Equipment
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Dough
- 227 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 10 ml vanilla extract
- 2 ml almond extract
- 375 g all-purpose flour
- 3 g salt, fine
Royal Icing
- 480 g powdered sugar, sifted
- 30 g meringue powder
- 75 ml water, room temperature
- 5 ml clear vanilla extract
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 244 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- 40 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fiber
- 0 g
- Sugar
- 28 g
- Sodium
- 69 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 5 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Cholesterol
- 28 mg
- Potassium
- 37 mg
- Calcium
- 7 mg
- Iron
- 0.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 5 mg
- Phosphorus
- 24 mg
- Zinc
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin A
- 68 mcg
- Vitamin D
- 0.0 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 1 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.0 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.0 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.02 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.05 mg
- Niacin
- 0.2 mg
- Folate
- 7 mcg
- Water
- 9 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the room temperature butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light, fluffy, and noticeably paler in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract if using. Mix on medium speed until fully incorporated.
Turn the mixer to low speed. Gradually add the all-purpose flour and salt, mixing just until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and no dry flour remains. Do not overmix.
Divide the dough into two equal portions. Roll each portion between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of 6 millimeters.
Place the rolled dough slabs, still between the parchment paper, on a baking sheet and chill in the refrigerator until firm.
Preheat your oven to 175 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cold baking sheet with fresh parchment paper.
Remove one slab of chilled dough. Peel off the top layer of parchment and use cookie cutters to punch out shapes. Transfer the shapes to the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 centimeters of space between them.
Bake the cookies at 175 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 12 minutes. The cookies are done when the surface appears matte and the edges just begin to show a hint of golden brown.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
While cookies cool, prepare the icing. In a clean mixing bowl, whisk together the meringue powder and 60 milliliters of the water until frothy.
Add the sifted powdered sugar and clear vanilla extract. Beat on high speed using the stand mixer whisk attachment for 3 to 5 minutes until stiff, glossy peaks form. This is your outline consistency.
To create flood consistency icing, slowly mix in the remaining water a few drops at a time until the icing flows off the whisk and smooths itself out in exactly 15 seconds.
Transfer the icing into piping bags. Outline your completely cooled cookies first, then immediately fill the center with the flood icing. Use a toothpick to pop any small air bubbles.
Leave the decorated cookies on a flat surface to dry undisturbed at room temperature until the icing is completely hard.
Chef's Notes
- Rolling the dough directly between two sheets of parchment paper eliminates the need for excess dusting flour, which is the primary culprit for tough, dry sugar cookies.
- Notice there is no baking powder or baking soda in this recipe. Omitting leavening agents is the secret to ensuring your intricate holiday shapes do not puff up or distort in the oven.
- Meringue powder is essential for a foolproof, food-safe royal icing. It provides exceptional stability and ensures the icing dries to a hard, stackable finish without the food safety risks associated with raw egg whites.
- If your cookies are browning too quickly on the bottom, try double-panning by placing your loaded baking sheet on top of a second, empty baking sheet to insulate the base.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 week — Store in an airtight container to prevent absorbing fridge odors. Bring to room temperature before eating.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze uniced baked cookies or the raw dough tightly wrapped in plastic. Iced cookies can be frozen but may lose some gloss when thawed.
Troubleshooting
Cookies spread outward and lose their shape during baking
Cause: The dough became too warm before entering the oven
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked
Prevention: Chill the cut cookie shapes on the baking sheet for 10 minutes in the freezer right before baking
Royal icing runs off the edges of the cookie
Cause: Too much water was added, making the icing too thin
Fix: Sift in additional powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time until the icing thickens back up
Prevention: Add water merely drops at a time when thinning the icing, frequently checking the 15-second settling rule
Icing dries dull instead of glossy
Cause: The icing was overmixed, incorporating too much air, or it dried too slowly in a humid environment
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Beat only until stiff peaks form and dry cookies in a cool, low-humidity environment with good air circulation
Cultural Context
Decorated cut-out sugar cookies are a quintessential American holiday tradition, originating from early European culinary influences brought by settlers. The modern version of the cookie evolved alongside the mass production of tin cookie cutters in the nineteenth century, transforming baking into a widespread festive family activity. Today, royal icing is the standard finish for these cookies due to its brilliant white color, remarkably smooth texture, and structural integrity that allows for easy gifting.
