Description
Soft Cutout Sugar Cookies are classic, tender cookies perfect for decorating and sharing. These cookies have a soft and puffy texture thanks to chilling the dough and baking to just the right doneness. The recipe includes an optional smooth vanilla icing to beautifully decorate your finished cookies. Perfect for holidays, celebrations, or any time you want a homemade sweet treat with a tender melt-in-your-mouth bite.
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 ¼ teaspoon for a 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 all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside for later.
- Cream Butter and Sugar. In a separate large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the softened salted butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add Eggs and Extracts. Add the eggs one at a time to the creamed butter mixture, mixing well after each addition. Then add the vanilla extract and almond extract, mixing until fully incorporated.
- Combine Dough. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until a soft dough forms. Avoid overmixing.
- Divide and Roll Dough. Divide the dough into two equal portions. Place each on lightly floured parchment paper or silicone mats. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough to about ¼-inch thickness. Add more flour if dough is sticky.
- Chill Dough. Lightly dust the top of the rolled dough with flour, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours or overnight. This helps cookies keep shape and stay soft.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Sheets. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Cut Out Cookies. Remove one portion of chilled dough. Use cookie cutters to cut desired shapes. Place shapes 2-3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Re-roll scraps and chill cut shapes for at least 10 minutes before baking to prevent spreading.
- Bake Cookies. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, just until edges start to lightly brown and centers still look slightly soft. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes.
- Cool Cookies. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool completely before decorating or storing.
- Prepare Icing (Optional). In a medium bowl, combine sifted powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, corn syrup, and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth. Adjust consistency by adding more milk (a teaspoon at a time) if too thick or more powdered sugar if too thin. Tint with gel food coloring if desired.
- Decorate Cookies. Pipe or spread icing onto cooled cookies. Allow icing to firm up and set for a couple of hours before packaging or serving.
Notes
- This recipe yields about 36 small cookies depending on cutter size and re-rolling.
- Roll dough to ¼-inch thickness for soft cookies; thinner dough will yield crispier cookies.
- Chill dough before cutting and again if re-rolling scraps to prevent spreading during baking.
- Avoid overbaking; remove cookies when edges begin to golden but centers are still soft.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- Prepare dough up to 1 day ahead and chill overnight, or freeze dough discs for up to 1 month, thaw overnight before baking.
- Baked cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months once cooled and wrapped tightly; thaw at room temperature before decorating.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (approximate)
- 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
