Soft Thick Cut-Out Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting
Christmas baking season isn’t complete at our house until a batch or two of these sugar cookies make an appearance. They are wonderfully soft and thick with a sweet buttercream frosting.
What kind of cookie cutters work well?
Considering how thick these cookies are and that they puff up, I recommend using cookie cutters that are a bit simpler. Christmas trees, circular ornaments, and stars for example, all work well. The edges will lose their ‘sharpness’ though, and round themselves off a bit.
Can I roll the cookies thinner?
Some years I have made these a little thinner than the called for 1/2-inch thickness. I always err on the side of too thick rather than too thin for this recipe. We want them to be soft, after all, and the thinner you get the more crisp the cookie will be.
Does the dough freeze well?
Yep! I freeze the dough in a flat and long rectangular shape, that way when I cut down on the time it takes to fully defrost.
Do the unfrosted, baked cookies freeze well?
Yes, they freeze beautifully. Lay out the cookies on a parchment lined pan, an inch apart, and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to a Ziploc or Tupperware and store until ready to use. Baked cookies can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Happy baking!
Soft & Thick Cut-Out Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper Sheets
- Holiday Cookie Cutters
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 2 cups butter
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
For the buttercream frosting:
- 12 Tablespoons butter room temperature (1 1/2 sticks)
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 5 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Assorted Holiday Sprinkles
- Gel Food Coloring
Instructions
Make the cookies:
- Cream butter and sugar till fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat till fluffy again. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together, and add to the creamed mixture. Mix till combined. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
- Preheat your oven to 350-f degrees. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface, about 1/2 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters, and place on parchment lined cookie sheets.
- Bake for 10-14 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies, until they are just puffed. If the edges start to brown, you've gone too far. Let cool completely, then frost.
Make the frosting:
- Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, whip the butter on medium-high speed 4 minutes, until light and creamy.
- While mixing on low, add in the powdered sugar gradually, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. At this point the frosting will be very thick.
- Add in the heavy cream one tablespoon at a time, mixing between each tablespoon. Add in vanilla and salt and beat for 30 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Divide into bowls and add desired food coloring.
Those look delicious!
I made this recipe exactly like it is written, it came out perfect. The dough was not to dry or wet, handled very well even without chilling it held its shape. I baked for 9 minutes to keep it soft. Very nice!
I made this recipe exactly like it is written, it came out perfect. The dough was not to dry or wet, handled very well even without chilling it held its shape. I baked for 9 minutes to keep it soft. Very nice!
Thank you so much for the feedback Brenda 🙂 These also keep extraordinarily well. I hope your family and friends enjoy them.
LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOO