Description
These Frosted Cutout Sugar Cookies are classic, buttery, and soft with a deliciously sweet vanilla-almond flavor. Perfectly rolled and baked to a golden finish, they are topped with a smooth vanilla frosting that you can customize with food coloring and decorations to make them festive for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Frosting
- 3 to 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) to get it ready for baking the cookies.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a small bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and baking powder to combine all your dry leavening agents evenly.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and white sugar until the mixture is smooth and creamy, which helps incorporate air for a light texture.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract into the creamed butter and sugar until fully combined and smooth.
- Combine Dough: Gradually blend the dry flour mixture into the wet ingredients to form a soft cookie dough, making sure not to overmix.
- Form Dough Balls: Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of the dough into balls and place them spaced apart on ungreased cookie sheets, preparing them for baking.
- Flatten Dough: Flatten each dough ball with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar, which prevents sticking and adds a slight crunch to the cookies’ surface.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cookies are golden around the edges but still soft in the center.
- Cool: Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer them to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.
- Prepare Frosting: In a bowl, mix confectioners’ sugar with milk and vanilla extract, stirring until smooth. Add food coloring if desired to customize your frosting color.
- Frost and Decorate: Spread or pipe the frosting onto the cooled cookies and decorate as you like, letting the frosting set before serving or storing.
Notes
- For softer cookies, avoid overbaking; remove from oven as soon as edges start to turn golden.
- If dough is too sticky, chill it for 30 minutes before rolling into balls.
- Customize frosting by adding food coloring and sprinkles for festive occasions.
- Store cookies in an airtight container to keep them fresh for up to one week.
