These Grinch Sugar Cookies might just make your heart grow three sizes — soft, chewy, and full of Christmas cheer. Soft, chewy, buttery, and bright green with a little red heart on top — they’re as fun to make as they are to eat. Whether you’re baking them for a cookie exchange, your kids’ classroom party, or just to snack on while watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas, these cookies are the perfect mix of festive and nostalgic.
There’s something about that chewy sugar cookie base paired with the sparkly sugar coating and a single heart sprinkle that makes these irresistible. They’ve been one of my most popular holiday recipes ever since I first shared them in my holiday ebook — and this year, they finally make their official debut on the blog!
Why You’ll Love These
- They’re soft and chewy with the perfect vanilla flavor.
- The bright green color makes them instantly festive.
- Easy to make with simple pantry ingredients.
- Fun for kids and grown-ups alike — who can resist a Grinch cookie?
Tips for Perfect Grinch Sugar Cookies
Chill the cookie dough:
There are a few reasons why chilling cookie dough is a smart move. Chilling the dough helps with spreading, so if the dough goes into the oven cool you typically get thicker cookies. Chilling also helps to enhance the flavor and that 30–60 minutes allows all that vanilla flavor to shine! Wrap the bowl up with saran wrap and place in the fridge, but you can also scoop the cookie dough and then chill it.
Underbake the cookies:
This is essential to getting the texture right. I bake my cookies for 10 minutes on the dot and then remove from the oven and let them cool on the cookie sheet. Letting them cool on the hot pan will keep cooking them but at a lower temperature, not drying out the cookie entirely. If you prefer a dryer cookie, feel free to bake a little longer. They’re still delicious, but I’m a sucker for a chewy cookie 🙂
Food dye:
To get the perfect Grinch color either use green and yellow or a neon green food dye. I found some by Betty Crocker, but feel free to use normal green with a little yellow to get that Grinch green color!
Flavor:
The vanilla extract is essential to making these so flavorful! If you’d like, you can add ½–1 teaspoon of almond extract to amp up the sugar cookie flavor.
How to Get That Perfect Grinch Green
The key to that classic Grinch color is all in the mix of green and yellow gel food coloring. I always recommend using gel instead of liquid dye — it gives a much richer color without watering down the dough. Start small and build it up — you can always add more, but you can’t take it out! I like to make the dough a little darker than I want the finished cookies to be because they’ll lighten slightly as they bake. I’ve also used neon green gel food dye and that was perfect! The result is that perfectly bright, Grinchy green that makes the red heart pop!
How to Make Perfectly Round Cookies Every Time
This trick is totally optional, but I use it every time I bake cookies to make them perfectly round. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven and while they’re still hot, use a large round cookie cutter (or even a glass or bowl slightly larger than the cookie) and move it around in a circular motion for 3–5 seconds. It gently reshapes the cookie so the edges are perfectly round. It’s quick, easy, and makes them look bakery-perfect every time.
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- I love these larger Wilton Heart Sprinkles or you can use these smaller ones. Gently press one heart into the cookies after they’re done baking for that adorable Grinch heart look!
- My favorite cookie sheets for even baking.
- I love this gel food coloring set because the colors are always bold and incorporate evenly into dough and frostings. Use a mixture of green and yellow. Or you can use this neon green kind! Both will get you the perfect Grinch green.
Grinch Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter melted, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp whole milk room temperature
- 1 egg room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar for rolling the cookies in
- green & yellow food dye
- heart sprinkles
Instructions
- Add butter, granulated sugar and vanilla extract to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until combined. Add in the milk and egg and mix on low to combine.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Add in the green and yellow food dye, start small and add and adjust until you get the color you want. I always make it a little darker because they will lighten up a bit when they bake! Mix until just incorporated. Cover the bowl with clear wrap and chill for 30-60 minutes.
- Once the dough has chilled, remove from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350°. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. While the oven is preheating, use a medium cookie dough scoop (about 2 1/2 tablespoons of dough per dough ball) and scoop 20 cookies. Roll in the remaining granulated sugar. Space 2 inches apart and bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookie are just set.
- Remove from the oven and gently press one heart sprinkle into the cookie. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
These are so amazing but took about 15-17 minutes to bake instead of 10.
Can I use almond milk instead of whole milk? Can I make the dough ahead of time??