Description
These Soft Cut-Out Sugar Cookies are a delightful treat ideal for decorating and gifting. Made with a simple dough enriched with vanilla and optional almond extract, they bake into tender, buttery cookies perfect for any occasion. Decorate with royal icing, easy glaze, or buttercream to add a festive touch.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled, plus more as needed for rolling and work surface
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
For Decorating
- Royal Icing, Easy Glaze Icing, or Cookie Buttercream
- Assorted sprinkles
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set this mixture aside for later.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, use a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment to beat the softened butter and granulated sugar on high speed until the mixture becomes light and creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract if using, then beat on high speed for about 1 minute until fully combined. Scrape down the bowl as needed to ensure even mixing.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. The dough should be soft; if too sticky, add 1 more tablespoon of flour and mix again.
- Divide and Roll Dough: Divide the dough into two equal parts. Place each portion on lightly floured parchment paper or silicone mat. Roll each dough piece to about 1/4-inch thickness with a floured rolling pin, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking.
- Layer and Chill Dough: Dust one rolled-out dough sheet lightly with flour, then place the second dough sheet on top. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days to firm up.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Cut Out Cookies: Remove the top dough sheet from the refrigerator carefully to avoid tearing. Use cookie cutters to cut shapes, gather scraps, reroll, and continue cutting until all dough is used. Place cookies 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 11–12 minutes, or until the edges are faintly browned and set. Rotate baking sheets halfway if your oven has hotspots. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Decorate: Once cooled, decorate cookies with your choice of royal icing, easy cookie icing, or cookie buttercream. Tint icings with gel food coloring as desired. Optionally, place decorated cookies in the refrigerator to help icing set.
- Store and Serve: Enjoy cookies immediately or after icing sets. Store plain or iced cookies covered at room temperature up to 5 days or refrigerate up to 10 days. If decorated with buttercream, store at room temperature for 1 day or refrigerate up to 5 days.
Notes
- Freezing: Plain or decorated sugar cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Wait for icing to set before freezing. Freeze dough before rolling for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in fridge and then bring to room temperature before rolling and chilling.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Use room-temperature butter that’s cool to the touch and room-temperature eggs for best mixing and dough texture.
- Flavors: Enhance the dough with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon almond extract or substitute with maple, coconut, lemon, or peppermint extracts. Add warm spices like pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon for variation.
- Icing Options: Use royal icing, easy glaze, or buttercream depending on preference; read about their differences for choosing the best decoration style.
- Recipe Scaling: This recipe can be doubled; divide dough into 3 or 4 portions for easier handling when rolling and chilling.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 55 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
