In this post I show how to make three adorable slice-and-bake Christmas cookies: Santa, Santa boots, and wreath cookies. These make lovely gifts for family and friends and bring a festive touch to the season. 🎄
If you know me, you may already know I love making slice-and-bake cookies. In the past I’ve shared recipes for slice-and-bake Easter egg cookies, happy clover cookies, and Christmas tree cookies on my YouTube channel. Slicing the dough feels like opening a present you’ve been waiting for — equal parts excitement and delight.
The finished cookies are buttery and satisfyingly crisp — perfect with a hot drink during the holidays. I’ve simplified the process so you can make them with minimal fuss.
Let’s get started.
VIDEO: Watch How To Make the Slice & Bake Christmas Cookies!
Follow the step-by-step video tutorial to see every technique and timing, which helps make shaping and assembly easier.
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Ingredients For Christmas Cookies
Cookie Dough
- Make one batch of this cookie dough recipe (see the linked icebox cookie dough recipe for full measurements).
Decorations
- Food coloring: red (hat and boots), green (wreath), orange (Santa face), and black (Santa eyes). Use colors you prefer.
- Egg wash: mix equal parts egg white and water.
- Sprinkles: choose gold, pink, green, white or any sprinkles you like to cover the logs and decorate the sliced cookies.
How to Make Christmas Cookies
Step 1: Make the cookie dough
Prepare one batch of the icebox cookie dough recipe.
Step 2: Divide and color the dough
Take about 300 g of the dough to form the colored parts; save the rest to wrap and cover the logs later. Divide roughly into three portions and color:
- ⅓ red — hat and boots
- Just under ⅓ green — wreath
- Just over ⅓: color about ⅓ orange for Santa’s face and leave the remainder plain for beards and centers
Step 3: Shape the dough
- Wreath:
- Roll a thin pole (diameter about 1.5 cm / 0.6 in) and freeze it.
- Use a star cookie cutter to press a ruffle pattern, then cover evenly with green dough and freeze again.
- Trim to even the shape, then wrap with plain dough and freeze.
- Santa boots:
- Shape a red rectangle (width ~1.5 cm / 0.6 in, height ~2.5 cm / 1 in). Freeze, cut sides, and use extra dough to shape the foot. Chill again.
- Cover evenly with plain dough and freeze.
- Santa:
- Form a semicylinder for the face (width ~2.5 cm / 1 in, height ~1 cm / 0.4 in) and freeze.
- Attach plain dough for the beard (you can mix in white sprinkles for texture) and chill.
- Make a separate hat piece (width ~2.5 cm / 1 in, height ~1.3 cm / 0.5 in) and freeze.
- Attach face and hat using extra dough and a little egg wash, then cover lightly with a pale green layer and freeze again.
Step 4: Make decoration parts
Use the extra plain dough to create small decoration elements:
- Roll thin strips of plain dough, press in white sprinkles, chill, and slice to make fluffy trims for hats and boots.
- Roll tiny red balls for wreath berries and Santa’s nose.
- Brush the logs lightly with egg wash and press on sprinkles to coat the logs. Aim for logs about 4 cm (1.6 in) in diameter and 15 cm (5.9 in) long before chilling.
Step 5: Slice the logs
Chill the logs thoroughly, then slice into even pieces about 5 mm thick.
Step 6: Finish decorating
- Wreath: Attach tiny red balls and sprinkles.
- Santa boots: Add the fluffy trim, small red balls, and sprinkles as holly leaves.
- Santa: Add fluffy trims for the hat and beard, sprinkles for brows and hat pom-pom, a small red ball for the nose, and black coloring for the eyes.
Step 7: Bake
Keep slices chilled until just before baking so they hold their shape. Bake in two stages for best texture:
- Preheat and bake at 350°F (176°C) for about 7 minutes.
- Reduce the oven to 330°F (165°C) and bake another 7 minutes or until edges are lightly toasted.
Baking Tips
Chill the sliced cookie dough completely until right before baking. This prevents spreading and keeps details crisp. Freezing briefly is even better for maintaining shape.
Start baking at 350°F (176°C) for about 7 minutes, then lower to 330°F (165°C) and bake another 7 minutes or until the edges show a gentle golden caramelization.
- Adjust time and temperature for your oven and cookie size; these instructions were for cookies about 2 inches / 5 cm across.
- For a crisp texture, bake until you see golden edges.
Uses For Slice & Bake Christmas Cookies
These cookies make thoughtful gifts — assemble a cookie box, pack them in a glass jar or gift bag with candies and marshmallows, and you have a charming present. They’re time-intensive, but the details often mean a lot to recipients.
If you’re short on time, simplify the decorations or choose only one or two designs. You don’t need perfect precision; enjoy the process and make them your own.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store in an airtight container up to 4 days at room temperature or a few weeks in the fridge. For extra crispness, add a food-safe desiccant (silica gel) to the container. Cookies are best eaten fresh.
Yes. Break the work into stages: make and color dough one day, shape logs another day, slice and bake later. You can refrigerate or freeze dough between steps to keep it fresh.
About 50–60 cookies when sliced at roughly 5 mm intervals from logs around 15 cm long and 4 cm in diameter. Adjust sizes as you prefer.
Wrap tightly and refrigerate up to 4 days, or freeze for several months.
Yes — add extracts or finely grated zest sparingly. Too much liquid flavoring may affect dough consistency and spread during baking.
No. The dough contains eggs and should be refrigerated or frozen for food safety.
Other Holiday Recipes
- Christmas Cookie Box
- Shortbread Cookies
- Pumpkin Spice Bread
- Apple Hand Pies
- Flaky Pie Crust
Did you try the recipe?
Share your honest feedback in the comment section — I’d love to hear how you enjoyed these with friends and family.
Thank you! – Aya
Slice and Bake Christmas Cookies (Santa, Santa boots, and Wreath)
Video
Ingredients
- 226 g Butter, softened
- 160 g Powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 1 Whole egg
- 1 Egg yolk (save white for egg wash)
- 350 g Cake flour
- 70 g Almond flour
- Food colorings (your choice)
- Sprinkles (your choice)
- Egg white for egg wash (mix equal parts egg white and water)
Note: For best results weigh ingredients in grams. Cup measures are included for convenience.
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment (or bowl, whisk and spatula)
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Plastic wrap
Method
- Make one batch of the icebox cookie dough recipe (butter, powdered sugar, salt, eggs, cake flour, almond flour).
- Take about 300 g of dough for shaping. Divide and color as described: red for hats/boots, green for wreaths, orange for faces and plain for beards and centers.
- Wreath: roll a pole, freeze, ruffle with a cutter, cover with green dough, then plain dough, freezing between steps.
- Santa boots: form a red rectangle, shape the foot, cover with plain dough and freeze.
- Santa: form face and beard pieces, assemble with egg wash, add hat, then cover lightly and freeze.
- Form tiny red balls and roll plain dough with white sprinkles for trims. Chill and slice for decorations.
- Brush logs with egg wash and press on sprinkles. Aim for logs about 4 cm diameter and 15 cm length.
- Slice logs at roughly 5 mm intervals.
- Wreath: attach red balls and sprinkles. Boots: add fluff and sprinkles. Santa: add beard, brows, pom-pom, nose and eyes using sprinkles and coloring.
- Freeze slices until just before baking. Bake at 350°F (176°C) for about 7 minutes, then lower to 330°F (165°C) and bake another 7 minutes or until edges are lightly toasted.
Notes
Storage: Keep cookies in an airtight container up to 4 days at room temperature or a few weeks refrigerated. Add a food-safe desiccant for extra crispness. The cookies are best eaten fresh.
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!