Let the holiday baking commence!
Just kidding. I have done little to no holiday baking thus far, although I’m really going to work at changing that. Beginning with my tried and true, can’t-keep-on-the-counter-for-long, most favorite of all time Frosted Sugar Cookies. Hopefully that gets my point across how much I (and the kids) love these cookies.
I make these cookies every year, without fail. In between, I’ve tried a few other recipes but nothing beats these soft, buttery cookies with the most deliciously simple almond frosting you’ll come across.
This recipe makes about 2-3 dozen cookies, depending on the size of your cookie cutters. We made these on Saturday morning and they were gone by Sunday night. I don’t know whether that’s disgusting or a testament to how addicting these little treats are. I’m going with the latter 😅
Happy (holiday) baking!
Frosted Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- Christmas cookie cutters
- Cookie sheet(s)
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 1 c. butter, softened
- 1 c. powdered sugar
- 1 egg
- 1-1/2 tsp. almond extract
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 2-1/2 c. all purpose flour
- 1 tsp. salt
Frosting
- 6 tbsp. butter, softened
- 3 c. powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. almond extract
- 2 to 4 tbsp. milk
- Food coloring, optional
- Sprinkles, edible glitter, nonpareils, colored sugar, for decorating
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract (or paste, if using), until thoroughly combined. Beat in flour and salt just until combined. Chill dough in refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.
- When dough is ready, preheat oven to 375ºF. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray; set aside. Between two sheets of plastic wrap, roll out half of the dough to about 1/8" thickness. Cut dough with cookie cutters and place onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are just browning. Place on wire rack to completely cool.
- While cookies are baking, in a medium bowl for the frosting, beat together butter, powdered sugar, almond extract, and milk until smooth. Add additional milk to achieve spreading consistency, if needed. Frost and decorate cookies as desired.
Notes
- I love using vanilla bean paste in the cookies because you can see the pretty little flakes.
- Remember my “roll dough between two pieces of cling wrap” trick? I do this with pie crusts, too. It just helps avoid the warming dough from sticking to the rolling pin and tearing. But you can also roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, if you prefer!
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