Description
These Soft Cutout Sugar Cookies are perfect for festive occasions or any time you crave a tender, buttery treat. Rolled to a soft ¼-inch thickness and lightly baked for a delicate texture, these cookies stay soft and slightly puffy with just the right sweetness. Optional vanilla and almond extracts add subtle depth, while the optional smooth icing allows for creative decorating. Ideal for holiday gatherings, celebrations, or gifting, these cookies are easy to make ahead and keep fresh for up to a week.
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: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until fully combined. Set this mixture aside while you prepare the wet ingredients.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a separate large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the softened butter and granulated sugar together until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, which usually takes about 3-4 minutes. This step incorporates air and ensures a tender texture.
- Add Eggs and Extracts: Add the eggs one at a time to the creamed butter and sugar, mixing well after each addition. Then mix in the vanilla and almond extracts until fully incorporated.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in batches, mixing on low speed until a soft dough forms and the ingredients are just combined. Avoid overmixing.
- Divide and Roll Dough: Divide the dough into two equal portions. Place each portion on lightly floured parchment paper or a silicone mat. Lightly flour a rolling pin and roll each dough portion out to about ¼-inch thickness. Use additional flour as needed to prevent sticking.
- Chill Dough: Lightly dust the surface of the rolled dough with flour, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 to 2 hours, or overnight for best results. This helps the dough firm up and prevents spreading during baking.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375°F. Line 2 to 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Cut and Arrange Cookies: Remove one dough portion from the refrigerator. Use cookie cutters to cut desired shapes from the dough. Place the cookie shapes about 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Collect scraps to re-roll for extra cookies, chilling the cut dough for at least 10 minutes before baking again.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, just until the edges begin to turn lightly golden but the centers remain slightly soft. The cookies will firm up as they cool.
- Cool Cookies: Allow baked cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare Optional Icing: In a medium bowl, combine the sifted powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk, corn syrup, and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth. Adjust consistency by adding more milk or powdered sugar as necessary for a thick but spreadable icing. Use gel food coloring as desired to tint your icing.
- Decorate Cookies: Pipe or spread the icing onto completely cooled cookies. Allow the icing to set and firm up for a couple of hours before storing or packaging.
Notes
- This recipe yields approximately 36 small cookies, depending on the size and shape of your cookie cutters. Doubling the recipe is recommended for larger batches.
- Rolling the dough to ¼-inch thickness creates soft, puffy cookies. Thinner dough will produce crisper cookies.
- Always chill the dough for at least 1-2 hours before cutting. If you re-roll scraps, chill them again before baking to prevent spreading.
- Do not overbake. Remove cookies when edges are just golden but centers look slightly soft—they firm up as they cool.
- Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
- You can prepare the dough up to one day ahead by rolling it and refrigerating overnight, or freeze the dough discs for up to one month. Thaw frozen dough in the refrigerator overnight before baking.
- Freeze baked cookies once cooled by wrapping tightly; they can be frozen for up to two months. Thaw at room temperature before decorating.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (based on 36 cookies from recipe)
- Calories: 110 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 80 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 1.2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
