strips. I placed them in alternating colors, rolled the dough gently to flatten a little, rechilled, and then cut out the candy cane shapes.
- Roll the cookie dough logs in sparkling sugar before slicing. I don’t recommend rolling them in the sugar before freezing.
- This recipe is adapted from my Super Soft Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe, a family recipe given to me by my late Grammy.
Nutrition
Nutritional information provided above is an estimate only and will vary based on specific ingredients used. See Nutritional Disclaimer for more info.
