The Best Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe! They are soft, chewy and don't spread! Plus an easy sugar cookie frosting that tastes great and hardens with a beautiful shine! Making these easy decorated sugar cookies has been our family's holiday baking tradition for 30 years!
Cream together butter and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer.
Add vanilla and eggs and beat until combined.
Add flour, baking powder and salt and beat until combined.
Divide dough into two equal portions.
Shape each piece of dough into a round, flat disc and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.
Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line two to four large baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
Remove one sugar cookie dough disc from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes to soften slightly.
Place sugar cookie dough on a floured surface and roll to ½” or ¼” thickness (thicker = softer cookies).
Use your favorite cookie cutter shapes and cut out the dough and place them 1” apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
Repeat until all the dough is used. You can gather and re-roll the dough scraps two additional times (3 times total).
Decorate With Sprinkles Only (No Frosting)
Use a pastry brush and brush the cookies with a little bit of milk or cream. Then decorate with sprinkles, which will stick to the milk/cream.
Bake
Bake in the preheated oven for 9-10 minutes or until cookies are puffed and just set around the edges.
Remove and let sit on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Repeat with second disc of dough.
Make the sugar cookie frosting:
Combine all frosting ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
Start with 2 TBS milk and increase until your desired consistency is achieved.
If using food coloring, separate frosting into smaller bowls and add food coloring to your liking.
Place each color in a disposable piping bag fitted with your tip of choice.
Once cookies are completely cooled, decorate cookies.
Let decorated cookies sit at room temperature for at least 3 hours, or until the frosting is completely hardened. Chilling them in the refrigerator helps speed up the setting process.
Store in an airtight container or on a plate wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Video
Notes
How to Measure FlourI measure flour by scooping and leveling. To ensure perfect results measure flour using a food scale. I found the best results with this method using 2¾ all-purpose flour. Measured in grams with this method the amount of flour is 371 grams. *NOTE: The dough should not be "sticky." The dough should not be sticky after the ingredients are mixed together. It should be soft and pliable but not sticky. It should easily be formed into two round discs. If the dough is sticky it could be that your eggs were larger than normal and added more moisture to the dough. I recommend adding more flour 1 TBS at a time until the dough is soft but not sticky. To decorate with sprinkles without frosting:
If desired, brush cookies with milk or cream and decorate with sprinkles before baking.
Store
Once the frosting is hardened, store the sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. If you are stacking them, I recommend separating the layers with parchment paper or wax paper. They hold up well on a cookie tray, just be sure to wrap it well in plastic wrap!
Freeze
Decorated sugar cookies last up to two months in the freezer as long as they are stored in an airtight container and/or wrapped very well.
Undecorated sugar cookies (baked but not frosted) can last even longer in the freezer. Just thaw them at room temperature before decorating.
Ingredient Substitution notes.
Salted butter. unsalted butter is a good substitute.
Granulated sugar. use white sugar or organic cane sugar
Vanilla extract. Please always use pure vanilla extract (not imitation) for the best results. You could substitute 1 tsp of the vanilla extract with another extract (almond, lemon, etc.) to give the sugar cookies a different flavor.
Eggs. Make sure your eggs are fresh and at room temperature! To get them to room temperature fast, simply put them in a bowl of warm water.
All-purpose flour. If your flour is a little lumpy you may want to sift it. You can use pastry flour or bread flour with great results as well! You could also use all-purpose gluten-free flour!
WholeMilk. heavy cream and half and half are good substitutes.
Light Corn Syrup. If you want beautiful, shiny tops that harden perfectly you really cannot leave out the corn syrup in this recipe.
Gel Food Coloring. I suggest using gel food coloring! The colors are vibrant and it doesn't effect the texture of the frosting.
These AmeriColor Gel Food Colors have become my absolute favorite! I LOVE the squeeze bottle because they are not messy and don't dry out.