Easy Cutout Sugar Cookies

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These easy-to-make Cutout Sugar cookies have perfectly crisp edges, soft centers and hold up perfectly for you to decorate any way you like.

These are probably some of my favorite types of cookies to make. Okay, besides gingerbread cookies around the holidays. However, what I love about these classic cookies is they can be made for any holiday, and that, in my book, makes them even cooler. I have lost count of how many times I have made these cookies since I went gluten-free. Not to mention how many times it took to try until I got the recipe right. Don't worry; I did all the work for you now, so all you have to do is bake a batch and enjoy!

Why You'll LOVE These Sugar Cookies!

• • They have nice crisp edges and soft, thick centers.
  • They have a sweet vanilla flavor, or you can mix it up. I love to add lemon extract when I am making them in the spring.
  • They hold their shape when baked.
  • The tops stay flat, so you can decorate them however you want to.
  • They stay soft for days, that is, if you don't eat them all right away.
  • The dough and the cookies both freeze well, making it even easier to have them on hand for the perfect occasion.

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Tips and Tricks

Creaming your butter and sugar - I know a lot of recipes say it, but the butter and sugar must be creamed entirely, and the mixture must be fluffy before you continue to add.

Chilling the dough

This dough freezes perfectly, and doing so at certain points actually improves the final product. This dough is soft, and therefore it helps make it easier to handle without cracking your cookies.

• Roll the dough and chill in rolled out - I know this is probably backward from most recipes, but there is a reason for this. When you roll the dough first and then chill, you can get a cleaner cut on the cutters.
• Chill the cut dough again before you bake the cookies - I know you're probably thinking, but we just chilled the dough to cut them. Trust me; if you want these cookies to bake perfectly into the shapes, you want to freeze the shapes again. Make sure they are hard before you put them directly into the oven to bake. I like to let mine sit about 30 -45 minutes in the freezer before I bake them.

Do NOT over bake the cookies - Even from frozen, these cookies bake no more than 10 minutes (depending on size). I always start to check on my cookies about 8 minutes into baking. You want to look for a very slight bit of color on the bottom edges of the cookies, and the dough should look matte.

Let them cool completely - I always run a few trays for this reason. You want to make sure your cookies cool at least 10 minutes before you try to move them. They are still cooking slightly when you pull them out, and leaving them alone helps them do that without risking them breaking being transported before they are cold and solid.

How Thick Do You Roll the Sugar Cookies?

Good sugar cookies are soft in the middle, which has a lot to do with how they are rolled out. I Like to roll the dough till about ¼ inch thick or just slightly under that. Any thicker, and they don't hold up to icing well without breaking, and any less, and they tend to get more crispy.

Sugar Cookie Icing

My favorite icing to use on sugar cookies will always be royal icing. I love using it because it dries really fast and doesn't taste like a hot mess on top of a real cookie. Can you use another type of icing? Absolutely, but just know you won't get the same control and final result as royal icing.

My Easy Royal Icing

• 1 ½ C Powdered Sugar (I use Wholesome Brand as it's corn free.)
• 1 Egg White
• 1 TSP Lemon Juice
• Food Dyes, optional

1. Sift the powdered sugar and set aside.
2. Separate your egg and place the white into a separate bowl with the lemon juice.
3. Slowly add the powdered sugar to the mixture and slowly start to mix it.
4. Once the powdered sugar and egg mixture are thoroughly combined, you can decide on the texture.
5. If you want your icing thicker (piping, decorating), leave it thicker. If you want it thinner for flooding the cookies, then add 1 TSP of water at a time to the mixture until the desired consistency is reached. Don't worry if it gets thinner than you want. Just add more powdered sugar 1 TBS at a time till you get it back.

Store the icing covered completely to keep it from drying out until you are ready to use it.

Baking Tools For The Perfect Sugar Cookies

• Mixer or Hand Mixer - It helps to make sure the butter and sugar are creamed properly.
• Cookie Sheets
• Parchment Paper - For both rolling out the dough and baking.
• Decorating Supplies
  • Food Coloring - I like to use natural vegetable dyes like these when I buy them.
  • Piping Bags/ Piping Tips - If you don't have these don't worry you can use a ziplock back and just cut the corner off.

When to Make These Cutout Sugar Cookies

Is there a wrong time to have an excuse to make cutout sugar cookies? I make them for all the holidays, birthdays, and every occasion that calls for a pretty and delicious cookie!

Storage Tips

• Plain or decorated cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Ensure the icing is completely dry and set before freezing and layer them in between layers of parchment paper in a freezer-friendly container.
• Freeze raw dough (in a disc) for up to 3 months. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and then place it in a freezer-friendly container. To thaw, allow the dough to sit in the fridge or at room temperature until you can easily roll it out and then treat it as if it was fresh.
• If eating, you can leave them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

More Cookies You Might Love

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies (Copycat Thin Mints)

Chocolate Cutout Sugar Cookies

Easy 5 Ingredient Meringue Cookies

Classic Vanilla Macarons

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag a photo #grainfreetable or @grainfreetable on Instagram. I'd love to see what you come up with!

Originally Posted 04/4/2020