Last updated on December 18th, 2024
These Classic Cut-Out Sugar Cookies are a soft, tender butter cookie decorated with royal icing. These cookies are always popular decorated for the holidays, but this versatile recipe can also be used as your “go-to” sugar cookie all year long.
Table of contents
How to make Sugar Cookies (Cut-Out)
INGREDIENTS
butter:
Use a good quality real butter since it is a main ingredient. My favorite brands are Challenge or Land O’ Lakes. Be sure to cream together the butter and sugar for a good five minutes to produce a tender crumb.
sour cream:
Always use real, all-natural sour cream in this cookie. My favorite brand is Daisy, which is simply made of cultured cream. Other brands and some labeled as “light” tend to have additives or they may be watered down with milk. The sour cream is the secret ingredient in this cookie to make it stay tender on the inside.
flavoring:
Although my signature sugar cookie has vanilla, bourbon, and a hint of nutmeg, you can use other flavors such as fresh lemon zest with a bit of lemon extract. Another popular flavor combination is vanilla with a bit of pure almond extract. When adding flavors to your dough use the best all-natural quality to make a difference in the taste of the cookie. For other extracts such as almond or lemon, I use Frontier Organic pure extracts.
Always use good quality all-natural, pure vanilla extract. If you purchase vanilla, be sure it only contains vanilla beans and alcohol. I make my own vanilla, which is super simple: Take 8 oz. of bourbon and add 5-7 vanilla beans that are spilt down the middle and let it sit for 3-6 months. As you use it replace the bourbon and add more beans. Store in dark, cool place and it can last many years. I prefer to use bourbon, but you can also use vodka.
EQUIPMENT & TIPS
chill the dough:
For sugar cookies to keep their original cookie cutter shape and ensure less spread, it is really important to chill them 2 times during the process. First chill: After mixing the cookie dough, roll out immediately between 2 sheets of parchment paper into desired thickness 1/4″ or 3/8″ and place the stacks of rolled dough on a baking sheet to chill in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Second chill: Cut out the dough into shapes and then chill again for 5-10 minutes. To obtain an even cookie thickness, I roll out my cookies with a Joseph Joseph rolling pin.
baking sheets:
Always use light-colored, aluminum cookie sheet. I use Nordic Ware aluminum 18×13 half-sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Aluminum is best for distributing and reflecting even heat during the baking process. Dark cookie sheets conduct more heat off the surface, which may lead to your baked goods to burn or darken on the edges before they are fully cooked.
How to make royal icing:
Make these festive for any holiday by rolling in colored sugar, frosting with buttercream, or flood and decorate with royal icing. Buttercream will not crust over and dry solid so you cannot stack them. Royal Icing is made using one of three options: fresh egg whites, meringue powder or dry egg whites. Below I’ve included my Royal Icing which uses fresh egg whites. The vinegar in the recipe pasteurizes the raw egg making the icing safe to eat. The glycerin adds shine and a soft bite to the frosting.
how to decorate sugar cookies:
Make these festive for any holiday by rolling in colored sugar, frosting with buttercream, or flood and decorate with royal icing. Buttercream will not crust over and dry solid so you cannot stack them. Royal Icing is made using one of three options: fresh egg whites, meringue powder or dry egg whites. Below I’ve included my Royal Icing which uses fresh fresh egg white. The vinegar in the recipe pasteurizes the raw egg making the icing safe to eat. The glycerin adds shine and a soft bite to the frosting.
Always color your plain white frosting first with white food color while it is still in the mixer. This will help set the royal icing so the color won’t bleed. My favorite food color brand to use is Americolor gel food color. I only use all-natural decorations like sanding sugar, jimmies or non-perils, read the ingredient labels on pre-made decorations (you’ll see most have artificial flavor) and stay away from those brands.
Classic Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 3 c. unbleached flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. baking powder
WET INGREDIENTS
- 1 c. unsalted butter room temp
- 1 c. sugar
- 1 T. sour cream or milk
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1 T. vanilla
ROYAL ICING
- 3 c. powdered sugar
- 2 egg whites
- ⅓ c. water
- 1 T. lemon juice
- 1 T. vanilla
- ½ tsp. cream of tartar
Instructions
PREP
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk together dry ingredients.
MAKE BATTER
- Mix together butter, sugar, and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add egg, egg yolk, sour cream, vanilla and mix until combined.
- Add in dry ingredients and mix well.
- Split dough into 2 sections. Roll out dough to 1/4" or 3/8" between 2 pieces of parchment paper cut to the size of your baking sheets. Chill dough for 1 hour to overnight.
BAKE
- Preheat oven to 375°. Remove the top sheet of parchment and use it to line your baking sheets. Cut the chilled dough into shapes, chill again for 5-10 minutes and bake for 10-12 minutes.
- If your going to re-roll any scraps, you will need to follow the same process: re-roll scraps between parchment paper, chill for at least 1 hour, cut shapes and chill once cut for 5-10 minutes before baking.
ROYAL ICING
- Place powdered sugar and meringue powder in mixer with paddle.
- Add water, lemon juice, and vanilla and beat for 5-7 minutes until light and fluffy and stiff peaks form.
- Be sure to use right away or cover as it will dry out quickly.
- Portion out into 3 bowls and add 1/2 tsp. water and gel food color until desired consistency is reached.
- Place your tipless piping bag into a tall glass with piping bag folded open around the rim of the glass. Pour colored frosting down into the piping bag. Cut a very small hole in the bottom of bag and pipe.
- Let cookies dry on the table with a fan blowing on them for a few hours. Then lay in single layer in a large container, layer with parchment paper. Store in air-tight container or heat seal in individual bags.
