Kittencal's Buttery Cut-Out Sugar Cookies W/ Icing That Hardens

Kittencalskitchen's Note:

You will not find a better sugar cookie anywhere you search, this will most likely be the only sugar cookie you will use, not only are these cookies buttery delicious, the dough is an absolute dream to work with, it rolls out easily and is easy to handle, also the cookies hold their shape when baked something many sugar cookies do not do --- make as many different colors as desired in separate bowls with the icing, the cookies must be completely cooled before icing --- plan ahead the dough must be chilled for at least 2 hours before rolling -- since these are topped with icing they are not a sweet cookie if you want a sweeter taste then increase the sugar amount

• Total Time: 2 hrs 4 mins
• Prep Time: 2 hrs
• Cook Time: 4 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 35

COOKIES

• 1 cup butter , softened (no substitutes)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

FROSTING

• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (the sugar must be sifted)
• 1 tablespoon milk (adding in more if needed for proper spreading consistency)
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract (can use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in place of the almond)
• food coloring (use your choice of colours)

Directions:

1. For cookies; in a large bowl combine butter with sugar, eggs, vanilla and almond extract; beat using an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.
2. In another bowl combine the flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually stir into the butter mixture until well blended.
3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
4. Set oven to 400°F.
5. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper (do not grease cookie sheets use parchment paper only).
6. On a very lightly floured surface roll out the dough into about 1/4-inch thickness.
7. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters.
8. Place cookies 2-inches apart on cookie sheet.
9. Bake 4-6 minutes.
10. Remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely before icing.
11. For the frosting; in a small bowl mix the confectioners sugar with milk (start with 1-2 tablespoons, you will likely need more milk for the perfect spreading consistency).
12. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until the icing is smooth and glossy (if the icing is too thick add in a small amount more of corn syrup).
13. Divide into as many separate bowls as you wish for different colours.
14. Add in food colouring until desired intensity is achieved.
15. Paint the icing over the cookies using a brush, or dip edges of cookies into icing.
16. Allow to set on waxed paper.

Reviews

[Sarah*Belle]

deeelicious...but i'm lazy.after an hour of refridgeration I got a ziploc bag, put the dough in and got all the air out. then i rolled it into an log (inside the bag, rolling the dough on the counter) and cut circle cookies with floss. And I used margarine....(oops) Best cookie ever. Thanks!

[Kimberly Keller]

I too was set to try a different recipe when I came across this one. This dough is fabulous to work with. The flavor is buttery without being too rich or sweet - the perfect foil for the icing. Mine actually baked up perfectly with a little crunch on the outside while the inside was softer. I subbed all vanilla as I am not a fan of almond flavoring. The cookies did not spread much at all. I did chill my dough well in addition to cooling my cookie sheet down between batches. The icing was just what I needed as I didn't really want to make a batch of royal icing. Instead of spreading it on with a spatula or putting it in a piping bag, I placed it in bowls with wide rims and held my cookies upside down and dipped them in. I was even able to dip some of the cookies so they had multiple colors on them by dipping one color, allowing it to dry and dipping the next color. My cookies were iced very quickly this way. It dried firm and glossy and did not smear or smoosh when I layered my cookies on a serving platter and covered them with plastic wrap for transport. An awesome recipe that has become my standard for sugar cookies.

[CoffeeB]

My newest favorite Christmas cookie. And..the frosting works wonderfully.

p.s..don't refrigerate for more than two hours. The dough will be virtually impossible to work with. I had to microwave mine to soften it a bit.