Description
These really are the Best Easy Cut-Out Sugar Cookies recipe! Decorated with a delicious royal icing that literally shines on any cookie platter.
Bake them until they have the yummy crisp edges with the nice soft center. They are perfect for showing off your decorating skills with icing for the holiday season cookie trays.
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter (softened)
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp corn starch
1/4 tsp baking powder
For the icing/decoration-
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2–3 tbsp milk
Food colorings of your choice
Instructions
Make the cookies-
- Add the butter and sugar to a mixing bowl and beat until smooth and creamy.
- Add the egg, vanilla extract and almond extract and beat until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, corn starch and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir together until combined into a smooth dough.
- Shape the dough into a ball with your hands, cover in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out the dough to approx. ¼” thickness and cut out shapes using Christmas themed cookie cutters of your choice.
- Place the cookie shapes on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes or until just starting to go golden around the edges.
- Leave on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the icing-
- Mix together the powdered sugar and milk until you have a smooth icing. It should be thick enough to pipe but still pourable. To make the different colors, split between a few bowls and mix through a few drops of the food colorings.
- Using a piping bag and narrow nozzle, pipe lines around the edge of each cookie.
- Using a wider nozzle, flood the middle of the lines to fill them in. If you need to make the icing a little runnier, add a few more drops of milk.
- If adding a second layer of icing, allow the cookies to dry for at least 30 minutes first.
- Leave the cookies to dry in the open air at room temperature for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight before touching or stacking.
Notes
Can you freeze the cookie dough? Yes can, this is a best practice for making these cut our sugar cookies ahead of time to save time during the holidays. Place the sugar cookie dough in a freezer-safe container for 2 to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight when ready to then roll, bake and decorate.
To freeze cut out sugar cookies wrap the baking sheet with the cookies in plastic wrap and aluminum foil tightly and place in the freezer. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature then bake and decorate.
How long can sugar cookies stay fresh? They can stay fresh in an airtight container for 7 to 10 days.
Storage: Use an airtight container for 7 days or in the fridge for 10 days. Separate the layers with pieces of parchment paper.
Can you freeze decorated sugar cookies? Yes you can in a freezer-safe container for 2 to 3 months using parchment paper to separate the layers of decorate sugar cookies. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature before serving.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Oven Baked
- Cuisine: American