Cut-Out Sugar Cookies with Easy Icing
These Cut-Out Sugar Cookies are easy-peasy to make, roll out like a dream, and are made with simple ingredients. The icing is crazy easy to make and ices like a dream. Such a fun bake, perfect for Christmas baking or any time of year!
Servings: 40 cookies, approximately (depending on size of cutters)
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 170 grams (1 ½ sticks) butter at a cool room temperature
- 150 grams (3/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 285 grams (2 cups + 3 Tablespoons) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
For the Icing*:
- 250 grams (2 cups) powdered sugar
- 4 teaspoons (25 grams) milk any kind
- 4 teaspoons (20 grams) light corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Gel food coloring in preferred colors, to dye the icing
Instructions
To Make the Cookies:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract, and beat on medium until fully combined. Scrape down the bowl and mixer attachment.
- Add the flour and baking powder and mix on low until just combined.
- Wrap the dough well in plastic wrap, slightly flattened into a rectangle (this makes for slightly easier rolling later). Chill for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
- If baking right away, preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper.
- On a lightly-floured surface, roll out the dough to about ¼-inch / 0.6cm thickness. Cut into desired shapes, re-rolling the scraps as needed. I like to work with just half the dough at a time, leaving the remaining dough chilled while I roll and cut.
- Bake cut-out cookies for 8-11 minutes, until cookies appear set and lightly golden brown at the edge. Allow to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
To Make the Icing:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Mix in corn syrup and almond extract to form a thick, shiny icing. Add a splash more milk to thin or a little more powdered sugar to thicken as needed. Feel free to use a stand mixer if preferred, but mixing by hand is fine here.
- Divide into separate bowls, add gel food coloring and mix in to color as needed. Transfer icing to separate small disposable piping bags and decorate cooled cookies as desired.
- Allow cookies to dry for at least a few hours or preferably overnight before stacking and transporting.
Notes
TO FREEZE: Unbaked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. I like to roll out and cut the dough into shapes, then freeze on a baking tray between layers of parchment paper, then cover the tray well with plastic wrap and foil (to prevent freezer burn). Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking as directed above.
Corn syrup?: I recommend using the corn syrup in the icing as written. It helps make this icing shiny and beautiful. If you really don’t want to use it, simply skip it and adjust the milk quantity as needed to thin the icing. Note that icing won’t be as shiny and may not set as well for stacking and transporting.
*Icing Note: I typically decorate my cookies beyond simply adding a flat layer of icing to the top (as seen in the pictures in this post). To achieve this, I typically need 1.5x this icing recipe, so there's enough icing to fully ice and decorate the cookies. If you're simply icing the tops, a single batch will be sufficient - but if you're decorating them a bit more, use 1.5 the recipe.