Description
These Soft Cut-Out Sugar Cookies are delicately tender with a light, buttery flavor. Perfect for decorating with royal icing, glaze, or buttercream, they offer a soft texture that holds detailed shapes beautifully. Easy to make and delicious to eat, they are ideal for festive occasions, gifting, or just a delightful treat.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cookies
- 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 (royal icing is pictured)
- Assorted sprinkles
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set this mixture aside for later use.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, use a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment to beat the softened butter and sugar together on high speed. Continue until the mixture turns light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and optional almond extract, then beat again on high speed until fully combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl sides as needed.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. The dough should be soft; if it feels too sticky for rolling, beat in one additional tablespoon of flour.
- Roll the Dough: Divide the dough into two equal portions. Place each on lightly floured parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Roll each portion to an even thickness of about 1/4 inch, using extra flour if needed to prevent sticking.
- Chill the Dough: Dust one rolled dough portion lightly with flour, then place the second rolled portion on top. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days, to firm up the dough.
- Preheat Oven: Set the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C) and prepare baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Cut Out Cookies: Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator. Carefully peel the top piece off if it sticks, then use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Gather scraps, re-roll, and continue cutting until all dough is used. Arrange cookies about 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 11–12 minutes, or until the edges just start to lightly brown and the cookies feel set. Rotate pans halfway through if needed for even baking. Let cookies cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- Decorate: Once fully cooled, decorate the cookies with your choice of royal icing, glaze, or buttercream. Tint icings with gel food coloring if desired. You may decorate directly on a baking sheet for easier transfer to the fridge, which helps the icing set faster.
- Store and Serve: Enjoy the cookies fresh or wait until icing sets. Store plain or iced cookies tightly covered at room temperature for up to 5 days, or refrigerated up to 10 days. For buttercream-decorated cookies, store at room temperature up to 1 day or refrigerated up to 5 days.
Notes
- If dough is too sticky to roll, add an extra tablespoon of flour carefully.
- Re-roll dough scraps to maximize the yield; you’ll get more cookies than expected.
- Use parchment or silicone mats to avoid sticking and ease cleanup.
- For best decoration results, wait until cookies are fully cooled before icing.
- Storing decorated cookies in the refrigerator speeds up icing set time.
- The almond extract is optional but enhances the flavor beautifully.
- These cookies are perfect for gifting or shipping once decorated and dried.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (based on 24 cookies)
- Calories: 140
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 60mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 0.3g
- Protein: 1.5g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
