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Finally, a cut out sugar cookie recipe that results in perfectly chewy cookies that actually hold the shape of the cookie cutter! Plus, it’s so easy to follow you’ll actually enjoy doing it with your kids (check out the step-by-step pictures and video tutorial).
This recipe has ALL the options – a no chill option, a gluten free option, plus buttercream and royal icing recipes!
This is the Perfect Sugar Cookie Cut Out Recipe
Step right into the world of perfect cut-out sugar cookies! If you’ve ever wondered about the secrets behind flawlessly shaped, soft-yet-sturdy sugar cookies, you’re in the right place.
Our recipe isn’t just any ordinary one—it’s the holy grail of cut-out sugar cookies.
We’ve mastered the art of rolling dough to the ideal thickness, freezing baked cookies for future enjoyment, and even freezing the dough for later use.
Worried about measuring flour correctly? We’ve got you covered there too.
Plus, discover our tips for a no-chill option and dive into the realm of gluten-free Christmas cut-out sugar cookies that are bound to impress.
Get ready to elevate your cookie game with our ultimate guide—it’s a baking adventure you won’t want to miss!
Ingredients for Christmas Cut Out cookies
Cookies
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- unsalted butter, softened
- granulated sugar
- egg
- vanilla extract
- almond extract
Buttercream Frosting
- unsalted butter, softened
- powdered sugar
- vanilla extract
- almond extract
- Milk or heavy cream
Royal Icing
- powdered sugar
- milk or warm water
- corn syrup
- vanilla or almond extract
Sugar Cookie Cut Out Recipe Variations
Here are several variations and tweaks you can apply to a classic sugar cookie cut-out recipe to add a delightful twist:
- Lemon or Citrus Zest: Add zest from lemons, oranges, or limes to infuse the dough with a refreshing citrus flavor. It provides a tangy kick to the sweet cookies.
- Spiced Sugar Cookies: Incorporate warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger into the dough for a cozy, aromatic flavor reminiscent of the holiday season.
- Almond or Other Extracts: Experiment with different extracts like almond, coconut, or maple to give your cookies a unique taste. Just a touch of extract can completely transform the flavor profile.
- Sprinkle or Decorative Sugar Coating: Before baking, roll the cookie dough shapes in colored sprinkles, sanding sugar, or finely chopped nuts for added texture and visual appeal.
- Sandwich Cookies: Pair two cookies together with a layer of jam, frosting, or chocolate ganache for a delicious sandwich cookie variation.
- Stained Glass Cookies: Cut out shapes and fill the center with crushed hard candies before baking. The candies melt and create a beautiful stained glass effect.
- Dipped or Drizzled: Dip cooled cookies halfway into melted chocolate or drizzle them with a glaze for an elegant finishing touch.
- Seasonal Shapes and Themes: Use different cookie cutter shapes to match various seasons or themes. Hearts for Valentine’s Day, pumpkins for Halloween, or snowflakes for winter.
- Gluten-Free or Vegan Options: Modify the recipe to accommodate dietary restrictions by using gluten-free flour blends or vegan substitutes for butter and eggs.
These variations offer a delightful array of flavors, textures, and presentations that can transform your classic sugar cookie recipe into something uniquely delicious for any occasion!
How to Make Sugar Cookie Cutouts
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix with a spoon or fork. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the room temperature butter and sugar, beat with an electric mixer for 90 seconds.
- Add in the egg, vanilla & almond extracts and beat for 1 minute.
- Add the flour in thirds, mixing just until the flour is incorporated. The dough will initially look crumbly and almost sandy. But continue to mix until the mixture is thick and sticks together. Use your hands to gently knead the dough together at the very end of the mixing process – knead for only 20-30 seconds.
- Divide the dough into 2 flat discs, cover each with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour to chill. The dough can be left in the fridge to chill for up to 2 days.
- After chilling, remove one disc and preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- On a very lightly floured surface (and I mean minimal) use a rolling pin to roll the dough to 1/4 inch thick. Frequently I will roll my dough on a silicone baking mat to eliminate the need to use flour.
- Use cookie cutters to cut out your desired shapes. Remove the dough scraps and use a spatula to transfer the shapes to a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat. Bake for 9-10 minutes. If your oven has a hot spot, rotate the cookie sheet half way through.
- The cookies will be pale in color – but will continue baking slightly once removed from the oven. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes. Then move to a cooling rack. Repeat the process with the remaining dough. If your dough is out of the fridge for too long, wrap it and chill it in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before frosting them.
The trick to Sugar Cut Out Cookies Keeping their Shape
The key to sugar cookies that keep their shape is COLD cookie dough! There are a few methods to getting cold cookie dough..
- Mix the dough together and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling out the dough
- Make the dough, cut out your shapes, then freeze the shapes for 10 minutes before baking.
- Use cold butter when making the dough and work fast to get the cookies into the oven before the dough reaches room temperature
No Chill Cut Out Sugar Cookies Option
Ya’ll ready for the best answer in the world? YES, there is a cut out sugar cookies no chill option!
There is one crucial change you need to make to the recipe however. You will need to use COLD butter instead of softened butter. Using cold butter and working fast, the dough will still be cold enough to maintain it’s shape when baking right away.
I do recommend that you chill the dough between baking the batches – either in a disc or pre-cut shapes.
Ideal thickness for Sugar Cookie Cutouts
This really depends on preference. 1/4 inch thick is a pretty good standard, but you can roll them thicker or thinner. Be aware that the baking time will change depending on how thick the dough is.
Frosting Christmas Cut Out Cookies
I had the hardest time trying to decide what kind of frosting to use on my cut out cookies! People are very split on their frosting preference between buttercream or royal icing.
Here’s the good news, I’ve included the recipe for both buttercream AND royal icing, that way you can choose!
Royal icing is traditional made with egg whites or meringue powder, but I wanted to provide a super easy royal icing-like recipe that doesn’t call for either of those ingredients. Unless you are a baker, I’m guessing you don’t have meringue powder in your pantry.
Freezing Cut Out Sugar Cookies
Freezing Baked Cut Out Sugar Cookies
Say you already baked the cookies and now you want to freeze them. I found that the best way to freeze already baked cut out sugar cookies is to…
- Make sure they are completely cool first and unfrosted. This method works for unfrosted cookies.
- Stack like shapes together (for example stack the candy canes together or stack the gingerbread men together) and place a small piece of parchment paper between each cookie. I like to stack mine about 4-5 cookies high.
- Wrap the stacks well in plastic wrap.
- Place the bundles inside a ziplock freezer bag or inside a freezer container.
- To thaw, remove the cookies from the bag (keep them inside their plastic wrap) and thaw on the counter. If you store the cookies inside a container, you can simply place the whole container on the counter to thaw.
Freezing Sugar Cut Out Cookies Dough
Lets talk about the 2 different methods you could use to freeze this dough..
1. Flatten dough into disc
You can freeze this cookie dough by dividing it in half and flattening each half into a disc. Wrap each disc well with plastic wrap and place inside a freezer bag or container. To thaw, place the dough in the fridge overnight.
2. Pre-cut the shapes
You can also freeze pre-cut shapes to bake later. To do this..
- Roll out the dough after making it and cut into your desired shapes
- Place the shapes on a silicone or wax paper lined baking sheet and freezer for 1-2 hours, or until frozen.
- Once frozen, remove the shapes from the pan, wrap like shapes together in plastic wrap and store inside a freezer bag or container.
- To thaw, unwrap from the plastic, place the shapes on a silicone lined baking sheet on the counter and allow them to thaw for 15-25 minutes before baking. You want the shapes to still be cold, but not frozen.
How to Properly Measure Flour for Cut Out Cookies
- Fluff the flour with a fork
- Use a spoon to scoop the flour into your measuring cup
- Use a butter knife to level the measuring cup
Sticking the measuring cup straight into the bag of flour will result in too much flour to be packed into the cup, which can result in dry cookies.
Gluten Free Sugar Cookies Cut Out
As someone who is gluten free myself, having a good basic sugar cookie recipe that can be made gluten free is a must! This recipe turned out awesome using a high quality gluten free flour, I used King Arthur’s All Purpose Gluten Free Flour. There are no other changes you need to make, simply substitute the gluten free flour as a one for one replacement with regular flour.
More cookie recipes
- Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Double Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Stained Glass Church Window Cookies
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Sugar Cookie Cut Out Recipe
Ingredients
Cut Out Sugar Cookies
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened, 1/2 cup
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
Buttercream Frosting
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened (equal to 3 sticks)
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 tbsp milk, or heavy cream works great too
OR Royal Icing Frosting
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tbsp milk or warm water
- 1 tbsp corn syrup
- ½ tsp vanilla or almond extract
Instructions
Cut Out Sugar Cookies
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix with a spoon or fork. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the room temperature butter and sugar, beat with an electric mixer for 90 seconds.
- Add in the egg, vanilla & almond extracts and beat for 1 minute.
- Add the flour in thirds, mixing just until the flour is incorporated. The dough will initially look crumbly almost sandy. But continue to mix until the mixture is thick and sticks together. Use your hands to gently knead the dough together at the very end of the mixing process – knead for only 20-30 seconds.
- Divide the dough into 2 flat discs, cover each with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour to chill. The dough can be left in the fridge to chill for up to 2 days.
- After chilling, remove one disc and preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- On a very lightly floured surface (and I mean minimal) use a rolling pin to roll the dough to 1/4 inch thick. Frequently I will roll my dough on a silicone baking mat to eliminate the need to use flour.
- Use cookie cutters to cut out your desired shapes. Remove the dough scraps and use a spatula to transfer the shapes to a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat. Bake for 9-10 minutes. If your oven has a hot spot, rotate the cookie sheet half way through.
- The cookies will be pale in color – but will continue baking slightly once removed from the oven. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes. Then move to a cooling rack. Repeat the process with the remaining dough. If your dough is out of the fridge for too long, wrap it and chill it in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before frosting them.
Buttercream Frosting
- Place the softened butter in a mixing bowl, beat using an electric mixer for 90 seconds.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, I usually do 2 cups at a time, and add the vanilla and almond extracts, beat again.
- Taste the frosting to see if you want it sweeter. I liked the way mine turned out with 4 cups of powdered sugar. If the frosting is too thick add 1 tbsp of milk or heavy cream, beat until creamy.
- Decide how many colors you want and divide the frosting into bowls accordingly. Add a small amount of gel food coloring to each bowl, using a spoon or spatula to mix until the color is even.
- Use piping bags fit with small round tips to pipe the frosting on or use spreaders to spread on the frosting. Add sprinkles if desired.
- Allow the frosting to harden for several hours or overnight. I usually place my cookies on baking sheets and cover with lids or tent with tin foil.
Royal Icing Frosting
- In a medium to small sized mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients (minus the gel food coloring) and mix with a spatula or mixer until smooth. Add more milk or water, 1 tsp at a time, if the frosting is too thick. Divide into bowls and add gel food coloring. Transfer to piping bags or squeeze bottles to easily decorate the cookies.
Video
Notes
No chill cut out sugar cookies
- You will need to use COLD butter instead of softened butter. Using cold butter and working fast, the dough will still be cold enough to maintain it’s shape when baking right away.
- I do recommend that you chill the dough between baking the batches – either in a disc or pre-cut shapes.
How to freeze baked cut out cookies?
Say you already baked the cookies and now you want to freeze them. I found that the best way to freeze already baked cut out sugar cookies is to…- Make sure they are completely cool first and unfrosted. This method works for unfrosted cookies.
- Stack like shapes together (for example stack the candy canes together or stack the gingerbread men together) and place a small piece of parchment paper between each cookie. I like to stack mine about 4-5 cookies high.
- Wrap the stacks well in plastic wrap.
- Place the bundles inside a ziplock freezer bag or inside a freezer container.
- To thaw, remove the cookies from the bag (keep them inside their plastic wrap) and thaw on the counter. If you store the cookies inside a container, you can simply place the whole container on the counter to thaw.
Can you freeze cut out sugar cookie dough?
Yes! Lets talk about the 2 different methods you could use.. Option 1: Flatten dough into disc- You can freeze this cookie dough by dividing it in half and flattening each half into a disc. Wrap each disc well with plastic wrap and place inside a freezer bag or container. To thaw, place the dough in the fridge overnight.
- Roll out the dough after making it and cut into your desired shapes
- Place the shapes on a silicone or wax paper lined baking sheet and freezer for 1-2 hours, or until frozen.
- Once frozen, remove the shapes from the pan, wrap like shapes together in plastic wrap and store inside a freezer bag or container.
- To thaw, unwrap from the plastic, place the shapes on a silicone lined baking sheet on the counter and allow them to thaw for 15-25 minutes before baking. You want the shapes to still be cold, but not frozen.
Came out perfect holding their shape and taste great. Thank you ror the recipe!!
I followed the instructions and recipe notes diligently and the cookies turned out great!! Just wondering what the best way is to store them- counter or fridge? Thanks Beth!!!