Sandra Lee is known for her “Semi-Homemade” cooking show on the Food Network. She once said, “Baking cookies is comforting, and cookies are the sweetest little bit of comfort food. They are very bite-sized and personal.”
We think Sandra hit a homerun with this statement. There’s just something about a cookie – especially a Christmas cookie – that can bring out the inner cookie monster in anyone. Keeping this in mind, we’ve pinned a fabulous recipe for cut-out sugar cookies that we just have to share with you.
Give it a try and be creative while decorating. Make sure to send us a picture of your personal, bite-sized creations too. We would love to see your smiling; cookie monster faces enjoying a festive Christmas cookie!
Perfect Sugar Cookies Cut-Outs
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ¼ cup sugar
1 egg
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
3 cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Colored sugars for decorating
BAKING DIRECTIONS
- In large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in egg, vanilla extract and almond extract and mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Make sure to spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife to ensure accurate measurements. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until completely combined.
- Roll the dough between 2 sheets of parchment or wax paper and place on a baking sheet in the refrigerator. Chill for about 20-30 minutes.
- Cut dough into shapes with cookie cutters and transfer to a baking sheet. Sprinkle with colored sugars and bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes and then transfer to a baking rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Makes about 40-50 cookies.
TIPS
- Dough only needs to chill 20-30 minutes in refrigerator since it’s already rolled out.
- Using parchment paper to roll dough eliminates the need to add extra flour to prevent sticking.
- 9 minutes seems to be the perfect cooking time.
- Make sure to let cookies cool on baking sheet for only 5 minutes – any longer will cause the cookies to dry out.
This recipe, along with tons of others, is pinned on our Mr. Appliance® Pinterest page under the Holiday Treats board. Happy cooking!