Holiday Sugar Cookies
Get ready to bake the ultimate festive treat with these Holiday Sugar Cookies—soft, buttery, and delightfully customizable! Perfect for any seasonal celebration, this easy recipe combines a rich dough flavored with hints of vanilla and optional almond extract for a subtle twist. The dough chills to perfection, ensuring clean edges when using your favorite holiday-themed cookie cutters. Rolled out on powdered sugar for an extra touch of sweetness, these cookies bake in just 10 minutes, yielding tender results with a golden-hued edge. Once cooled, unleash your creativity by decorating them with icing, sprinkles, and all your festive favorites. With minimal prep and crowd-pleasing flavors, these sugar cookies are sure to become a holiday tradition in your kitchen.
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Recipe Information
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 0.5 teaspoons almond extract (optional)
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 0.25 teaspoons salt
- 0.25 cups powdered sugar (for rolling)
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using) to the bowl. Beat until fully combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until a soft dough forms. Avoid overmixing.
Divide the dough into two portions, flatten each into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until firm.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Lightly dust a clean surface and rolling pin with powdered sugar. Roll one dough disc out to a thickness of about 1/4 inch.
Use holiday-themed cookie cutters to cut shapes out of the dough. Transfer the shapes to the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch of space between each cookie.
Repeat with the remaining dough, re-rolling scraps as necessary.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are just starting to turn golden. Avoid overbaking for softer cookies.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate as desired with icing, sprinkles, or other holiday decorations once the cookies are completely cool.
Nutrition Facts
Calories |
160 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
% Daily Value* |
|||
| Total Fat | 8.2 g | 10% | |
| Saturated Fat | 5.0 g | 25% | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.0 g | ||
| Cholesterol | 29 mg | 10% | |
| Sodium | 46 mg | 2% | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 19.6 g | 7% | |
| Dietary Fiber | 0.3 g | 1% | |
| Total Sugars | 9.7 g | ||
| Protein | 1.7 g | 3% | |
| Vitamin D | 0.2 mcg | 1% | |
| Calcium | 5 mg | 0% | |
| Iron | 0.5 mg | 3% | |
| Potassium | 16 mg | 0% | |
*The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
