Soft Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
Easy Soft Cut-Out Sugar Cookies are chewy, thick, and perfect for decorating. These cookies hold their shape and can be customized for any holiday or occasion. The cookie dough is easy to work with and doesn't require a ton of chilling time. This is the only cut-out sugar cookie recipe you'll ever need!
Servings: 26 3 inch cookies
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 1 cup salted butter; softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 whole egg at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Sugar Cookie Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
To make sugar cookies
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer or kitchen stand mixer. Beat until light and fluffy, be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in egg and extracts.
- Slowly mix in flour and baking powder, 1 cup at a time until cookie dough has formed.
- Divide the dough into 2 balls. Roll out each dough ball into a 12-inch circle with a rolling pin on a floured surface. Cut out cookies, at least 1/8 inch thick and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat mat.
- Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 15-30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake cookies in the center rack for 8-11 minutes, or just until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Repeat until all of your cookies are baked.
To make icing
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the icing ingredients until the icing is smooth. If the icing is too thick, add more milk. if it's too thin, add more powdered sugar.
How to ice the cookies
- Transfer the icing to a large ziplock bag and snip off a corner. Pipe the icing on the cookie evenly. You could also ice the cookies with a spoon or butter knife. Add sprinkles if desired and let the icing harden for at least 20 minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
Recipe Note:
Leftovers: Store any iced or frosted cookies in an airtight container on the counter of a cool area for up to 1 week.
To freeze: Make sure the unfrosted cookies are completely cool. Place them in a large ziplock container, you can just carefully stack them or place parchment paper in between each layer. Freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to frost and decorate the cookies, remove the cookies from the freezer and let them thaw for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Dip the cookie cutter in flour before each use. This will prevent the cookie cutter from sticking to the dough.
Make sure to roll out the cookie dough 1/8-1/4 inch thick. You don’t want the dough to be thinner than that, otherwise, they can burn and end up crunchy.
If you’re not sure what shape to make these cookies, you can just make them a round cookie and use a biscuit cutter or the back of a cup to cut them out.
Add the icing to a piping bag or ziplock bag and snip a corner off so you can easily ice your cookies to create a heart shape.
Freezing the cutout cookie dough is essential. You must do this otherwise your cookie may lose its shape and spread.