The sweet aroma of sugar will fill your kitchen when you bake these Grinch sugar cookies. This easy and festive dessert is a great addition to any holiday table!
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It just wouldn’t feel like the Christmas season without a batch of fresh cookies in the oven. These cut-out cookies are quick and easy to put together, and they look delicious too! If you’re especially short on time, these adorable Grinch cookies are the perfect festive treat.
Each bite of these holiday green sugar cookies is buttery, sweet, chewy, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. They come together with just a few ingredients, and the simple decoration really makes them stand out. It’ll be hard to just eat one of these Christmas treats!
Bring the Grinch cookies to all of your holiday parties and you’ll be surprised at how fast guests will gobble them up. Plus, the festive green and red decorations on top will set them apart from the other treats on the table.
If you’re craving a sweet and easy-to-prepare cookie for the holidays, these Grinch Christmas cookies are a great addition. Let’s head to the kitchen!
Here’s what I’m going to teach you in this post:
- How to bake these delicious Grinch sugar cookies for all of your holiday parties
- What ingredients you’ll need to put together this recipe, plus step-by-step instructions on how to make them
- Answers to commonly asked questions about Grinch Christmas cookies, plus helpful tips for how to store them
This post will provide you with all of the information you need to prepare, bake, and decorate these holiday sugar cookies.
Love easy Christmas cookies? Check out this list of 35 easy Christmas cookies to make with just a few ingredients!
How to make Grinch Sugar Cookies
A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.
STEP ONE: Pour the cookie mix into a bowl and add the softened butter and egg. Add 2-4 drops of green food coloring and mix the cookie dough until well combined.
I used the Pillsbury sugar cookie mix for this recipe.
STEP TWO: Press the dough into a large ball and wrap it with plastic wrap. Chill for about 1 hour. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
STEP THREE: Color the granulated sugar with food coloring. You can put the sugar through a mesh strainer to get a more consistent color.
STEP FOUR: Roll out the cookie dough on a floured surface to about ¼ inch thick. Cut out evenly sized rounds by using a circle cookie cutter or the top of a round glass.
Place them on the baking sheet about 3-inches apart. Bake until the edges start to brown and the centers are set.
This is a great fun way to make just green sugar cookies as well!
STEP FIVE: Allow the Grinch cookies to cool for 5 minutes, then cut hearts into half of the cookies with a cutter. I used the small heart cookie cutter in this set.
STEP SIX: As they finish cooling, mix 2-4 drops of food coloring into the cream cheese frosting. Spread a layer of frosting on the bottom of one cookie and place a heart cookie on top so that the frosting peeks out.
Fill the heart with sprinkles and enjoy! You can use these red sprinkles and even add some heart sprinkles in there too!
How Do You Keep Cut Out Cookies From Spreading?
Cut out cookies are a finicky bunch, and there are a lot of factors that can cause spreading. The biggest culprit is usually temperature.
It’s incredibly important that the dough is properly chilled before you roll it out. If your kitchen is especially warm, chill the shapes again before baking.
Also, make sure your butter isn’t too soft when you start and only cream it with the sugar for a minute or two. Too much air will cause the cutout cookies to collapse.
Finally, line your baking sheets with parchment! This surface is easier for the dough to grip while greasing the pans with butter or cooking spray will cause spreading.
Can You Add Food Coloring to Premade Sugar Cookie Dough?
It’s easy to spruce up premade dough by adding food coloring to it and making green sugar cookies! Start with a drop or two at a time until you get the color that you’re after.
Remember: you can always add more food coloring, but you can’t take it away.
Blend the sugar cookie dough with a hand mixer or knead it with your hands for best results. Food gels tend to be better than liquid dyes since the color is more concentrated and it won’t change the dough consistency.
How Long Do The Grinch Cookies Last?
These Grinch sugar cookies will last for up to two weeks when stored in an airtight container. Keep them at room temperature and add a piece of parchment between layers if you will be stacking them.
Can You Freeze Sugar Cookies?
Yes, but it’s best to freeze them plain and decorate them later. Store them in a tightly sealed container or zippered bag for 3-6 months.
You can also freeze the dough in a ball or a log, or you can cut out your shapes first. Lay the unbaked cut out cookies on a parchment-lined pan and freeze until firm. Then, stack the layers with the parchment in an airtight container. Thaw in the refrigerator before baking for best results.
Other Cookie Recipes You’ll Love:
- Snowball Cookies Without NutsÂ
- Vanilla Crinkle CookiesÂ
- Pink Sugar Cookies
- No Spread Sugar Cookie Recipe
- Edible Sugar Cookie Dough
- Sugar Cookies without any Baking Soda
- Chocolate Toffee Cookies
- Fruitcake Cookies
- Cookie Monster Cookies
- Oreo Balls Without Any Cream of Tartar
- Snickerdoodle Recipe
- Hershey Kiss Cookies Without Peanut Butter
- Peppermint White Chocolate Cookies
Grinch Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 bag Pillsbury sugar cookie mix
- 1 stick butter softened
- 1 egg
- Green food coloring
- ¼ cup sugar
- A sprinkle of flour for rolling out the dough
- 16 oz cream cheese frosting
- Red sprinkles
Instructions
- Pour the Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Mix into a mixing bowl and add softened butter and egg. Add 2-4 drops of green food coloring. Using a hand mixer, mix cookie dough until well combined.
- Press cookie dough into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for about 1 hour.
- When dough is ready, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add 3 drops of green food coloring to ¼ cup sugar and stir to combine. You may want to press the sugar through a mesh strainer to get a nice consistent color.
- Sprinkle a bit of flour out on your clean work surface. Place cookie dough on top of flour. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough about ¼ inch thick.
- Use a 2-inch round cookie cutter to cut cookies out. Place cookies on baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Bake cookies for about 7-8 minutes. You don’t want the edges to get brown or they won’t be as pretty, so watch the cookies carefully.
- Remove cookies from oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
- Use a heart cookie cutter to cut a heart out of the center of HALF the cookies. Allow cookies to finish cooling on a cooling rack.
- Meanwhile, add 2-4 drops of green food coloring to 8 oz. of the cream cheese frosting. Stir to combine and mix well.
- When cookies have cooled, spread a layer of frosting on the bottom of one cookie (without the heart cut out). Top a heart cookie on top so that the frosting peeks through the heart shape cut out. Fill the heart with red sprinkles, pressing the sprinkles gently into the frosting.
- Store cookies in an airtight container.
