Cut Out Sugar Cookies

This buttery, sweet, soft-rolled Cut-out Sugar Cookie recipe should be required for every baker! The best homemade sugar cookie recipe always holds its shape and won’t spread when baked, making it the perfect flat surface for decorating with frosting.

We also included an easy sugar cookie icing recipe too! We love these making these for Christmas cookies, Valentine’s Day or really for any special occasion!

Best Sugar Cookie Recipe For Cut Outs

What’s the secret to making the best Cutout Sugar Cookies for decorating? Read below for tips and tricks for an easy sugar cookie dough recipe that rolls, stays flat, and doesn’t spread during baking.

These rolled sugar cookies take under 10 minutes to bake and are filled with delicious sweet flavor. Once cooled, they become the perfect sugar cookie base for piping on royal icing, covering with cream cheese frosting, sprinkling with colorful sanding sugar, or decorating with a custom design.

Easy cut-out sugar cookie recipes should not be saved for Christmas! Grab your rolling pin and your favorite cookie cutters because there’s no better time or season (other than now) to learn my favorite sugar cookie recipe.

Cut Out Sugar Cookies Ingredients

• Salted butter: Provides rich flavor and helps create a tender texture for these soft sugar cookies. Make sure your butter has softened to room temperature before beating with the sugar.
• Granulated white sugar
• Egg
• Vanilla extract: Adds a depth of flavor to the cookie dough.
• Almond extract: Introduces a subtle, nutty flavor that complements the vanilla in these homemade sugar cookies.
• All purpose flour: Provides the bulk and forms the dough’s framework, giving the cut-out sugar cookies their characteristic shape.
• Baking powder: Helps the cookies rise slightly, contributing to a softer texture.
• Salt: Balances the sweetness.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make Cut Out Sugar Cookies

1. Make The Wet Mixture: Beat together the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix until combined. Set aside. 
2. Make The Dry Mixture: Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Create The Cookie Dough: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to form a dough.
4. Divide And Roll The Dough: Divide the dough in half, place each between sheets of parchment paper, and roll out to ¼ inch thick. Chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours or overnight.
5. Cut Out And Cool: Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and chill the cut-out cookies on a large baking sheet until cold to the touch. 
6. Bake: Bake the cookies at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 6-8 minutes or until the bottoms are set and starting to brown.
7. Decorate The Desserts: Cool on a wire rack before frosting. Get creative and have fun!

How to Make Homemade Sugar Cookie Icing

1. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine 4 cups of powdered sugar and 3 cups of meringue powder.
2. Add 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and turn the mixer on low. Slowly add ¾ cups water and mix on low until all of the powdered sugar has mixed into the water. Beat on high until the frosting starts to thicken and increase in size.
3. Turn off the mixer and lift the whisk out of the frosting. The frosting should flow like ribbons back down into the bowl. If it’s too stiff, add more water.
4. Divide the frosting into separate bowls and add drops of food coloring to each, depending on the holiday you’re celebrating. (I prefer to use gel food coloring. The colors come out way more vibrant and won’t affect the consistency of the icing.)
5. When the cookies have cooled, decorate them with frosting and then “fancy them up” with sprinkles, nonpareils, sanding sugar, or anything you like. (If the frosting has thickened from sitting, just add a little more water, a teaspoon at a time).
6. Once all the cookies have been decorated, let them sit until dry.

Serving Suggestions

Whether you’re celebrating a birthday, Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or the 4th of July, this sugar cookie recipe has got you covered! Use any kind of cookie cutter to create cute and festive cookies for any occasion.

• Set Up An Icing Station: Set up a DIY decorating station with different colored icings, sprinkles, and edible decorations. Guests will love personalizing their cookies.
• Get Gifting: Cut out sugar cookie recipes are great for giving as homemade holiday gifts. Package the cookies in cute boxes or tins and hand them out to teachers, friends, and coworkers.
• Serve With A Sip: Serve your cookies with a steaming mug of hot chocolate, coffee, or tea for a cozy afternoon treat. Or keep it classic with a glass of milk for a snack.

Tips & Variations

• Do Not Skip A Step: It’s very important that the cookie dough is very cold before baking or the cookies will spread. Refrigerating the dough for 1-2 hours ensures that the cookies bake evenly and hold their shape.
• Stop The Spread: The dough will warm when working with it so placing the cut-out cookies back in the fridge right before baking will minimize any spreading.

Proper Storage

• To Store: Decorated sugar cookies can be stored in an airtight container and will stay fresh for about two weeks. Just be sure not to expose them to air.
• To Freeze: The frosted sugar cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months if stored in a freezer-safe container or wrapped well.
• Make Ahead: The dough can be made a day or two ahead of time and left in the fridge until you’re ready to bake and decorate. That’s another thing I love about this recipe!

More Easy Cookie Recipes

• Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
• Italian Wedding Cookies
• Lemon Ricotta Cookies
• Thumbprint Cookies With Icing

If you tried this Cut Out Sugar Cookies Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!!!