Cut Out Sugar Cookies

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F. To prep for rolling, lay a piece of parchment on the counter and sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of flour.

Step 2

In a large bowl, cream together unsalted butter (¾ cup; i.e. 1½ sticks) and granulated sugar (¾ cup) on medium speed for 20-30 seconds.

Step 3

While mixer is still on medium speed, add in egg (1 large), vanilla extract (1½ teaspoons) and almond extract (½ teaspoon).

Step 4

Once mixed, add in baking powder (1 teaspoon), salt (½ teaspoon), and all-purpose flour (2 cups), ½ cup at a time, on low speed.

Step 5

Once mixture is combined and all the flour disappears, transfer dough to the piece of floured parchment paper. Press mixture into large ball so that it is all incorporated and any loose floury pieces are pressed in. Knead dough for 5-10 seconds until it becomes a smooth ball, then press into 2" thick disc (see photo guides above in post).Use a rolling pin to roll dough ⅜" to ½" thick.

Step 6

Use cookie cutters to cut out and transfer to a parchment baking sheet.

Step 7

Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes. Do not overbake. Depending on size, cookies may look underdone at 10 minutes, but I recommend removing them from the oven before seeing any brown on the edges. If you've used a medium/large cutter and made them ½" thick, you may need to bake for a few extra minutes.

Step 8

Once baked, remove from oven and place pan on a cooling rack. Do not remove cookies from hot pan. Let them rest on the hot pan for 10-15 minutes to finish baking before removing from the pan.

Step 9

Once completely cooled, top with frosting. See notes section below for frosting ideas.

Step 10

Store in airtight container for 2-3 days or freeze for later.