Description
The Soft Cutout Sugar Cookie Recipe delivers bakery-style cookies that stay plump, slice clean with cookie cutters, and give you a pillow-soft bite — exactly what you want for decorating or gifting.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) salted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract (use ¼ teaspoon if you prefer a milder almond note)
Optional Icing
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 3–4 tablespoons milk (add slowly to reach the right consistency)
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup (for sheen and stability)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Gel food coloring as desired
Instructions
- Combine the dry mix. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set this aside while you work the wet ingredients.
- Cream the butter and sugar. In a separate large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture lightens in color and becomes fluffy (about 2–3 minutes).
- Add eggs and extracts. Add the eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts until the mixture reads smooth and glossy.
- Bring the dough together. Reduce mixer speed and gradually add the flour mixture. Mix just until the dough forms — stop when no dry streaks remain. The dough should feel soft and slightly pliable.
- Divide and roll. Split the dough into two even portions. Place each portion between lightly floured sheets of parchment or on a lightly floured silicone mat. Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll each piece to about ¼-inch thickness. Add a dusting of flour only if the dough sticks.
- Chill the rolled dough. Cover the stacked rolled discs with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1–2 hours (or overnight). Chilling now makes cutting easier and prevents spreading in the oven.
- Preheat and prepare pans. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F and line 2–3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Cut shapes. Remove one chilled disc at a time. Use cookie cutters to stamp shapes and transfer them to the prepared sheets, spacing cookies about 2–3 inches apart.
- Re-chill scraps if needed. If you re-roll scraps, chill them again for at least 10 minutes on the baking sheet or in the fridge so they stay firm during baking.
- Bake. Bake the cookies for 8–10 minutes, or until the edges just begin to take on a light golden hue. Centers will remain a touch soft; they firm up as they cool — don’t overbake.
- Cool before decorating. Let cookies cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to finish cooling completely before applying any icing.
Icing directions (optional)
- In a bowl, mix the sifted powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, corn syrup, and vanilla. Stir until smooth.
- If the glaze is too thick, add milk a teaspoon at a time until it reaches spreadable consistency. If it’s too thin, add more powdered sugar gradually.
- Divide and tint with gel color if desired. Pipe or spread onto cooled cookies, then let the icing set for a few hours before stacking or packaging.
Notes
- Helpful tips & important notes
- Roll to ¼-inch thickness for soft, puffy cookies that still cut clean. Thinner dough yields crisper cookies.
- Chill after rolling. Chilling the rolled dough for 1–2 hours is the single best trick to keep shapes sharp and prevent spreading.
- Use parchment or silicone mats — don’t grease baking sheets. The slight “grip” prevents sliding and helps maintain edges.
- Avoid overmixing. Stop when the dough comes together; overbeating adds air and makes cookies flatten.
- If the dough feels sticky while rolling, dust lightly with flour — add just enough so it doesn’t tear.
- When you re-roll scraps, chill again before baking; reworked dough can warm quickly and spread more.
- Watch the baking time. Pull the cookies when edges begin to brown — centers will finish as they cool.
- Bold tip: Do not skip the chilling step — it’s the difference between neat cutouts and sad, misshapen cookies.
- Yield and scaling
- This recipe produces a modest batch — roughly up to 36 small cookies depending on cutter size and re-rolling. Need more? Double the ingredients for a larger batch.
- Storage & make-ahead instructions
- Room temperature: Store fully cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- Make ahead (dough): Prepare dough, roll into discs, and refrigerate up to 24 hours. You can also freeze rolled discs (wrapped well) for up to 1 month; thaw in the fridge overnight before cutting.
- Freeze baked cookies: Cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before decorating.
- Freeze decorated cookies: You can freeze decorated cookies, but delicate piping or flooded icing may soften or shift slightly after thawing — FYI, handle with care.
- Troubleshooting — quick fixes
- Cookies spread: Dough warmed up, didn’t chill long enough, or you over-creamed. Next time, chill longer and keep butter at a cooler room temp.
- Dry, crumbly dough: You likely over-measured flour. Use the spoon-and-level method when measuring flour.
- Edges brown too quickly: Oven runs hot — reduce temperature by 15–25°F or bake for a shorter time.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1cookie (not including optional icing or decorations)
- Calories: 94kcal
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 70mg
- Fat: 4g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 13g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 19mg