These cutout sugar cookies with icing are the best sugar cookies ever! Buttery and tender with slightly crispy edges, they’re both delicious and perfect for decorating.
My family has been making these sugar cookies for as long as I can remember. Growing up, we always had them at Easter and Christmas, and if we were lucky, other times 'just because', too. The recipe comes from my mom's grandmother (my great grandmother), and they are hands down the best sugar cookies ever. Everyone who tries them agrees!
Why You'll Love These Sugar Cookies
These sugar cookies are buttery and sweet, but not too sweet. The edges are crispy but not too crispy. The tender but firm texture and not-too-sugary taste is perfect for spreading with icing. They make great cutout cookies for any holiday! The recipe makes a big batch, so you can share with all of your family and friends.
The Ingredients
- Sugar & Powdered Sugar - Using both is key to the light and crispy texture!
- Butter - I use salted butter. For dairy-free cookies, you can substitute coconut oil.
- Oil - I typically use avocado oil. Vegetable oil or canola oil work, too.
- Vanilla
- Eggs
- Flour - You can substitute up to half of the flour with whole wheat pastry flour.
- Baking Soda
- Cream of Tartar
- Salt
How To Make Them
- Cream the butter and sugars together with a stand mixer or hand mixer until they're light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, vanilla and oil and beat until smooth.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt together and slowly add to the sugar mixture while mixing. Mix until the dough is well combined.
- Cover and chill the dough for 30 minutes to an hour, or until it's firm enough to cut out.
- Roll the chilled dough between ¼ and ½ inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut shapes and place them on an ungreased baking sheet. What I like to do is skip the rolling and press small balls of dough directly onto the baking sheet and cut the cookies out one at a time, removing the scraps as I go.
- Bake at 350°F for 9-12 minutes, or until the edges are barely golden.
- Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then move the cookies to a cooling rack.
- Once cookies are cool, frost and decorate them however you'd like!
Pro Tips For Perfect Cutout Sugar Cookies
- Cold dough is easier to work with when cutting out cookies. Chill the dough after mixing and in between baking batches so that it's nice and firm.
- Make sure all of the dough is an even thickness, somewhere between ¼ inch and ½ inch, so that they bake evenly. The thicker they are, the better, and the less likely they are to break.
- If you're making the icing, get it somewhat thick so it doesn't run everywhere. If it gets too thin, add more powdered sugar to thicken it up.
- Add sprinkles to wet icing so that they stick better, but make sure you let the icing firm up before storing and stacking cookies.
How To Store Sugar Cookies
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
How To Store Sugar Cookie Dough
The dough can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days. It also freezes well. Freeze wrapped in plastic wrap, or in a freezer safe container. Let the dough thaw in the refrigerator and bake as normal.
More Christmas Cookie Recipes You'll Love
- White Chocolate Cranberry Bliss Cookies
- Pecan Snowball Cookies (Pecan Puffs)
- Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies with White Chocolate
- Peppermint Bark Icebox Cookies
- Gingersnap Sandwich Cookies with Cranberry Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the comments!
PrintThe Best Cutout Sugar Cookies With Icing
These cutout sugar cookies with icing are the best sugar cookies ever! Buttery and tender with slightly crispy edges, they’re both delicious and perfect for decorating.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Chill Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: About 4 dozen cookies 1x
- Category: dessert
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup oil (vegetable, canola, or avocado)
- 5 cups all-purpose flour (can substitute up to half whole wheat pastry flour)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- ½ tsp salt
For the icing:
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 3-4 tablespoon milk
- food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- In large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs, oil and vanilla and beat well until fluffy.
- Sift together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt, and slowly add to sugar mixture while beating. Mix until well combined.
- Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes, or until it is firm enough to press or roll out.
- When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- If you're going to roll the dough, roll it onto a sheet of parchment, then chill again before using cookie cutters to cut the shapes out. I find it easier to take a small piece of dough (the size of one cookie) and flatten it out directly onto the baking sheet. Then use the cookie cutter to cut out a shape and remove the excess. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Either way, the colder the dough, the easier it will be to cut clean shapes.
- Place cut out dough onto an ungreased baking sheet (you can line it with a silicone baking mat if you'd like) and bake 9-12 minutes or until cookies are slightly golden on the edges. Remove from cookie sheet onto a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Frost and decorate cookies as desired.
For the Icing:
- Place powdered sugar in a bowl. Add vanilla, then milk, one tablespoon at a time, stirring or beating with a mixer constantly until you reach the desired consistency.
- Add food coloring one drop at a time, if using.
- Add frosting to a squeeze bottle or zip-top bag with the corner snipped off so that you can easily squeeze the frosting onto the cookies.
- Frost cookies and let dry before stacking or storing them. If you use sprinkles, do so immediately after adding frosting so that they stick.
Notes
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to a week.
- You can substitute up to half of the flour with whole wheat pastry flour.
- For a dairy-free version, you can use coconut oil in place of butter.
- The colder the dough, the more firm it will be and will be easier to cut clean shapes and move them to the baking sheet, so work quickly and re-chill the dough as needed. I prefer not to roll the dough at all, and instead just press a little ball of dough onto the baking sheet and cut out one cookie at a time.
- If you prefer royal icing, I like this recipe from Alton Brown.
Keywords: the best sugar cookies, cutout sugar cookies, sugar cookies with icing
Katie Y. says
Do you have the nutrition information for these wonderful cookies? Thank you!
Kaleigh says
Hi Katie,
I don't provide nutrition info for my recipes, but you can use one of the many online calculators to get a rough estimate.
Kathryn Tummino says
These are just the absolute best. There is a bakery in town where I grew up that made cookies like this, and for years I tried to replicate them until I found this recipe last year and BINGO! These are crumbly in the best way, salty enough to balance the sweet, and I love that they don't rise or spread. They are perfect. Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this recipe!
Kaleigh says
Hi Kathryn, I'm so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for stopping by!