Holiday Sugar Cookies
This sugar cookie recipe has been in my husband’s family for generations. It is by far our favorite sugar cookie, not because it’s a “family” recipe, but because in addition to the usual ingredients, this recipe contains cream cheese and almond extract giving the cookies a soft, rich texture with a flavorful punch.
Servings: 6 dozen
Ingredients
Cookie Dough:
- 226 g (2 sticks / 8 oz) salted butter room temperature; if using unsalted butter, add ¼ tsp salt with the flour
- 226 g (1 pkg / 8 oz) cream cheese softened
- 300 g (1½ cups) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 420 g (3½ cups) all-purpose flour fluffed, scooped, & leveled off if using measuring cup
- 4 g (1 tsp) baking powder
- 1 g (¼ tsp) salt ONLY if using unsalted butter
Frosting:
- 1 tsp butter
- 1-4 tsp milk
- 120 g (1 cup) powdered sugar
- ⅛ tsp almond extract
- 2-4 drops or more desired food coloring optional
Decorative Topping:
- sprinkles
- non-pareils etc.
Instructions
Make the Dough: Night Before up to 3 Days Before Baking
- To a stand mixer bowl or large bowl, add butter and use paddle attachment to mix until soft and creamy. Add cream cheese and mix again until combined and creamy. Add sugar and blend again until fluffy.TIP: Use a large bowl and spoon to stir or electric mixer to combine ingredients.
- Add egg, vanilla, and almond extracts. Mix until combined.TIP: Crack egg in a separate bowl to eliminate broken shells or a bad egg and pour it into the butter mixture.
- To a separate medium bowl, stir together flour and baking powder (and salt if using unsalted butter). With machine on low, slowly add in flour mixture. Continue to run the machine until all the ingredients are combined. Cover bowl and store in fridge overnight for up to 3 days.TIP: If stirring by hand or using an electric mixer, add flour mixture in 2-3 stages stirring or mixing in between each stage.
Following Day or Days Later
- Preheat oven to 375˚F (190˚C) and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Remove cookie dough from fridge and allow to soften ~10 minutes on counter. Add a little flour and granulated sugar to a work surface. Divide dough in half and return one dough half to the bowl. Use a rolling pin to roll out remaining dough half to ⅛-¼-inch thick. Use cookie cutter to cut out cookies and place each on a prepared baking sheet about 1-inch apart.TIPS: Use powdered sugar instead of flour and sugar to roll out dough. Sugar maintains sweetness on the cookie exterior. Save other dough half to make cookies at a later date. Store dough in sealed container or wrapped in plastic in fridge if using within a couple of days; store in freezer to bake weeks or months later. If freezing the dough, allow the dough to thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Bake cookies in the oven for 7-9 minutes or until the tops are set. While one pan bakes, continue rolling and cutting out cookies until all the dough is used.TIP: Baking for 7-8 minutes produces a soft cookie; longer baking makes them firm to crunchy.
- Once baked, let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 2 minutes to firm before transferring them to cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the Frosting & Decorate:
- To a small bowl, add 1 tsp of butter and 1 tsp of milk. Heat them together in the microwave for 10-20 seconds or until melted. Stir. Add powdered sugar and almond extract. Stir again and add another 1 -4 tsp of milk until the frosting reaches a spreadable consistency. For colored frosting, add drops of food coloring to reach desired color.TIP: If mixture is too thin and runs off the cookie, stir in more powdered sugar until the consistency is thick enough to spread and stay on the cookie.
- Once cookies have cooled completely, use the back of a spoon, spatula, or knife to spread on the frosting. While the frosting is still wet, add sprinkles, non-pareils, or other edible décor to the tops. Allow the frosting to set before eating or storing the cookies.
Video
Notes
Storage Suggestions:
Store decorated cookies in a sealed container between wax paper at room temperature for several days. For longer storage, freeze in a sealed container between sheets of wax paper. Gift these to family and friends for the holidays and add them to your holiday cookie platter.
To Bake Later:
This recipe makes a large batch of dough. You can bake half the dough and store the other half in the fridge for up to 3 days or freezer for up to several months. From frozen, thaw dough in the fridge overnight before rolling, cutting, and baking.
This recipe makes a large batch of dough. You can bake half the dough and store the other half in the fridge for up to 3 days or freezer for up to several months. From frozen, thaw dough in the fridge overnight before rolling, cutting, and baking.