Amazing 180 Calorie XOXO Frosted Sugar Cookies

Oh, I just *live* for those holidays or special occasions that give us an excuse to bake something utterly adorable! There’s something so special about giving a gift that you made yourself, especially when it looks like it came straight out of a professional bakery window. If you’ve ever had a kitchen disaster where your beautiful cut-out shapes turned into sad, spread-out puddles in the oven, I totally get it. Trust me, I’ve been there more times than I care to admit!

But guess what? I finally cracked the code years ago for making the perfect **XOXO Frosted Sugar Cookies**. This recipe—the dough especially—is my secret weapon. It gives you that beautiful, crisp edge you need for sharp cutouts and a sturdy base for all that detailed royal icing work. We’re talking about a reliable, no-spread cookie that tastes amazing and holds its shape, so you can focus on the fun part: making those cute little kisses and hugs!

I’m so excited to walk you through every single step, from getting that dough perfectly chilled to the final piping flourish. If you stick with my process, you won’t believe how easy it is to make bakery-quality cookies at home. I even got a special shout-out from my site editor over at our little corner of the internet about how consistent these turned out!

Why You Will Love These XOXO Frosted Sugar Cookies

I know you have a million sugar cookie recipes saved, but you need this one in your rotation. These cookies are fantastic for so many reasons, but here’s why I keep coming back to this exact formula:

• They truly are a No Spread Cookie Dough! When you chill them right, they bake just as perfectly shaped as when you cut them.
• The flavor is the ultimate crowd-pleaser—a perfect Vanilla Sugar Cookie Base that pairs beautifully with the icing.
• The stiff royal icing recipe I use makes Decorating with Piped Icing simple, even if you aren’t a pro.
• They are practically begging to be packaged up! These make the best Cute Frosted Cookies for Gifts.
• The vanilla and almond extracts give them just that little *something extra* that makes people ask, “What’s your secret?”

Essential Ingredients for Perfect XOXO Frosted Sugar Cookies

Now for the fun part—gathering our supplies! I can’t stress enough how much quality ingredients matter here, especially when you are relying on the dough not to spread and the icing to hold its shape. We need sturdy stuff for sturdy cookies, you know?

For this recipe, we are breaking down the pantry list into two main groups: what goes into making that rock-solid cookie foundation, and what we need for that beautiful, detailed frosting. You’ll notice I list meringue powder for the icing—trust me, ditch the egg whites from the carton; meringue powder is what gives us that reliable, stiff icing that dries hard!

For the Vanilla Sugar Cookie Base

These ratios might seem specific, but they are what guarantee we get that wonderful, sturdy, Easy Sugar Cookie Recipe that doesn’t balloon in the oven. Everything needs to be measured precisely!

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, making sure it’s properly softened—not melted!
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (this little addition is my favorite kick!)

For the Best Royal Icing Recipe

Don’t skimp on the tools here, either! We need a good whisk for the meringue powder to activate properly. And please, use gel food coloring, not the liquid stuff—you’ll thank me when your icing doesn’t get watery!

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons meringue powder (the key for stiff icing!)
• 5 tablespoons water (we’ll adjust this depending on the consistency we need later)
• Pink and red food coloring gel (for those perfect Pink and Red Frosted Cookies)

Making the No Spread Cookie Dough for XOXO Frosted Sugar Cookies

Alright, listen up, because this first part is non-negotiable if you want those beautiful, sharp edges on your final **XOXO Frosted Sugar Cookies**. The entire success of a cutout cookie hinges right here: the creaming process! You need good air incorporated before you even think about adding flour.

First things first, get those dry guys whisked together—flour, baking powder, and salt. Just give them a quick whoosh in a bowl so everything is evenly distributed. Set that aside for just a minute.

Now, grab your softened butter and sugar. I mean *softened*, not melted, or you’ll ruin the texture before you even start! Cream those two together until the color lightens up and it looks genuinely fluffy, almost like pale whipped cream. This step is what builds structure, ensuring you get that wonderful No Spread Cookie Dough we are aiming for.

Beat in your egg and those crucial extracts—vanilla and almond. Then, and this is important, add your dry mix slowly, mixing on the lowest speed until *just* combined. The second the streaks of flour disappear, stop mixing! Overmixing at this stage activates too much gluten, and that’s how cookies spread.

Finally, divide the dough in half, wrap it up tight in plastic wrap—really snug!—and straight into the fridge it goes for at least one hour. Seriously, don’t rush this chill time. Cold dough is happy dough, and happy dough doesn’t spread!

Baking Perfectly Cut Out Cookies: Tips for XOXO Frosted Sugar Cookies

Once your dough is nice and cold, get your oven set to 350 degrees F. Line those baking sheets with parchment paper—I swear by it; it saves me every single time and helps the bottoms bake evenly. This is where we start making those gorgeous Perfectly Cut Out Cookies!

When you roll the dough out, grab a ruler! You want about 1/4 inch thickness for these **XOXO Frosted Sugar Cookies**. Too thin, and they might snap testing out the icing later; too thick, and they won’t have that nice delicate snap we want.

Here’s my top secret for preventing spread, especially when I want those detailed shapes to last: After you cut your shapes onto your parchment-lined sheet, stick the whole tray back in the freezer or fridge for about 10 minutes! Chilling them again right before they hit the heat locks everything in place.

Bake them for just 8 to 10 minutes. Keep a close eye on them! You are looking for the edges to just barely turn a beautiful light gold. If those centers start browning, you’ve gone too far. They’re still soft when they come out, so let them hang out on the hot pan for five minutes before you carefully move them to a wire rack to cool completely. Seriously, they need to be 100% cool before you even *think* about icing!

Mastering the Best Royal Icing Recipe for XOXO Frosted Sugar Cookies

Okay, the cookies are cool, which means it’s time for the real artistry to begin with our **XOXO Frosted Sugar Cookies**! We are using royal icing because it sets up hard, which is non-negotiable if we want those crisp little white Xs and Os to pop. Making the base icing is simple, but knowing how to adjust the consistency is the key to looking like a total pro.

First, whisk your powdered sugar and meringue powder together really well. Then, slowly drizzle in that 5 tablespoons of water while whisking until everything is smooth. At this point, you should have a very thick consistency. This is your stiff icing—it should stand up in peaks and won’t easily drip off your whisk. We save this for piping details!

To flood the base layer, you need to thin that stiff icing down just a bit. Take a small amount of your stiff icing and add water, just a drop at a time, stirring slowly. You are aiming for a consistency where, when you lift your spoon, the icing falls back into the bowl in a slow ribbon that takes about 10 seconds to disappear back into the surface—that’s flood consistency! This ensures your base layer settles flat.

Now, divide your icing and use those gel colors. Gel is your best friend because it gives you vibrant Pink and Red Frosted Cookies without making your icing soupy. Color your outline icing stiff, and color your flood icing thinned out smoothly. This separation of textures is what makes the final **Simple XOXO Cookie Design** look so professional!

Detailed Cookie Decorating Tutorial: How to Make XOXO Cookies

Okay, we’ve waited long enough, and our **XOXO Frosted Sugar Cookies** are completely cool and ready for their colorful makeover! This is the moment where all that chilling and careful mixing pays off. Remember, we are working in stages here—don’t try to do the outline, the flood, and the detail all at once, or you’ll end up with a colorful, sticky mess, trust me!

Grab your piping bag fitted with that small round tip and fill it with your stiff white icing. We start by outlining every single cookie with care. This dam is super important because it keeps our thinner flood icing exactly where it needs to be when we pour it in. Try to keep the line neat around the edge.

Once you have outlined a batch—maybe 6 or 8 cookies so you don’t have icing drying out too fast—let those outlines set for about 15 minutes. They need to form a slight crust. If you skip this, the flood icing will sneak right under your outline! Now we decorate! After the base layer outline is set, fill your other piping bags with that slightly thinned, flood-consistency icing—let’s use pink and red for some lovely Pink and Red Frosted Cookies.

Piping the Outline and Flooding Base

Using your flood icing, carefully pour it inside the outline you just created. You can use a toothpick to gently nudge the icing right to the edges if needed, making sure it settles evenly across the whole surface. Tilting the cookie helps it spread perfectly flat. This base layer needs to dry completely. And when I say completely, I mean it—we’re talking several hours, or even better, overnight. If you try to pipe the details onto a damp base, they’ll sink right in!

Adding the Final Simple XOXO Cookie Design

Once that beautifully smooth color base is rock solid—it shouldn’t feel sticky at all when you tap it gently—it’s time for the signature look! Refill your stiff white icing bag. This second layer of icing needs to hold its shape perfectly.

For that Simple XOXO Cookie Design, start by piping a small, crisp ‘X’ right in the center of the cookie. Then, pipe two little ‘O’ shapes right next to each other, fitting them neatly between the arms of the ‘X’. It’s quick, it’s charming, and it’s done! Let these final details dry again before you store them away. Aren’t your **XOXO Frosted Sugar Cookies** just gorgeous?

Tips for Success with Themed Cookie Recipes

Even with the perfect recipe for **XOXO Frosted Sugar Cookies**, sometimes the little details trip us up! I’ve learned a few tricks over the years that take these cookies from good to absolutely foolproof, especially when I’m baking for a big event.

First, remember what I said about chilling the dough? You really need that deep chill for that No Spread Cookie Dough to work its magic. If you’re rolling out a batch and the dough starts feeling soft, just stop! Re-wrap it and pop it back in the fridge for 15 minutes. Nobody likes a cookie that’s gained weight in the oven!

Always grab those gel food colorings for your royal icing. If you use liquid coloring, it messes with the moisture ratio and you end up with sad, runny icing instead of the beautiful, vibrant Pink and Red Frosted Cookies you want.

Another big win for making Cute Frosted Cookies for Gifts is the pre-bake chill. Seriously, chilling those cutouts on the sheet pan for 10 minutes right before they go into the hot oven is non-negotiable for sharp corners.

One last thing about the icing: if you make extra royal icing and want to save it for later, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the leftover icing in the bowl before you seal the container. This stops it crusting over, and it’ll be ready to go next time you need to decorate your **XOXO Frosted Sugar Cookies**!

Storage & Reheating Instructions

This is the easy part, thankfully! The best part about using royal icing on our **XOXO Frosted Sugar Cookies** is how wonderfully they store. Because the icing dries completely hard and seals the cookie, they are much more durable than a simple glaze cookie.

Once your last little white ‘O’ is dry—and I mean totally hard to the touch, which might take 6 to 8 hours depending on your humidity—you can stack them up! You don’t need to separate them with wax paper unless you are dealing with cookies that are very freshly decorated or if you just want extra protection.

Store your finished cookies in any airtight container you have. A cookie tin works perfectly, as does a nice glass container with a tight-fitting lid. Keep them in a cool, dark pantry or cupboard. They do not need to go into the refrigerator at all; the fridge can sometimes make the cookie base soften up a little.

If your cookies were decorated properly and the base layer was fully set, these treats will stay perfectly fresh and crisp for a good week, sometimes even pushing two weeks. The icing actually acts as a little seal! Honestly, mine never last that long because everyone polishes them off quickly, but they are officially good to go for about 10 days at room temperature. Just remember, these aren’t something you would ever want to reheat—they’re supposed to be crisp and room temperature!

Frequently Asked Questions About XOXO Frosted Sugar Cookies

It’s natural to have questions when you’re trying to perfect something that needs a little technical skill, like cutout cookies! I get asked the same things all the time about this recipe, so I pulled together the most common queries I get about making these beautiful **XOXO Frosted Sugar Cookies**.

Why are my sugar cookies spreading during baking?

Ugh, the dreaded spread! This is almost always due to one of two things we talked about extensively in the recipe. First, your butter was probably too soft or melted when you creamed it with the sugar; we need that air incorporated, not grease. Second, and most importantly for the No Spread Cookie Dough, you didn’t chill it long enough! Make sure that dough is rock solid when it goes into the oven, and if you can, do that extra 10-minute pre-bake chill. That really locks the shape in place!

How long does the royal icing need to dry completely?

Patience is key here, especially with icing! For the outline layer—that dam you pipe first—give it about 15 minutes. It just needs to crinkle slightly when you touch it so the flood icing doesn’t run over the edge. For the flood icing base layer (the pink or red color), you need to wait until it is totally dry before you pipe the details on top. I always recommend waiting a good 4 to 6 hours minimum, or just letting them sit overnight. If you try to pipe those cute white ‘X’s onto a damp base, they will just melt right into the color below!

Can I use a simple glaze instead of royal icing for these cookies?

You absolutely can, if you are okay with a softer finish! If you use a simple powdered sugar and milk glaze—which is often much faster—it won’t dry rock hard like royal icing does. That means your Simple XOXO Cookie Design details won’t stay as sharp on top, and the cookie won’t be as durable for gifting. Royal icing sets up like candy, which is why I stick with it for anything I plan on stacking or shipping. A Thick Glaze for Cookies works fine for a one-tone base coat, but for crisp piped details, stick to the meringue powder method!

If you have any other tricky questions, feel free to drop them in the comments below, and I’ll try my best to answer them! You can read a bit more about my thoughts on general baking safety and tips over on my disclosure page, too!

Estimated Nutritional Data for XOXO Frosted Sugar Cookies

I always feel a little nervous posting nutritional information because, honestly, when you’re making something this fun, you should probably just enjoy it! But I know some of you need the details, so here is what my calculator spat out for these beautiful treats. Remember, this is just an estimate based on the ingredients list for the XOXO Frosted Sugar Cookies recipe.

This data is calculated based on the recipe yielding exactly 24 cookies. If you get 26 cookies, the numbers change slightly, and if you only get 20 because you ate some dough (I don’t judge!), well, then these numbers are officially obsolete!

• Serving Size: 1 cookie
• Calories: 180
• Fat: 8g (mostly from the butter, which we know is necessary!)
• Saturated Fat: 5g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Cholesterol: 25mg
• Sodium: 75mg
• Carbohydrates: 26g
• Sugar: 22g (Lots of sugar in that royal icing, but that’s how the magic happens!)
• Fiber: 0g
• Protein: 2g

It’s a splurge for sure, but totally worth it when you see the look on someone’s face when you hand them one of these perfectly personalized cookies!

Share Your Sweetheart Treats Baking Creations

Okay, my friend, you’ve done the work! You’ve chilled the dough, perfected the flood consistency, and piped those adorable Xs and Os. Now the absolute best part of being a home baker is sharing the results with the world—or at least with your family and friends!

I really want to know how these turned out for you. Did you stick to my classic pink and red scheme, or did you jazz up your **XOXO Frosted Sugar Cookies** with some glitter or pearl dust? Seriously, drop a comment below and let me know your decorating wins or any funny mishaps!

If you made these as part of your preparations for Valentine’s Day, or just because you needed some sweet motivation, I would be thrilled if you shared a picture of your finished Cute Frosted Cookies for Gifts project on social media. Tag me so I can squeal over how amazing your piping skills are!

And if this recipe really saved the day—if it gave you the perfect, non-spreading base you’ve been dreaming of—please consider clicking those stars right up top to give it a rating. Nothing helps me keep sharing my tried-and-true family secrets more than knowing you loved the results!

Happy baking, and remember to share the love (and the cookies)!

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