1 Dozen Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

Name: 1 Dozen Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3/4 cup flour, plus extra for rolling; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; pinch of salt; 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened; 1/4 cup sugar; 1 egg yolk; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; 1/8 teaspoon almond extract; 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar; 3-5 teaspoons milk; a few drops of vanilla; a few drops of red food coloring (optional)

Published: Dec 18, 2011 · Modified: Feb 27, 2019 by Christina Lane · This post may contain affiliate links · 53 Comments

If these aren’t the cutest cut-out sugar cookies you’ve ever seen, you either play with puppies and kittens all day and are on cuteness overload, or you’re not from Texas. Only one of those excuses is forgivable, by the way.

I scaled down sweet Bridget’s recipe, and not only is her recipe easy (yes, roll out cookies are easy!), they are delicious. Every baker I know uses her recipes when they want perfect cookies every time. I quartered her full size recipe in order to make 1 dozen cookies.

Feel free to use this dough for festive holiday cookie cutters; I won’t mind a bit. But, since I'm going home to Texas for Christmas, these feel festive to me.

Yield: 12 cookies

1 Dozen Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

A simple sugar cookie recipe.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

¾ cup flour, plus extra for rolling
½ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup sugar
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon vanilla
⅛ teaspoon almond extract

For the icing:

1 ½ cups powdered sugar
3-5 teaspoons milk
a few drops of vanilla
a few drops of red food coloring (optional)

Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In a medium bowl, beat together with an electric mixer the butter and sugar. Once light and fluffy, add the egg yolk and extracts. Once well incorporated, sprinkle over half the flour mixture and beat gently until combined, then sprinkle over the rest. Beat until no streaks of flour remain, but be careful not to over-mix.
Dust a clean counter top with flour, and dump the dough out onto it. Gather it into a ball and press it into a 2" thick round disk. Flour your rolling pin, then roll out the dough out big enough to cut out about 8 shapes. Place the shapes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Gather the dough scraps and re-roll to cut out 4 more shapes and place them on the cookie sheet.
Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 5 minutes while you preheat the oven to 350.
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, until the edges of the cookies just start to turn brown. Let them sit on the sheet a few minutes before moving them a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the cookies are completely cool, make the icing by whisking together all ingredients. Start with 3 teaspoon milk, and add more to achieve a slightly runny consistency. Ice your cookies by outlining the shape using a squeeze bottle or small piping bag with a tip, then flood the icing within the borders to fill it in. To make the little hearts, scoop a small amount of the frosting into a separate bowl and add red food coloring until you get the desired color. Use a toothpick to make heart shapes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 139Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 34mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 0gSugar: 18gProtein: 1g

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Comments

Maureen says

February 08, 2015 at 12:48 pm

I am using this recipe to make 'Teddy Bear' cookies, as I am going to a play date with my four year old Grandaughter - we are having an indoor 'Teddy Bears Picnic' (indoor as in UK it is the middle of winter).
This recipe is so nice as it is a small amount.
I will Ice and decorate the teddies - and I will try to give the 'Teddies' hearts also.
after all every Teddy has to have a heart :-)
Thank you for this recipe

Reply
Jadyn says

November 15, 2015 at 4:29 pm

Wow! Love your cookies. How adorable! And the Texas cookie cutter, what a awesome way to spice up your cookies by style. And FYI, I made these cookies, added cinnamon to the batter, made it into a brownie-ish doe, and drizzled caramel ontop! What a great recipe

Reply
Mariel Button says

November 25, 2015 at 7:22 am

This is a great recipe for when I want to design a cookie for a display, makes a small batch.

Although, I would suggest. Beating the egg and then measuring out about 2 table spoons instead of just the yolk. Makes a fluffier cookie!

I added a tablespoon of pumpkin spice and it made an amazing flavor!

Reply
SERLINA GARBALDI says

June 02, 2016 at 4:03 pm

these turned out like butter cookies. they didnt live up to my expectations. the cookies didnt spread and it was tasteless. THESE WERE AWFUL.

Reply
- SERLINA GARBALDI says
  
  June 02, 2016 at 4:05 pm
  
  so im guessing all bad comments get deleted. CHEATAS. no wonder i chose this horrible recipe.
  
  Reply
  - Debora Herman says
    
    December 06, 2016 at 12:47 pm
    
    Serlina....Christina's cookies are always spot on, delicious and amazing...could it be that something went wrong in your measuring or omission of something...I would try again...
    
    Reply
- Christina Lane says
  
  June 05, 2016 at 9:17 pm
  
  Hey Serlina,
  Calm it down over there. Cut-out sugar cookies are butter cookies. And they're actually not supposed to spread so that they maintain the shape of the cookie cutter. I think you were looking for an entirely different recipe.
  
  And I'm no cheater.
  
  Reply
Sarah Nolan says

December 23, 2016 at 8:04 pm

I love this recipe it is so easy and fun to do

Reply
Ara says

April 24, 2017 at 3:02 pm

I made these to eat just plain without icing, and the cookies taste delicious! First time i made them and they turned out super good.

Reply
Isabelle says

April 17, 2019 at 2:54 pm

Tastes fine, but I'm disappointed it only made 6 cookies! How small are your Texan cookies!?

Reply
- Christina Lane says
  
  April 20, 2019 at 10:14 am
  
  My entire website only makes small batches of desserts...hence the name 'dessert for two.'
  
  Reply
Madi says

November 14, 2021 at 12:29 pm

Nice recipe. I did little cats. I ended up doing 1/2 and 1/2 vanilla and almond flavoring in both the cookie and the frosting, and I had to sub in 1/8 tsp of baking soda instead of powder, as I was out. This makes less than a dozen. I only got six good-sized cookies out of it. I was wanting a small batch so I was fine with it, but that's something to keep in mind. I was trying out this recipe for the holidays, so I varied the thickness. I think the ones that were about 7-8 mm turned out the best.
The best part about this recipe is that the cookies don't spread hardly at all. They looked almost exactly the same shape and size as after I cut them out. It made icing way easier.

Reply
Diana Nye says

February 12, 2023 at 6:05 am

Came out amazing and delicious! I needed to make mini Lombardi trophies for a Super Bowl cupcake topper. The dough came tiger easily and was super easy to work with.

Reply

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