Description

These soft and buttery Cut Out Sugar Cookies have tender centers, lightly crisp edges, and a delicious vanilla-almond flavor. Perfect for holidays, birthdays, and special occasions, they hold their shape beautifully and are ideal for decorating with icing and sprinkles.

Ingredients

1 cup salted butter, softened

1 cup granulated white sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

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Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened salted butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer for 1–2 minutes until light, creamy, and fluffy.
Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed just until a soft dough forms. Avoid overmixing.
Divide the dough into two equal portions. Place each portion between two sheets of parchment paper and roll to approximately 1/4-inch thickness.
Transfer the rolled dough, still between the parchment sheets, to the refrigerator and chill for 1–2 hours or overnight until firm.
Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator, peel away the parchment paper, and cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters.
Arrange the cut cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving a little space between each cookie. Gather and reroll the scraps to make additional cookies.
Refrigerate the cut cookies for another 10–15 minutes to help prevent spreading during baking.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake the chilled cookies for 6–8 minutes, until the bottoms are set and the edges are just beginning to turn lightly golden.
Allow the cookies to rest briefly on the baking sheets before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate the cooled cookies with royal icing, buttercream frosting, colored sugar, or sprinkles as desired. Serve and enjoy.

Notes

Ingredient quantities are estimated because the source recipe does not specify exact measurements.

For the best texture, use softened butter rather than melted butter and avoid overmixing after adding the flour.

Roll the dough to an even 1/4-inch thickness for consistently soft cookies that bake evenly.

Chilling the rolled dough for 1–2 hours and the cut cookies for another 10–15 minutes helps the cookies maintain their shapes.

For classic vanilla sugar cookies, omit the almond extract and replace it with an equal amount of vanilla extract.

For lemon sugar cookies, add 1–2 teaspoons of finely grated lemon zest to the dough.

For cinnamon sugar cookies, add 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients.

For funfetti cookies, gently fold a few tablespoons of colorful jimmies-style sprinkles into the finished dough.

For chocolate-dipped cookies, dip completely cooled cookies halfway into melted chocolate and allow the chocolate to set on parchment paper.

For holiday decorating, use festive cookie cutters and decorate with royal icing, buttercream, or colorful sprinkles.

Avoid overbaking. Remove the cookies when the edges are barely golden and the centers are set to maintain a soft, tender texture.

Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Allow royal icing to harden before stacking, and separate layers with parchment paper.

Refrigerate cookies decorated with perishable frosting, such as cream cheese frosting.

Prepare the dough up to 3 days in advance and store it tightly wrapped in the refrigerator.

Freeze rolled cookie dough or completely cooled, undecorated cookies in airtight freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months.

Thaw frozen dough overnight in the refrigerator before cutting and baking. Thaw baked cookies at room temperature before decorating or serving.

For a slightly warm treat, microwave an undecorated cookie for 5–8 seconds. Avoid reheating decorated cookies because the icing may melt.

The stated total time excludes some or all of the chilling period. Allow additional time for the 1–2-hour dough chill and final 10–15-minute chill.

Nutrition information is estimated per undecorated cookie and will vary depending on cookie size and optional toppings.

Prep Time: 1 hour 13 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 cookie
Calories: 150 kcal
Sugar: 8.5 g
Sodium: 105 mg
Fat: 8.2 g
Saturated Fat: 5 g
Unsaturated Fat: 2.7 g
Trans Fat: 0.3 g
Carbohydrates: 18 g
Fiber: 0.4 g
Protein: 1.8 g
Cholesterol: 28 mg