American
Vanilla-Almond Cutout Sugar Cookies
Buttery vanilla-almond sugar cookies roll cleanly to an even thickness, hold crisp cut edges in the oven, and bake to tender centers with only the faintest golden rim.
36 servings · 35 minutes prep · 12 minutes cook
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cool room temperature, about 65°F/18°C
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
For Rolling
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, as needed for dusting
Directions
Mix and Chill the Dough
- Beat the butter and sugar with the paddle on medium-low for 90 seconds, until smooth and slightly lighter but not fluffy. Scrape the bowl.
- Beat in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract for 30 seconds. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt separately, then mix them into the butter on low just until no dry streaks remain.
- Divide the dough in half, press each piece into a 1-inch-thick rectangle, wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Dough that cracks sharply when bent is too cold; let it stand for 5 minutes before rolling.
Roll, Cut, and Rechill
- Roll one dough piece at a time on a surface dusted sparingly with the flour to an even 1/4 inch. Lift and rotate the dough after the first few passes; add flour only where it sticks.
- Cut with 2 1/2-inch cutters and transfer shapes 1 inch apart to parchment-lined sheets. Gather scraps once, press together without kneading, reroll, and cut. Refrigerate each filled sheet for 20 minutes.
Bake to Pale Gold
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Bake two sheets for 10 to 12 minutes, swapping racks and rotating front to back at 6 minutes, until centers are matte and only the thinnest edge is pale gold.
- Cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack. Cool completely for at least 30 minutes before glazing or stacking; warm cookies bend and trap steam.
