This classic sugar cookie recipe is the very essence of cookie perfection. With soft, chewy centers, lightly crisp edges, and full of rich, buttery flavor, these melt-in-your-mouth cookies get their delicious flavor from almond extract. With no chilling required, this easy recipe produces cookies that hold their shape and store incredibly well. Perfect for using your favorite cookie cutter shapes and decorating with royal icing, these versatile cookies are sure to stand-out for every occasion.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies (depending on the size of your cutters)
Ingredients
Almond Cut-out Cookies
3 cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp baking powder
1 cup salted butter, cold and cut into chunks
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp pure almond extract
Directions
Almond Cut-out Cookies
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until combined and fluffy. Beat in the egg and extract, mixing until combined.
With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. The dough will be very thick and crumbly.
Roll out a portion of the dough onto a lightly floured surface to about ¼-inch thickness. Cut as many shapes from the dough as possible and place them on the prepared cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart.
Knead the scraps and remaining dough together and continue rolling and cutting until all of the dough is used.
Place the cookie sheets in the freezer for 10 minutes. (Freezing the cookies will help keep their shape and prevent them from spreading.)
After freezing, immediately bake the cookies on the center rack of your oven for 9-12 minutes. Pull the cookies out of the oven as soon as the edges just start to lightly brown. Be careful not to over bake the cookies.
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes. Then transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Once completely cooled, decorate the cookies as desired with almond royal icing.
Ingredients
Almond Royal Icing
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1½ Tbsp meringue powder
1 tsp pure almond extract
2-6 Tbsp room temperature water
Gel food coloring (optional, for decorating)
Directions
Almond Royal Icing
In a large bowl, use a handheld electric mixer to beat all of the icing ingredients together on high speed for 5 minutes. When lifting the whisk up off the icing, the icing should drizzle down and smooth out within 5-10 seconds. If it’s too thick, add a little more water. If it’s too thin, add a little more sifted confectioners’ sugar.
Note:
The icing completely dries in about 2 hours at room temperature. When you’re not working directly with the royal icing, place a damp paper towel directly over the royal icing to prevent it from hardening.