Description
These Soft Cut-Out Sugar Cookies are tender, buttery, and perfect for decorating with royal icing, glaze, or buttercream. The dough is easy to roll and cut into shapes, then chilled to maintain softness after baking. Ideal for holiday baking, gifting, or festive decorating, these cookies stay fresh for days and freeze well for longer storage.
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, but makes the flavor outstanding)
For Decorating
- Royal Icing, Easy Glaze Icing, or Cookie Buttercream (royal icing is pictured)
- Assorted sprinkles
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, use a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment to beat the softened butter and granulated sugar on high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using) on high speed until fully combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl sides and beat again to ensure even mixing.
- Combine Dough: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. The dough should be soft but manageable. If it feels too sticky for rolling, beat in 1 more tablespoon of flour.
- Divide and Roll Dough: Divide the dough in half. Place each half on lightly floured parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Roll each portion evenly to about 1/4-inch thickness using a lightly floured rolling pin. Use additional flour as needed to prevent sticking.
- Chill Dough: Dust one rolled dough portion lightly with flour to prevent sticking, then place the second rolled portion (on its parchment) on top. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 2 days.
- Preheat and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Cut Out Cookies: Remove the top dough from the refrigerator carefully. Use cookie cutters to cut dough into desired shapes. Gather scraps, re-roll, and cut more shapes until all dough is used. Arrange cookies 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake: Bake cookies for 12 minutes, or until edges are very lightly browned and set. Rotate baking sheets halfway through if your oven has hot spots. Let cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Decorate: Once cooled, decorate cookies with royal icing, easy glaze, or cookie buttercream as desired. Tint icing with gel food coloring if you like. Allow icing to set fully before storing, or refrigerate decorated cookies to speed setting.
- Store and Serve: Enjoy cookies right away or once icing is set. Store plain or iced cookies tightly covered at room temperature for up to 5 days, or refrigerate for up to 10 days. Cookies decorated with buttercream should be refrigerated and consumed within 5 days.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Plain or decorated cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Wait for icing to fully set before layering with parchment paper in a freezer-safe container. To thaw, refrigerate or leave at room temperature. Cookie dough can be frozen before rolling; thaw overnight in refrigerator and bring to room temperature before rolling.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Use room-temperature butter and egg for best mixing. Butter should be cool to the touch, not melting soft.
- Flavor Variations: Swap almond extract with maple, coconut, lemon, or peppermint extracts. Add spices like pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon. Lemon zest can add extra brightness with lemon extract.
- Icing Options: Use royal icing, easy glaze, or buttercream for different textures and tastes. Gel food colors work best for vibrant decoration.
- Doubling the Recipe: Easily double ingredients and divide dough into 3 or 4 portions for chilling and rolling.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 140 kcal
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 60 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
