Description
These soft cutout sugar cookies are perfect for holidays or special occasions. They are tender, slightly puffy, and easily decorated with optional icing for a festive touch. The dough is easy to prepare, requires chilling for perfect texture, and bakes quickly to soft, lightly golden cookies.
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
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Set this mixture aside for later.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a separate large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the softened butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, creating a smooth base for the dough.
- Add Eggs and Flavorings: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts until fully incorporated.
- Combine Ingredients to Form Dough: Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture on low speed, mixing until a soft dough forms without overworking it.
- Divide and Roll Dough: Split the dough into two equal parts. On lightly floured parchment paper or a silicone mat, roll each portion to about ¼-inch thickness, adding flour as needed to keep it from sticking.
- Chill Dough: Dust the top lightly with flour, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours or overnight to firm up the dough for easier cutting and baking.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Heat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats to prevent sticking.
- Cut and Arrange Cookies: Remove one dough portion from the fridge and use cookie cutters to cut shapes. Place them 2-3 inches apart on the baking sheets. For scraps, re-roll, chill again on the pans for 10 minutes to firm up.
- Bake Cookies: Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges just start to turn golden but centers look slightly soft. Avoid overbaking for tender cookies.
- Cool Cookies: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating or storing.
- Prepare Icing (Optional): In a medium bowl, mix powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, corn syrup, and vanilla until smooth. Adjust consistency with more milk or sugar to achieve a spreadable texture. Add gel food coloring if desired.
- Decorate Cookies: Spread or pipe icing on completely cooled cookies. Let the icing set for a couple of hours before packaging or serving.
Notes
- This recipe yields about 36 small cookies, depending on the size of your cutters. Doubling ingredients is recommended to ensure enough cookies.
- Rolling the dough to ¼-inch thickness results in soft, puffy cookies; thinner dough produces crisper cookies.
- Chill the rolled dough for at least 1-2 hours for best cutting results. Re-chill dough scraps before baking to prevent spreading.
- Remove cookies from the oven when edges are lightly golden and centers appear a bit soft; they firm up as they cool.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
- Prepare dough up to 1 day ahead, rolling and chilling in the refrigerator overnight, or freeze dough discs for up to one month and thaw in the fridge before use.
- Freeze baked cookies by wrapping tightly; they last up to 2 months and should be thawed at room temperature before decorating.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (based on 36 cookies per batch)
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 70mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 0.3g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
