Soft Cut Out Sugar Cookies
This no chill, no spread cut out sugar cookie recipe makes soft and deliciously buttery sugar cookies that hold their shape when baked, so they're perfect for decorating.
Prep Time30 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Decorating Time30 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12
Calories: 290kcal
food processor
Rolling Pin
Cookie cutters
Piping bag and tip
Cookies:
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup confectioners' sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 12 ½ Tablespoons unsalted butter cold
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Icing:
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 ½ Tablespoons milk
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
Make the sugar cookie dough.
Place the flour, both sugars, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar in the bowl of a food processor and process just until mixed.
Cut the butter into small pieces and distribute over the flour mixture. Process until the dough resembles coarse meal, about 30 seconds.
Stir the egg and vanilla together in a cup. With the processor running on low speed, pour the egg mixture through the feed tube and process until the dough comes together, about 30 to 60 seconds.
Remove the dough from the processor, place it on a clean surface, and knead it for several seconds, until no dry bits remain and the dough is cohesive throughout.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness. Cut cookies using any cookie cutter shapes you like. Transfer the cookie cutouts to the prepared baking sheets using a spatula.
Make the vanilla icing.
Whisk the icing ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl until the mixture is smooth. The mixture should slowly drip, but not run, when poured from a spoon. If the mixture is too runny, add a little bit more sugar. If it’s too thick, add a little bit more milk.
Storage: Store sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Be careful when stacking decorated cookies; the icing is firm but not rock-solid and may become slightly squished when cookies are stacked.
Freezing: These cookies also freeze well and can be frozen, stored in an airtight container, for up to 3 months.
Serving: 2cookies | Calories: 290kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 117mg | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 387IU | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg