Soft Cutout Sugar Cookies Recipe
Buttery, tender, and full of nostalgic charm, Soft Cutout Sugar Cookies are the ultimate canvas for colorful icing and festive sprinkles. They’re perfect for holidays, parties, or a cozy baking day.
Each bite delivers a melt-in-your-mouth texture, balanced sweetness, and that classic hint of vanilla and almond that makes bakery-style sugar cookies so unforgettable.
Star Ingredients That Make Soft Cutout Sugar Cookies Shine
- All-purpose flour – Provides structure and just the right amount of bite for clean, sturdy cookie shapes.
- Baking powder – Adds gentle lift, helping the cookies stay soft and slightly puffed.
- Salted butter – Rich and creamy, this brings flavor depth and contributes to that soft, tender crumb.
- Granulated sugar – Sweetens the dough and creates those lightly golden edges we all love.
- Eggs – Bind the dough while adding richness and softness.
- Vanilla extract – Infuses each cookie with classic, cozy aroma and flavor.
- Almond extract – Just a whisper brings that extra-special bakery touch without overwhelming.
Let’s Bake: Soft Cutout Sugar Cookies in a Few Easy Steps
Start by creaming the butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy, then mix in the eggs and extracts until smooth.
Slowly blend in the dry ingredients to form a soft dough, then divide and roll out before chilling until firm.
Once chilled, use your favorite cookie cutters to create shapes, re-rolling scraps as needed.
Bake just until the edges are barely golden, then cool before decorating with optional icing or sprinkles.
Sweet Success: Tips for the Best Sugar Cookies Every Time
Soft Cutout Sugar Cookies are all about balance: don’t overwork the dough, and always chill before baking to help the shapes stay crisp. If you’re making cookies ahead, the dough rolls and chills beautifully overnight, developing even more flavor.
Use a mix of cookie cutter sizes to get the most out of your batch, and re-roll the scraps gently with extra flour to avoid sticky spots. For flavor variation, consider swapping almond extract for lemon, or skip it entirely for a pure vanilla profile.
For decorating, a royal icing-style glaze using powdered sugar, corn syrup, and milk gives a shiny finish and sets firmly for easy packaging. Gel food coloring works best to keep the consistency just right.
Saving the Sweetness: How to Store Soft Cutout Sugar Cookies
To keep Soft Cutout Sugar Cookies fresh, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. If you’d like to prep ahead, the unbaked dough can be chilled for 24 hours or frozen for up to a month—just thaw in the fridge before cutting and baking.
Already baked cookies freeze well, too. Cool them completely, wrap tightly in layers, and store in the freezer for up to two months. Let them thaw at room temperature before decorating, or decorate first and freeze carefully between sheets of parchment.
Soft Cutout Sugar Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup salted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon almond extract or reduce to ¼ teaspoon for milder taste
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional Icing:
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 3-4 tablespoons milk
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted
- Gel food coloring optional
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl, thoroughly whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In another large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy and pale. Incorporate the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts until fully combined.
- Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture on low speed until a soft dough forms. Split the dough in half and place each portion on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper or silicone mat. Using a floured rolling pin, roll each portion to approximately ¼ inch thick, adding more flour if the dough is tacky.
- Dust the dough’s surface lightly with flour, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1–2 hours, or overnight for best results.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line 2–3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Remove one portion of dough from the refrigerator and cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters. Arrange shapes 2–3 inches apart on prepared sheets. If reusing dough scraps, chill the shaped cookies for 10 minutes before baking to prevent spreading.
- Bake for 8–10 minutes, or until the edges are just lightly golden. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
To Prepare Icing (Optional):
- Stir together powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, corn syrup, and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth. Adjust the consistency with additional milk or sugar as needed. Tint with gel food coloring if desired. Apply to cooled cookies and allow icing to set fully before storing or packaging.
