Cut Out Sugar Cookies
You'll love these crisp sugar cookies cut into festive holiday shapes. These cut out sugar cookies are sturdy enough for little fingers to decorate, and the recipe makes a big batch of cookies.
Servings: 60
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (or freshly grated)
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (at room temperature)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- ¼ cup milk
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.4 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- In a separate large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy using an electric mixer, preferably a stand mixer but a hand mixer will work too. Add eggs, vanilla extract and lemon extract, and beat until combined.1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, 2 cups granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- Add a third of the flour to the butter mixture and half of the milk. Mix until combined, then repeat: another third of the flour, and half of the milk, mix until combined, then mix in the remaining flour. If you are using a hand mixer, you may have to do this by hand if the dough gets too stiff for your mixer.¼ cup milk
- Divide dough into 2 disks, wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight.
- To bake, preheat oven to 350°F.
- Roll one half of one disk of dough out on a well-floured board or counter, using a floured rolling pin. Keep the remaining dough refrigerated. For crisp cookies, roll to about ⅛ inch and for softer cookies, roll to about ¼ inch.
- Cut desired shapes with floured cookie cutter, re-rolling the scraps as you go. Transfer the cut out cookees to a cookie sheet, leaving at least one inch between cookies. The colder the dough is, the less the cookies will spread, keeping their crisp cut-out shape (see tip below).
- Bake for 6 to 7 minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom. Cool slightly until firm, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating or storing.
- Decorate as desired (see note).
Notes
- Yield: This makes a big batch of cookies and the yield will vary depending on the size of the cookie cutters you use. On average, I get about 5 dozen cookies.
- Easy decorating option: If you prefer not to frost cookies, make them sparkle with sugar. Before baking, lightly brush the cookies with milk and sprinkle with your choice of colored sugar. White sugar is pretty, too.
- Pro tip: I usually divide the dough disks in half, rolling one half and refrigerating the other half. If the dough seems to be getting sticky, chill it a little longer. Additionally, when the dough is cold, the cookies don't spread as much, keeping a crisp cut-out shape. Avoid putting the cut-out cookies on a warm baking sheet because that will cause them to spread more. It's best to use at least two cookie sheets so one can cool off while the other one is in the oven.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 86kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 42mg | Potassium: 14mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 105IU | Vitamin C: 0.002mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 0.4mg
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