Description
These Soft Cutout Sugar Cookies are tender, buttery, and perfect for decorating. With a delicate balance of vanilla and almond extracts, they bake up puffy and soft with a subtle crisp edge. Ideal for cutout shapes, these cookies hold their form well and pair beautifully with a smooth, optional icing for festive occasions or everyday treats.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup salted butter, softened at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract (or reduce to ¼ teaspoon for a more subtle flavor)
Icing (Optional)
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 3-4 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Gel food coloring, optional
Instructions
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set this mixture aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a separate large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the softened butter and granulated sugar together until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color.
- Add Eggs and Flavorings: Beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts until evenly combined.
- Combine Dough: Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed just until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
- Divide and Roll Dough: Split the dough into two equal portions. Place each portion on lightly floured parchment paper or silicone mats. Roll each out evenly to about ¼-inch thickness, dusting more flour as needed to prevent sticking.
- Chill Dough: Lightly dust the top of the rolled dough with flour, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours or overnight to firm up the dough for easier cutting.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Cut and Chill Cookies: Remove one dough portion from the refrigerator at a time. Use cookie cutters to cut shapes out of the dough and arrange them 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Re-roll any scraps, but chill the cut-out dough on the baking sheets in the fridge or freezer for at least 10 minutes before baking to prevent spreading.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes until the edges are just starting to turn golden but centers still look slightly soft. Remove from the oven.
- Cool: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
- Prepare Icing (Optional): In a medium bowl, combine sifted powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk, light corn syrup, and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth. Adjust consistency with additional milk or powdered sugar as needed. Add gel food coloring if desired.
- Decorate Cookies: Spread or pipe icing onto cooled cookies. Let the icing set and firm up for a few hours before packaging or serving.
Notes
- This recipe yields about 36 small cookies depending on cutter size. Doubling the recipe is recommended if you want more cookies.
- Rolling the dough to ¼-inch thickness ensures soft, puffy cookies. Thinner dough will yield crispier results.
- Chill the rolled dough for at least 1-2 hours before cutting and again after re-rolling scraps for best results.
- Do not overbake. Cookies are done when edges start to turn golden but centers remain slightly soft; they’ll firm up as they cool.
- Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
- You can prepare dough up to one day ahead, refrigerate rolled discs overnight, or freeze dough discs up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking.
- Baked cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months. Cool completely, wrap tightly, and thaw at room temperature before decorating.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (approximate)
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 60mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 0.3g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
