Celebrate any special occasion and turn your kitchen into a holiday bakery with these soft, chewy, cut-out sugar cookies! These delectable treats will hold their shape perfectly no matter what the occasion. To make them even more indulgent and sweet to bite, enjoy an easy sugar cookie frosting recipe that hardens with a beautiful shine, creating festive decorations just in time for Christmas, Easter, or Mother’s Day. With this dreamy sugar cookie creation, it won’t take long before friends and family beg to come over again…
How to Make Cut-Out Surgar Cookies
Cut-out sugar cookies are the perfect way to celebrate any holiday. From bunnies at Easter and stars at Fourth of July, cut-out sugar cookies can be cut into an endless number of shapes and sizes that will bring smiles to many faces. Whether making cut-out sugar cookies for Christmas or Halloween, they look great on a plate or tiered pedestal with a sprinkle of festive fun! People of all ages can enjoy cut-out sugar cookies no matter the occasion, as there’s something special about eating treats shaped differently than just one preassembled cookie cutter style.
Step One – Prepare the Dry Sugar Cookie Ingredients
Crafting delicious, homemade sugar cookies is an enjoyable and comforting process that makes for a wonderful tradition! To start, simply whisk together flour with baking powder and salt; the remaining steps are just as easy. In no time at all, you’ll have tasty treats to delight your family during any special occasion or holiday!
Step Two – Mix the Wet Ingredients
Get your mixer ready and transform butter and sugar into a creamy, deliciously sweet mixture!
Beat in eggs and vanilla for added flavor. Every baker knows the key to perfect cut-out cookies: make sure all ingredients are at that room temperature comfort zone before you start whipping it up!
Step Three – Combine the Wet and Dry Ingredients
Making cut-out sugar cookies is an exciting journey with each step leading to the next. After combining wet ingredients, it’s time for a touch of baking magic – add in your dry ingredients and let the mixer do its work! Starting on low speed before increasing to medium will bring everything together into a soft yet pliable dough that may seem ‘just too soft’ – but don’t be worried, after chilling all this deliciousness will come together perfectly!
Step Four – Let the Sugar Cookie Dough Chill and Relax
After measuring, mixing, and combining all the ingredients to make the dough for delicious cut-out sugar cookies, take the next step – divide into two! Press each portion into flat round discs before wrapping them tightly with plastic wrap. Then you can chill out while they chill for two hours before baking into delightful treats!
Step Five – Roll and Cut the Sugar Cookies
Making cut-out sugar cookies is an absolute delight! After removing one disc of sugar cookie dough from the refrigerator and letting it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes, you’re ready to start creating your sweet treats. Place it on a floured surface and roll until it reaches either ½” or ¼” thick (the thicker the cookie, the softer it’ll be).
Now cut out your favorite cookie cutter shapes and enjoy placing them 1” apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
Arrange them 1” apart on your prepared cookie sheets. Get ready for a delicious treat that everyone can enjoy!
Step Six – Bake and Cool Completely
Carefully bake the cut-out sugar cookies in the preheated oven for 9-10 minutes or until just set around the edges. Allow them to sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes.
Transfer the freshly baked cut-out sugar cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Then repeat with the second cookie dough disc!
How to Make Sugar Cookie Icing That Hardens
Cut-out sugar cookies taste great on their own, but when you add a delicious layer of shiny icing that hardens, the experience is taken to a whole new level. The magical transformation occurs after applying the icing directly on the cookie. As the icing sets, the colors come alive in an array of bright and vibrant hues that transform each cut-out cookie into a work of art. Decorating cut-out sugar cookies with shining icing works for any holiday!
Step One – Sift Powdered Sugar
Many sugar cookie enthusiasts are perplexed when it comes to taking their delectable treats one step further and making sugar cookie icing that hardens. Thankfully, the process is relatively straightforward – the first step is to sift the powdered sugar in a medium-sized bowl to ensure there are no lumps or clumps present in the mix. Once this crucial initial preparation is completed, everything else can easily blend together to create a delicious icing that hardens beautifully with time!
Step Two – Add Wet Ingredients
It’s time to take your creation to the next level by adding milk, vanilla, and corn syrup into the mix. Start by adding three tablespoons of milk and gradually add more to reach your desired consistency. The milk helps give the sugar cookie icing its glossy shine that hardens when cooled and makes them look irresistible. Together, these three ingredients give icing the desired texture and sheen it needs for successful sugar cookie decorating! Make sure not to skip a beat in this crucial step if you want your sugar cookie decorating projects to be show-stoppers!
Step Three – Whisk until Smooth
Sugar cookie icing is a delicious tradition and one that many bakers enjoy. To make sugar cookie icing properly and ensure it hardens, stir until all ingredients are well-combined and you have achieved the desired consistency.
Step Four – Decorate Your Cookies
Now your sugar cookie icing is ready to use – or add a festive touch of color with gel food coloring! Perfect sugar cookie creations await those who master the art of making frosting that hardens properly.
Holiday Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
- 1 cup salted butter (sofented)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (room temperature)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Sugar Cookie Frosting (That Hardens)
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tbsp milk or water (room temperature)
- 2 1/2 tbsp light corn syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- gel food coloring (optional)
Instructions
Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
- Beat together butter and sugar until a lusciously creamy mixture forms in the bowl of your standing mixer – an irresistible treat to come!
- Stir in vanilla extract and eggs to add an even richer flavour.
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt – beating until all of it is mixed together perfectly.
- Divide this dough mixture evenly to form two discs and then wrap up tightly with plastic wrap.
- Let them sit for two hours or overnight in the fridge so they can chill out and relax.
- Get your oven ready and preheat to 350°F! Grab a rolling pin; it's time for some creative cookie-baking!
- Take out one of the sugar cookie dough discs from the fridge, let sit at room temp for 5 minutes.
- Flour up a surface and roll away — 1/4" thick or 1/2” if you want those cookies soft as can be.
- Bust out your fun cookie cutter shapesto cut out the dough and place each sugar cookie 1" apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Repeat until all that yummy dough has been used up – don't forget to reroll leftovers two more times (3 total!)
- Now get them in the oven, and let's bake them for 9-10 minutes for something delicious… Cookies should be puffed and just set around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and let them sit on the cookie sheet another 5 minutes before transfering a wire rack to cool completely.
- When ready, repeat with the second dough disc.
Sugar Cookie Icing that Hardens
- Combine all frosting ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
- Start with 2 TBS milk and increase until your desired consistency is achieved.
- If using food coloring, separate frosting into smaller bowls and add food coloring to your liking.
- Place each color in a disposable piping bag fitted with your tip of choice.
- Once cookies are completely cooled, decorate cookies.
- Let decorated cookies sit at room temperature for at least 3 hours, or until the frosting is completely hardened. Chilling them in the refrigerator helps speed up the setting process.
- Store in an airtight container or on a plate wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
