Cut-Out Sugar Cookies that Don't Spread!
The best Cut-Out Sugar Cookies are created with this recipe that can easily be made gluten-free! Learn all the tips and tricks for how to get the cookies to hold their shape and decorate them perfectly for this Christmas season.
Servings: 20 cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter cold, but not frozen, cubed*
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. almond extract
- 2 ¼ cups flour or a gluten-free 1-to-1 baking blend
- ½ tsp. salt
Family Icing Recipe:
- 2 egg whites
- 2 Tbsp. butter melted*
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 1-2 Tbsp. milk if needed
- food coloring
Royal Icing Recipe:
- 1 egg white
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp milk optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer combine cold butter and sugar. Mix on medium for 1-2 minutes, or until butter and sugar are just combined.
- Add egg, vanilla and almond extract. Continue mixing for 1-2 more minutes.
- In a separate bowl combine white rice flour tapioca starch, xanthan gum and salt. Toss to combine.
- Slowly add dry ingredients to the butter sugar mixture. Continue mixing on medium until dough starts to form a ball.
- Place dough out on a lightly powdered sugar-coated surface. Roll dough out to ¼ - ⅓ inch thickness.
- Using cookie cutters, cut dough into desired shapes and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake cookies for 9-11 minutes or until edges just begin to brown.
- Let cookies cool completely before frosting.
Family Icing:
- In a medium-sized bowl place, mix egg whites over medium speed for 1 minute. Add butter, vanilla and 1 cup powdered sugar. Mix until sugar is incorporated.
- Add remaining sugar incrementally and mix well between each addition. If frosting is too thick, add 1-2 tbsp milk until desired consistency is reached.
- Add food coloring as desired.
- Frost cookies using a toothpick to spread the icing where you want it on the cookies.
Royal Icing: *optional*
- Place egg white in a medium bowl. Mix egg white for 1-2 minutes or until it becomes frothy. Add vanilla and mix for another minute.
- Add powdered sugar and mix over medium-low speed for 4-5 minutes.
- If icing is too thick, add milk as needed to reach an easy piping consistency.
- Place royal icing in a piping bag fitted with a 3M piping tip. Pipe designs on cookies and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- You can also use 1 1/2 cups sweet white rice flour, 3/4 cup tapioca starch, and 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum instead of the gluten-free flour blend.
- Food coloring gel works best when getting really vibrant colors in your icing.
- Use tweezers when placing small nonpareils onto the cookies.
- These sprinkles and these white nonpareils were used to decorate the cookies you see pictured.
- You can also use vegan "buttery" sticks or margarine if dairy-free.
- To Store: Baked sugar cookies taste best when kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: Seal in a freezer-safe airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 235kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 125mg | Potassium: 19mg | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 190IU | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.1mg