Cut Out Sugar Cookies. Fresh baked, hand-made, individually decorated real American cookies. Use cookie cutters and cut as many shapes as possible, re-rolling the dough scraps and cutting again. Place the shapes on a non-stick baking sheet.

Lift off the top piece of paper and cut out the dough with your favorite cutters (try to cut the dough out with as little space between as you can, to minimize scraps). Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Cookies may not look "done" - cut out sugar cookies won't be golden brown like other cookie varieties, they'll just be set on the edges and are verrrrry lightly golden on the bottom. You can have Cut Out Sugar Cookies using 14 ingredients and 11 steps. Here is how you achieve that.

Ingredients of Cut Out Sugar Cookies

It's of Cookie Dough Ingredients :.
Prepare 3/4 cup of unsalted butter, softened to room temperature.
It's 3/4 cup of granulated sugar.
You need 1 of large egg, room temperature.
You need 2 tsp. of vanilla extract.
You need 1/4 tsp. of almond extract.
Prepare 2 1/4 cups of all purpose flour.
You need 1/2 tsp. of baking powder.
Prepare 1/4 tsp. of salt.
You need of Frosting Ingredients :.
You need 1 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar.
It's 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract.
Prepare 2-2 1/2 tbsp. of room temperature water or milk.
You need pinch of salt.

Don't worry, they'll keep cooking as the rest on the cookie sheet. Separate the dough in half and work with one piece at a time, roll the dough ¼-inch thick. This will give the dough a chance to firm up again so that the cookies don't spread in the oven. Add the egg yolk, vanilla, and almond extract and mix on medium speed until combined.

Cut Out Sugar Cookies step by step

Cream the butter in a large bowl with the mixer until smooth and creamy, a minute or so. Add in the sugar and cream together another 2 minutes, until fluffy. Add in the egg, vanilla and almond extract and mix an additional minute or two..
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add about half into the wet mix and mix until just combined, then mix in the other half of the flour mix..
Separate the dough into two seperate, equal portions. Roll each one out on parchment paper to about 1/4 inch thickness. Refrigerate rolled out dough at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours..
Once dough is chilled and your ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2-3 baking trays with parchment paper..
Take one dough portion out of the fridge and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Place shapes onto baking trays. Continue to re-roll dough until you've used it all. Repeat with second portion of dough..
Bake 8-10 minutes (my oven runs hotter and my cookies only took 6 minutes), rotating the baking tray halfway through the cook time. They should be just barely colored and look slightly underbaked..
Cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Allow the cookies to cool completely before frosting..
Once ready to frost, simply whisk the frosting ingredients together in a medium bowl. If using food coloring, add that in also..
Frost the cookies in any way you'd like. If using sprinkles, use right after frosting the cookie, before the frosting begins to set..
Frosting will be completely set within 24 hours, then you can stack them. But you don't have to wait, you can eat them immediately..
Store at room temperature for up to 5 days..

Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, powdered sugar and granulated sugar until smooth and combined. Add extracts and eggs and beat until combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Without chilling, these cookie cutter sugar cookies won't hold their shape. After you roll & cut the sugar cookies you will have some scraps leftover.