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Everyone's favorite sweet treat for all of the holidays, these cutout sugar cookies are a staple in our household. They hold their shape while baking, don't require any chilling time, and are reaaaaally delicious.
About
Ah, sweet nostalgia. Every year ever since I can remember, we've frosted sugar cookies at my grandma's house for Christmas.
That's what I think of every time I make and frost sugar cookies now- I remember sitting around my Grandma's dining room table with my sisters and cousins, cutting out the dough into reindeers, angels, and stars, mixing together the food coloring and the frosting, then frosting and putting sprinkles on them.
This year, I decided to put them on the blog. My hubby and I aren't headed to Wisconsin until a few days before Christmas, so I made these and frosted them with a few close friends and remembered all the wonderful times with my family around my Grandma's table.
And then- the best part- to eat them! These cutout sugar cookies are sweet but have a hint of salt so you get the perfect bite. And the texture is exactly what you'd want from sugar cookies- super tender and soft.
Key Ingredients
Sugar and Powdered Sugar Combination
I made some sugar cookies with only granulated sugar, and some with only powdered sugar, and none of them were quite right. So, I decided to combine them, and let me tell you- these are perfect.
The combination of the two sugars gives the cookies the best texture- really soft and crumbly. They're not chewy or grainy, like sugar cookies can sometimes be.
Corn Starch
The corn starch is suuuuuper important! It also contributes to the yummy, crumbly texture, and helps the cookies keep their shape while baking. Don't skip it!
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Cream the butter and sugars together until airy and light in color, about 2-3 minutes in a stand mixer.
- Add the room temperature egg, milk, and vanilla until just combined.
- If the milk isn't room temperature, put it in the microwave for a few seconds until it is.
- If the egg needs to come to room temperature quickly, put it in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes- it'll warm right up!
- Sift together flour, corn starch, and salt.
- Add flour mixture to butter mixture in 3 installments, allowing the flour to almost fully-mix in before adding the next installment.
- Bring dough together into a ball, and place on a floured cool surface.
Roll Out and Cut the Dough
- Take ⅓ of the cutout sugar cookie dough and roll it out on the floured surface to be about ¼ of an inch thick. If dough is too sticky, add a bit of flour at a time to the rolling surface and to the top of the dough to allow for easier rolling.
- Use cookie cutters to cut the dough into whatever shape desired. Cut as many as you can from the dough and place on a nonstick cookie sheet.
- Once you can no longer fit any cutouts in the dough, regather the dough together, re-roll, and re-cut.
- Repeat with the remaining dough until there isn't any dough left.
Bake
- Bake the cutout sugar cookies at 350 for about 8-10 minutes. The cookies should look set (e.g., not shiny), but should not be browned around the edges.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool completely. Frost with my royal icing recipe, or whatever icing you prefer.
Notes
Yes! You can make these up to 3 months in advance and freeze until ready to frost.
You can store these for up to a week in an airtight container.
Although these are a Christmas staple, you can make these for any celebration. Get the right cutouts, or just use round cutouts, and enjoy!
Other Recipes You'll Love:
Cut Out Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar
- 1 ½ cups butter unsalted
- 1 egg room temperature
- 2 tablespoon milk room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 4 ¼ cups flour
- ⅓ cup corn starch
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Prepare
- Preheat the oven to 350.
Make the Dough
- Cream the butter and sugars together until airy and light in color, about 2-3 minutes in a stand mixer.
- Add the room temperature egg, milk, and vanilla until just combined.
- Sift together flour, corn starch, and salt.
- Add flour mixture to butter mixture in 3 installments, allowing the flour to almost fully-mix in before adding the next installment.
- Bring dough together into a ball, and place on a floured cool surface.
Roll Out and Cut the Dough
- Take ⅓ of the dough and roll it out on the floured surface to be about ¼ of an inch thick. If dough is too sticky, add a bit of flour at a time to the rolling surface and to the top of the dough to allow for easier rolling.
- Use cookie cutters to cut the dough into whatever shape desired. Cut as many as you can from the dough and place on a nonstick cookie sheet.
- Once you can no longer fit any cutouts in the dough, regather the dough together, re-roll, and re-cut.
- Repeat with the remaining dough until there isn't any dough left.
Bake
- Bake the cookies at 350 for about 8-10 minutes. The cookies should look set (e.g., not shiny), but should not be browned around the edges.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool completely. Frost with my royal icing recipe, or whatever icing you prefer.
Nutrition
Did you make these cutout sugar cookies? I want to know! Post it on social media, tag @battersandblessings, and add #battersandblessings so I can see your creation 🙂
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