Join us to bake some old school soft sugar cookies for decorating for Valentine’s Day…no hard, royal icing, thin cookies around here!
Alrighty y’all…today’s topic…sugar cookies! I am a bit of a sugar cookie snob, kind of. While I love the looks of a beautifully decorated sugar cookie, it seems like they are always too thin, hard, and I am just crunching on royal icing. We love thick, soft sugar cookies for decorating around Farmhouse 181. I’m sure there are reasons for a thin crunchy cookie for decorating with royal icing…I guess. I just don’t really care to find out what they are because I will never be that artistic and don’t want to eat them. I know, I know…I don’t mean it harshly, but I feel how I feel. Remember…taste always wins around here!
These soft sugar cookies for decorating right here taste better, hold their shape, and are still soft a solid week in an airtight container after decorating them. If you want to do some fun decorating with your kids for the Valentine’s Day holiday, or any holiday, this recipe is what you want to use! Pair these cut-out cookies with our favorite buttercream frosting and be your kids hero for at least a good 30 minutes!
Just Give it Your Best!
I know you might be thinking, “I can’t decorate a stinking sugar cookie and it be cute!”. How do I know…I thought the same thing and opted for a chocolate chip cookies instead for several years. Believe me, y’all. I know my decorating skills are sub par! But hear me out…these cookies don’t have to be pretty. Just do your best! Make them with your kids and just have fun. My decorated cookies are no better than what a 5th grader would do…maybe even a 3rd grader! I will leave any professional decorating to my sister, grandma, or cousin.
My cousin likes to decorate cakes on the side. My sister, Bethany, also loves to decorate cakes, cookies and the like and does it for a fun side hustle and hobby. Bethany Cake’s makes and specializes in those awesome number and initial cakes with all the cutesy decorations! Beth does all of my kids birthday cakes and cupcakes, and they always turn out so stinking cute! You should check them out! She definitely got her love and talent for this from our grandma who also decorated cakes back in the day!
It’s safe to say this talent skipped my mother and I, we are a little impatient! Funny enough, I actually got this original sugar cookie recipe from my mom, then made some adjustments to it! We just don’t particularly enjoy the decorating part.
I surprised my kids with the final decorated cookies and they were pumped! No matter your skill level and how these cookies end up looking, I can assure you that they will tase fantastic!
See full recipe card for these Soft Sugar Cookies for Decorating at the bottom of the page with detailed ingredients list and full step-by-step instructions. Print to save in your cookbook binder or bookmark this page!
Why We Love these Soft Sugar Cookies for Decorating
- As the title implies…they are soft in the middles with a crunchy edge
- You don’t have to be a baking pro to make them, the recipe is super simple
- You can make them in steps. Cookies today and decorate them tomorrow
- The flavor of these cookies is great without any frosting at all
- They are fun for your kids to help with. My little girl loves a good cookie cutout session!
Equipment Needed
- Rolling pin
- Cookie Cutters or a Plain Round Biscuit Cutter
- Electric Mixer is preferable
While you don’t really HAVE to have any of these things and can completely make due with what you do have, these tools will give you the best results and also make the process of baking these soft sugar cookies for decorating much easier!
I used my stand mixer, but a hand mixer will also do the job. Silicone mats for rolling out dough and even baking on are used by many, but I just used our countertop and bare baking sheet this go around.
Ingredients Needed for Soft Sugar Cookies for Decorating
- Unsalted Butter, softened
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Almond Extract
- Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- All-Purpose Flour
- Salt
- Baking Powder
There are few substitutions for this recipe. If you don’t have almond extract, you can leave it out and just add a little bit more vanilla. I do recommend the almond extract for the cookies and for a buttercream icing. It really enhances the flavor of the cookies.
You can also use all white sugar in place of the brown sugar. There again, I would recommend leaving in the brown sugar. Y’all probably already know my preference for brown sugar flavor. The easy sugar cookies really do just taste better with it! These fluffy sugar cookies are also softer and chewier with the recipe as presented.
Instructions for Soft Sugar Cookies for Decorating
Making the Sugar Cookie Dough
Start by creaming together your butter and sugar with your mixer. Once the butter and sugar have been combined, add in your eggs, vanilla extract and almond extract. Mix until fully combined.
Now mix together your dry ingredients in a separate large bowl. Sift your flour. If you know me, you know I rarely sift my flour as instructed. I usually just stir around and fluff my flour before scooping it from my flour container. I did the same thing here.
Now add your flour mixture into your wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until flour is combined if using a stand mixer. If using a hand mixer, mix your flour in a little by hand first so you don’t make it snow in your kitchen. Don’t ask me how I know! Then mix until your flour has integrated and you have an even dough. Now the best part, for now at least. Try a piece of that raw cookie dough. Hold your comments raw egg police…this is optional and not required! You do you.
Your now room temperature dough tastes great, but it’s not ready to roll out yet. We need to chill this dough before we can make any cookies that will hold their shape well. Bring all of your dough together in your bowl into one large ball. Cover your bowl with plastic wrap or lid put in the fridge. Chill time is at least an hour. I was in between picking my kids up from school when I made these and probably chilled for about 2 hours.
Shaping Your Cookies
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Remove your chilled dough from the fridge. Sprinkle a little flour on your silicone baking matt or countertop, or wherever you plan to roll out your cookies at. I use my countertop.
The dough will be pretty hard. You do have to work it around a little bit to make it “warm” enough to roll out easily. Roll your dough until it is about 3/4 inches thick.
When rolling out the dough, I don’t roll mine out in one big sheet. You can, but I prefer to roll out smaller cookie dough balls. It just seems easier to me that way. I made some large hearts here, smaller hearts, and even smaller LOVE letters.
Now stamp your cookie cutters into your rolled out dough. Transfer each one to your baking sheet. I would typically use parchment paper on my baking sheet, but was actually out. I never run out of that stuff. So I opted to place my cutout sugar cookies right on the ungreased cookie sheet to for baking.
Repeat your rolling out and cutting until you have either used up all of your dough, or run out of room on your pan. I did two rounds of rolling, cutting and baking with the amount of dough from this recipe.
Tips for Perfect Cut-out Sugar Cookies
Tip 1…try to go sparingly on the flour when rolling out. The more dry ingredients added will give you a less soft cookie.
Tip 2…if you roll out your dough on the counter like I did, you want to try and work fast. As the dough becomes softer from the warmth of your hands and being worked with, picking up the softer cookie dough from off of the counter can alter it’s shape. This would be where your silicone matt would be most beneficial in pulling off your cut cookies.
Baking the Sugar Cookies
Bake cookies in the 350 degree oven. Bake time varies from 10-15 minutes, depending on the cookie shape and size. Mine needed a baking time of about 13 minutes, and I had small and large cookies on the same baking sheet. Start checking them at 10 minutes. You want your cookies to be just slightly puffing up with very, VERY little golden brown on the edges. Soft is the goal here!
Remove the sugar cookies from the oven and let them sit on your baking sheet for another 3 minutes or so to firm up a little. Use a flat spatula and transfer your baked cookies to parchment paper in a single layer on your counter to cool completely. Before stacking these cookies, decorating them or even moving them, make sure they are cooled down all the way to a room temperature.
Frosting your Soft Sugar Cookies
Prepare your preferred buttercream frosting for your cookies per it’s instructions. This Easy Almond Buttercream Frosting for Decorating Cookies is one of our favorites. The recipe was given to me by my grandma, then adjusted to our liking! It is smooth enough to frost and decorate a sheet cake, but hardens up enough to use on this perfect sugar cookie recipe!
I laid all of my sugar cookies out on some wax paper. Since I am right handed, I began to decorate my cookies from left top corner, over and down towards the bottom right corners so I did not drag my hand through any of the already decorated cookies. Once decorated, let these cookies set out for several hours until the icing begins to harden.
You can store and arrange them in a single layer to preserve all of their beauty, or stack them. There will be a little buttercream damage in stacking them, but that’s to be expected with the buttercream in general. As always, we go for taste over beauty around here and I don’t mind a few smeared or smooshed icing cookies!
That’s it, y’all! Enjoy these super soft sugar cookies for decorating and let your kiddos in on the fun. Or surprise them with a special treat!
Other Farmhouse 181 Recipe Recommendations
If you loved this Soft Sugar Cookies for Decorating recipe, you might enjoy one of these Farmhouse 181 recipes as well. Check them out!
- Easy Almond Buttercream Frosting for Decorating Cookies
- Famous Quaker Oats Oatmeal Cookie Recipe, Let’s Make It!
- Best Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping, No Bakery Necessary!
- Soft and Fluffy Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe (Coming Soon!!!)
Thick, Soft Sugar Cookies for Decorating
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Cookie Cutters
- Electric Mixer
Ingredients
- 4 Sticks Unsalted Butter, softened
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- 1 cup White Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1-2 tsp Almond Extract
- 5 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Cream together sugar and butter with your mixer.
- Add in eggs, vanilla, and almond extract and mix together.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder.
- Add your dry ingredients to your wet and mix slowly until your sugar cookie dough is formed.
- Shape into a ball in your mixing bowl. Cover it with a lid or plastic wrap and put in the fridge to cool for at least an hour.
- Remove your dough from the fridge and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Roll out your dough with rolling pin to 3/4 inch thickness onto a lightly floured surface.
- Use your cookie cutters to make your cut-out cookie shapes. Once cut out, move them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake anywhere from 10-15 minutes depending on the cookie size. Mine took about 13 minutes with varying sizes.
- Bake until they start to puff up and cookie edges have very little golden brown color, but no longer. This keeps them soft.
- Let them sit on the baking sheet for another 3 minutes or so to firm up a little.
- Transfer them to your countertop or other surface in a single layer to cool.
- Once completely cooled to room temperature, you can store your cookies to frost or decorate later, or you can begin frosting.
- Let your frosting harden before storing in an airtight container.
- Enjoy!
Isn’t it funny how we all think “our recipe” (what our normal looks and tastes like) is the best ever! Ha! Yours do look wonderful! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Right?! I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder 😜 Happy Valentine’s Day to you as well!
Love these; they are almost too good to eat!
Thanks! Keyword almost…Haha! We definitely polished them off!