Tasty vanilla cookies cut into all kinds of fun shapes and decorated with royal icing.
Think all cut-out sugar cookie recipes are hard and take a lot of time? Well, not this recipe. This recipe is really easy and is quick to make too. The only part that does take a while if you aren’t an artist like us is the decorating part.
Whenever the thought of cut-out cookies came up we would shrug and complain that they are just too hard to make. We tried years ago to make cutout sugar cookies and they came out horrible. They were supposed to look like snowflakes but they ended up turning into blobs. But because we have been wanting to challenge ourselves a little bit more with recipes we decided that we would try cut-out sugar cookies for the holiday season.
We are glad that we gave them another try. We had so much They were so fun to make.
For this recipe, there is no dough chilling involved so you can get these cookies all cut out and ready to bake in no time.
Ready to make some cookies? Okay well get your apron ready and let’s go.
The ingredients you will need:
- All-purpose flour
- Sugar
- Butter
- Nutmeg
- Vanilla extract
- Almond extract
- One Egg
- Baking Powder
For the icing:
- Powdered sugar
- Milk
- Corn syrup
- Vanilla extract
The only tools you will need are:
- Baking sheet
- Cookie cutters
- Piping bags
- Wilton #2 skinny piping tip
- Gel food coloring. We used red gel food coloring since we used the stocking cookie cutter but you use whatever colors you want.
Steps to make the cookie dough:
The first step is to whisk the flour, baking powder, and nutmeg in a medium-sized bowl then set that aside.
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar together. After that add the egg, vanilla and almond extract mix until everything is combined. Then slowly add in the flour mixture.
Don’t be afraid if the dough looks crumbly. It is supposed to look like that. It will start to come together when you knead it.
Place the dough on a floured surface and roll out in a rectangle until it is about ¼” thick.
Cut into whatever shape you want a place on a silicone mat lined baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes.
Then prepare the icing and decorate.
A few tips:
- Make sure that the dough doesn’t get too warm. This will make it difficult to work with. If it does get too warm place in the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes.
- Make sure the cookies are fully cooled before decorating.
- Prepare the icing right before you are about to decorate. You don’t want the icing to get hard and dry before you even had a chance to decorate. That is why it is always best to make right before you start decorating.
- Have leftover dough? Gather up all the leftover pieces and roll them into a disk and cut out more shapes.
- Don’t want to eat all those cookies at once? You can freeze the unbaked cookie dough for up to one month. Just be sure to cut them into the shape you want before freezing them. Place in a single layer in an airtight container. Once you are ready to eat them just place on a cookie sheet and bake them like you regularly would.
We hope you enjoy this recipe. Remember you don’t have to be an artist when it comes to cookie decorating. The only thing that matters is that you have fun with it.
Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 3 cups All-purpose Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Butter Cold and cubed
- 1 cold Egg
- 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
- 3/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Pinch of Nutmeg
Royal Icing
- 2 cup Confection Sugar
- 4 tbsp Whole Milk
- 2 tsp Light Corn Syrup
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Gel Food Coloring Any color you want.
Instructions
Sugar Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350° Farenheight.
- In a medium-size bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and nutmeg. Set aside until ready to use.
- In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment cream the butter and the sugar together. Then add in the egg, vanilla and almond extract, and the nutmeg. Mix until combined.
- Slowly add in the flour mixture and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides and mix for one minute. *Don't be afraid if the dough looks crumbly.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough comes together. Using a rolling pin roll the dough out into a rectangle that is about 1/4" thick. Then cut out any shape you want with the cookie cutters.
- Place the cookies on a silicone mat lined baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely before decorating.
Royal Icing
- In a small bowl mix together the confection sugar and the milk. Beat in the corn syrup and vanilla extract until smooth and glossy. If the mixture is a little too dry add a little milk until you reach your desired consistency.
- Divide up the icing into different bowls if you are using different colors. Fill the piping bag with icing and get to decorating.
Notes
We hope you all enjoy it! If you make this Cut-out Sugar Cookie recipe be sure to tag us on Instagram @wonderandcharm or use the hashtag #wonderandcharm. We would love to see your photos.
Looking for more cookie recipes? You can find them here.
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