Frosted Sugar Cookies are a cookie classic! Using my Grandmother’s tried and true recipe, these sugar cookies are legendary! A buttery cookie dough is rolled out, cut into desired shapes and baked until perfectly fluffy. Frosted with an almond-scented buttercream frosting, each bite is a delicious as they look!
Tips for Making Sugar Cookies
When it comes to making sugar cookies, they can seem a bit more daunting than your usual “scoop-and-bake” chocolate chip cookie. But, trust me, they are SO worth it! Here’s some helpful tips to keep in mind when making sugar cookies:
- Form your dough into 2 disks before chilling. That way, when you are ready to roll the cookies out, it is much easier on you!
- Try to not over-work the dough in your hands. The more you “play” with the dough, the harder the cookies will turn out. We want light and fluffy sugar cookies!
- Roll your dough out into an even layer so that you don’t have lopsided cookies when they bake.
- Too thick of cookie dough and un-chilled dough are what result in cookies not keeping their shape in the oven.
Let’s Talk Cookie Cutters
Since this is such a classic recipe, you can use them for any season of life! That means, use whatever cookie cutters your heart desires! Whether it’s Christmas, Valentine’s Day, a birthday party, a baby shower or just because you need some sugar cookies in your life, this recipe is adaptable to all occasions!
I found these super cute heart cookie cutters at Target and couldn’t resist them! They’re out of stock online, so if you find them in store, swipe them! Williams Sonoma also has a lot of fun cookie cutters – they even have Harry Potter and Star Wars!
How to Decorate and Frost the Sugar Cookies
After you have your cookies baked and cooled, it’s time for the ultra fun part: decorating! Once again, these cookies can be decorated in any fashion that you so desire! What I love about this frosting recipe is that it is a little bit thicker. Meaning, it will hold it’s shape, hold onto sprinkles and it isn’t too sticky! Here’s some sugar cookie decorating ideas:
- Different colors of frosting – divide the frosting out into different bowls and use whatever colors your heart desires!
- Sprinkles – I mean, how can you ever go wrong?! Wilton always has some fun ones.
- Cookie icing/gel – use this on top of the frosting to draw or write whatever you would like!
Not only were these cookies scrumptious to eat, but they were also so fun for me to learn how to make from my Mom. Being my Grandmother’s recipe, it’s so so special. My mom makes them every year for Christmas! So, with her by my side guiding me along with how she has always made her Mom’s cookies was one of those memories that is cherished forever. Even if I ended up covered in powdered sugar haha!
We wanted to share this special recipe with you all so that you can have a family sugar cookie recipe to pass down to your own family. Get creative, have fun and enjoy the process of bringing these cookies to life in your own kitchen!
Looking for other cookie recipes? Look here!
Frosted Sugar Cookies
(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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- Total Time: 1 hour, 12 minutes
- Yield: 25-30 cookies 1x
Description
Frosted Sugar Cookies are a cookie classic! Using my Grandmother’s tried and true recipe, these sugar cookies are legendary! A buttery cookie dough is rolled out, cut into desired shapes and baked until perfectly fluffy. Frosted with an almond-scented buttercream frosting, each bite is a delicious as they look!
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 2 1/2 sticks butter, softened (20 tablespoons)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the frosting:
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
For the cookies:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light, fluffy and creamy. About a minute or so. Add in one egg at a time and mix until combined, making sure to wipe down the sides of the bowl in between each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Add in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until a cookie dough forms. Divide the dough in half and create two disks of cookie dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to cool for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. On a well floured surface, evenly roll each cookie dough disk out until it is no more than 1/4 inch thick. You want to be somewhere between 1/8 of an inch to 1/4 of an inch thick.
- Use your desired cookie cutters to cut your cookies out. Place them about an inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are cooked through and barely starting to turn golden brown and hold their shape. Gently transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat this process until all the dough has been used. You can gently gather the scraps and ball them back up to roll them back out to use up as much dough as you can.
For the frosting:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and powdered sugar, adding in one cup of the powdered sugar at a time, until light and fluffy.
- Slowly mix in the heavy cream to create desired, spreading consistency. Mix in the almond extract.
- After the cookies have cooled completely, frost the cookies!
Notes
- This cookie dough can also be made in advance and frozen. Transfer it to the refrigerator the day before using to bring it back to a workable temperature.
- Try to not over-handle the dough once you are rolling it out as this can cause the cookies to be harder rather than light and fluffy once baked.
- Decorate to your heart’s desire! This recipe is perfect for any occasion or holiday. Add coloring to the frosting or different colored sprinkles.
- Store these cookies in an air-tight container once the frosting has had a chance to set for about 20 minutes.
- The yield amount of these cookies depends on what size cookie cutters you use.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
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If you make this recipe and love it as much as I do, I’d love to hear from you! Comment below, rate the recipe, or share a picture tagging @kjandcompany or using #kjandcompany so that I can see your fun pictures 🙂
Thanks for following and cooking along with me!
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Hi, I’m KJ!
Here you’ll find simple, delicious recipes for the home cook. I strive to make wholesome meals with easy-to-find ingredients that you feel comfortable making in your own kitchen—but I won’t shy away from a few indulgences! (I see you: butter, bacon, cookies!)
