Cut Out Sugar Cookies

 

Cut Out Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to cool room temperature
• ▢ ½ cup powdered sugar
• ▢ ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ▢ ½ teaspoon almond extract
• ▢ 2 large eggs

• ▢ 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 
• 
  
powdered sugar, for rolling out the dough

Instructions:

• Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, powdered sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and combined. Add extracts and eggs and beat until combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. 
• In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Add flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until combined.
• Lay out two large pieces of plastic wrap. Divide the dough in two and place each piece of dough on the plastic wrap. Form each piece into a disc and tightly cover. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours or up to 1 day. 

Baking:

• Preheat oven to 375°F with racks close to the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment (don't skip this step, it keeps the cookies from spreading too much). 
• Dust a flat work surface with powdered sugar. Working with one piece of dough at a time (keep the other in the fridge), roll out the dough until about ¼-inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut the dough and transfer the cookies to the baking sheet (work quickly so the dough stays cold). See note about chilling dough after working with it. 
• Bake for 8-12 minutes, until the edges are just barely starting to turn light golden brown and the centers of the cookies are still slightly underdone (for softer cookies). My oven is the perfect softness at 9 min.Feel free to bake just a bit longer for crispier cookies. Place the baking pans on wire racks and cool completely before proceeding with the remaining dough. 

Notes

Rolling dough: If the dough is really cold and you find it difficult to roll, just let it sit at room temp for about 5 minutes and it will soften up. Once you begin rolling it out try to work quickly. The dough is much easier to work with when it is cold. 

Chilling dough: In order for cutout cookies to hold their shape it is important that the dough is cold when it goes into the oven. The first batch of cookies, with the dough straight from the fridge, can be baked immediately and they will hold their shape. When you gather the scraps of dough and re-roll the scraps I recommend freezing the cut out shapes for 5-10 minutes before baking. This will guarantee that the dough is cold enough to hold shape since it likely warmed up during the gathering and re-rolling process.

Nutrition

Calories: 99kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g| Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 19mg | Potassium: 22mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g| Vitamin A: 154IU | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.

What makes this recipe the best

• Flavor – These buttery cookies feature a combination of vanilla extract and a touch of almond extract creating an incredible bakery-like flavor.
• Secret ingredient – Powdered sugar! Using powdered sugar helps to create a softer cookie and a dough that’s easy to work. I also recommend dusting your work surface with powdered sugar (instead of flour) for rolling out the cookie dough.
• Ease – This cookie dough comes together in under 10 minutes. And if you line your work surface with parchment paper, clean up is easy, too. 
• Soft or crisp cookies – This dough has a softer quality, and if you underbake the cookies just slightly you will be ensured a soft and tender sugar cookie. If you’d prefer your cookies crisp, simply roll the dough out thinner than ¼-inch and bake the cookies until they have color on the edges. 
• Make ahead options – Store the prepared (unbaked) dough in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, or you can freeze baked cookies or cookie dough (more on this below).