Description
Soft Cutout Sugar Cookies are delightfully tender and puffy cookies, perfect for decorating and sharing. Made with simple pantry staples and lightly flavored with vanilla and almond extracts, these cookies hold their shape beautifully when cut out and baked. Ideal for holidays, celebrations, or everyday treats, they can be customized with optional sweet icing to add color and festive flair.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 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 ¼ teaspoon for 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: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside for later use.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a separate large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the softened butter and granulated sugar until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, which usually takes about 2-3 minutes.
- Add eggs and extracts: Beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each one is fully incorporated before adding the next. Then mix in the vanilla extract and almond extract until evenly combined.
- Combine flour mixture: Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed until a soft dough forms. Avoid overmixing to keep cookies tender.
- Chill the dough: Divide the dough into two equal portions. Place each on lightly floured parchment paper or silicone mats, and roll to about ¼-inch thickness. Lightly dust the dough surface with flour, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours or overnight to firm up.
- Preheat oven and prepare trays: Heat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line 2 to 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Cut out cookies: Remove one dough portion from the fridge. Use cookie cutters to cut shapes from the dough. Arrange cookies 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. If re-rolling scraps, chill cut dough again on trays in fridge or freezer for at least 10 minutes before baking.
- Bake cookies: Bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges are just beginning to lightly brown and the centers still appear soft. Avoid overbaking to maintain softness.
- Cool cookies: Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely before decorating.
- Prepare icing (optional): Combine powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, corn syrup, and vanilla extract in a bowl. Stir until smooth. Adjust consistency by adding more milk or powdered sugar as needed to be thick but spreadable. Add gel food coloring if desired, then pipe or spread onto cooled cookies. Let icing firm up before packaging, about a couple of hours.
Notes
- This recipe yields about 36 small cookies depending on cutter size and re-rolling; doubling the recipe is recommended for a larger batch.
- Roll dough to ¼-inch thickness for soft, puffy cookies. Thinner dough produces crisper cookies.
- Chill rolled dough at least 1-2 hours before cutting, and chill dough scraps again if re-rolling for best shape retention.
- Remove cookies from oven when edges start to turn golden and centers look slightly soft; cookies firm up as they cool.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- Prepare dough up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate or freeze discs up to 1 month; thaw in fridge before use.
- Baked cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months when cooled and tightly wrapped; thaw at room temperature before decorating.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (approx. 18g)
- Calories: 90
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 70mg
- Fat: 4.5g
- Saturated Fat: 2.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 0.2g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 20mg
