Description
These classic Cut-Out Sugar Cookies are buttery, soft, and perfect for decorating. Featuring a delightful hint of almond extract, they offer a bakery-style flavor that’s easy to make and fun for holiday or special occasion baking. Roll out the dough, cut with your favorite shapes, bake until just golden, and decorate to your heart’s content.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract (optional but adds a bakery-style flavor)
Dry Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color, which takes about 2-3 minutes.
- Add eggs and extracts: Beat in the egg, then stir in the vanilla and almond extract until fully combined, enhancing the cookies’ flavor.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt to evenly distribute the leavening agent and salt throughout the flour.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until a soft dough forms without overmixing to keep cookies tender.
- Roll out dough: Lightly flour a clean surface and roll the dough to approximately ¼-inch thickness, making it easier to cut and ensuring even baking.
- Cut out cookies: Use your favorite cookie cutters to shape the dough and transfer the shapes to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart to allow for slight spreading.
- Bake cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until the edges just start to turn a light golden brown.
- Cool: Remove baked cookies from the oven and let them cool completely on the baking sheets before decorating as desired.
Notes
- For best results, use room temperature butter to achieve the right texture when creaming with sugar.
- Almond extract is optional but recommended to provide a bakery-style flavor that distinguishes these sugar cookies.
- Be careful not to overbake to keep cookies soft and tender.
- Rolling dough between two sheets of parchment paper can make rolling and transferring easier and reduce the need for additional flour.
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
