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These Santa’s Glove Peppermint Sugar Cookies are a festive and delicious treat for the holidays. These soft sugar cookies are lightly flavored with peppermint, topped with a simple vanilla buttercream, and finished with red sprinkles to make them extra cheerful. Each bite is sweet, minty, and tender—perfect with a cold glass of milk on Christmas Eve, packaged as a gift, or enjoyed by the plateful at a holiday gathering.
About the Recipe
It’s cookie season, and this peppermint sugar cookie recipe is an easy way to add a festive twist to your baking. The mitten-shaped cookies were inspired by a box of holiday cookie cutters, and the peppermint flavor makes them unmistakably Christmas. The dough is straightforward and requires minimal ingredients, so it’s great for baking with friends and family—especially decorating time.
These cookies are simple to make and fun to decorate. Whether you’re trimming a cookie box, serving them at a holiday party, or gifting them to neighbors, they’re a cheerful addition to any celebration.
From classic red-and-white decorations to creative color choices, these cookies are versatile and a great way to make memories in the kitchen.
Why You’ll Love These Peppermint Sugar Cookies
- Perfect for Christmas Eve, cookie exchanges, or homemade gifts.
- Pepperminty without being overpowering.
- Easy to prepare and enjoyable to decorate.
- A family-friendly recipe that’s great for helpers of all ages.
- Dough can be cut into any cookie shape you prefer.
Ingredients
(Full ingredient amounts and detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.)
For the Cookies
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Unsalted butter (room temperature)
- Granulated sugar
- Large egg and an additional egg yolk (room temperature)
- Whole milk
- Peppermint extract
For the Decoration
- Salted butter (room temperature)
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Heavy cream
- Assorted red sprinkles
How to Make Peppermint Sugar Cookies
Step 1: Make the dough
With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until just combined, about 1–2 minutes. Beat in the egg and egg yolk. Stir in the flour, salt, and baking powder until combined, then mix in the milk and peppermint extract.
Step 2: Roll and cut
Divide the dough in half. Wrap one half in plastic wrap and set aside. On parchment or a nonstick surface, roll the other half into a rectangle about 3/16 inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut shapes close together to minimize scraps. Transfer the cut pieces on the parchment to a baking sheet and freeze for 10 minutes.
Step 3: Bake
Place the chilled cutouts on prepared baking sheets and bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the pans before decorating. Repeat with the remaining dough and re-roll scraps as needed.
Step 4: Make the buttercream
Cream the butter in a bowl with an electric mixer. Beat in the powdered sugar, then add vanilla and heavy cream. Mix until the buttercream is light and fluffy and easy to spread.
Step 5: Decorate
Smooth a thin layer of buttercream over the top portion of each cooled cookie, leaving the bottom edge unfrosted. Press or sprinkle red decorations over the frosting. Fill a piping bag with the remaining frosting (a #34 tip works well) and pipe a fur trim along the bottom of each mitten-shaped cookie.
Creative Decorating Ideas
These cookies lend themselves to many decorating styles—color the buttercream, pipe patterns, or use royal icing to flood the mittens. Try sanding sugar for sparkle or mix sprinkles for different looks. The main goal is to have fun and make them your own.
- Color frosting with food coloring for festive palettes.
- Pipe details for a more polished look.
- Use a variety of sprinkles—traditional red and white or playful rainbow mixes.
- Sanding sugar adds color and texture.
- Royal icing is an option if you prefer a smoother finish.
Storage
Store frosted cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–5 days. You can freeze the baked but undecorated cookies for 2–3 months; decorated cookies freeze best for about one month. Unbaked, divided dough can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 24 hours if needed.
If you make these Santa’s Glove Peppermint Sugar Cookies, leave a comment and share how they turned out. We love seeing your photos and hearing your tips!
Santa’s Glove Peppermint Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- 1¼ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
Buttercream Frosting
- ¾ cup salted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
To Finish
- Assorted red sprinkles
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line sheet pans with parchment paper.
- With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until just combined, about 1–2 minutes.
- Beat in the egg and egg yolk.
- Stir in the flour, salt, and baking powder until just mixed, then add milk and peppermint extract.
- Divide the dough in half, wrap one half, and roll the other half to 3/16 inch thick on parchment or a nonstick surface.
- Cut shapes with a cookie cutter, remove excess dough, and place the cut parchment on a baking sheet. Freeze for 10 minutes.
- Transfer cutouts to prepared pans and bake for about 15 minutes, until edges just start to brown. Cool on the pans. Repeat with remaining dough.
Buttercream Frosting
- Cream the salted butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer.
- Beat in the powdered sugar until combined.
- Add vanilla and heavy cream, then beat until light and fluffy.
- Spread a thin layer over the top portion of cooled cookies, leaving the bottom unfrosted, then press on sprinkles.
- Place remaining frosting in a piping bag fitted with a decorating tip and pipe a fur trim along the bottom of each cookie.
Notes + Tips
- Room temperature ingredients are best—about 70°F / 21°C.
- Don’t overmix the dough to keep cookies tender.
- Cut cookies close together to minimize re-rolling scraps.
- Chilling the cut dough helps them hold their shape when moving to the baking sheet.
- Bake times vary by cutter size and thickness; cookies are done when the edges just begin to brown.
- Cool cookies completely before frosting.
- Pressing sprinkles onto the frosting helps them stay even.
- If you don’t have piping tips, decorated white sprinkles can mimic the fur trim.
Tools You May Need
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Rolling pin and parchment
- Mitten-shaped cookie cutter
- Sheet pans
- Piping bag and tip (optional)
– Still Hungry? –
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Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies
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Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Extra Chewy Chocolate Chipless Cookies