Mom's Christmas Sugar Cut-Out Cookies

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My mom's recipe for her delicious Christmas sugar cut-out cookies. This recipe uses almond flavoring instead of lemon. Best to just bake these once a year due to the high volume of sugar, butter, and deliciousness. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container stacked on each other in a cool and dry place.

Prep Time:
45 mins
Cook Time:
15 mins
Additional Time:
8 hrs
Total Time:
9 hrs
Servings:
30
Yield:
30 cookies
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Ingredients

Dough:

  • 1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

  • 1 large egg

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • ½ teaspoon almond extract

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour

Frosting:

  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

  • 1 large egg white

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 4 cups confectioners' sugar

  • assorted food coloring

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper.

  2. Mix confectioners' sugar, butter, egg, vanilla, and almond extract in a bowl with an electric mixer until it comes together well and butter is not clumpy. Slowly mix in baking soda and cream of tarter, then flour. When the dough becomes tougher to mix, use your hands to mash and knead until the dough is completely formed.

  3. Transfer dough to a large, floured work surface. Carefully roll to a thickness of about 1 centimeter or a little more; the thicker the dough, the softer the cookie. (These cookies will puff up in the oven.) Add flour to your work surface, the dough, and the rolling pin as needed.

  4. Cut out as many shapes as you can cleverly fit in the dough. Remove any extra dough from the perimeters of your cookies. Save all the scraps and roll into another ball for the next round of rolling and cutting out cookies.

  5. Delicately transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 1 inch of space between each one.

  6. Bake one tray at a time on the middle rack of the preheated oven, until cookies are still white on top and have fluffed up, 7 to 8 minutes. If they brown lightly along the edges, they should be removed immediately. Let the cookies sit on the tray for 1 minute and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool while you bake the second sheet of cookies.

  7. While cookies are cooling, prepare frosting by beating butter, egg white, and vanilla together in a bowl until creamy. Slowly mix in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Divide frosting into smaller bowls. Add 2 to 3 drops food coloring per bowl and mix well.

  8. Apply a thick layer of frosting to cooled cookies, spreading as smoothly as you can. Leave cookies on wire racks and cover with waxed paper. Let sit until frosting has hardened, 8 hours to overnight.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

234 Calories
11g Fat
33g Carbs
2g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 30
Calories 234
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 11g 14%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Cholesterol 35mg 12%
Sodium 48mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 33g 12%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 23g
Protein 2g 3%
Calcium 6mg 0%
Iron 1mg 3%
Potassium 38mg 1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.