Soft Butter Sugar Cookies (Print version)
Soft, buttery sugar treats decorated with colorful icing for festive spring gatherings.
# What you'll need:
→ Cookie Dough
01 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 tsp baking powder
03 - 1/4 tsp salt
04 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
08 - 1/2 tsp almond extract
→ Royal Icing
09 - 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
10 - 2 tbsp meringue powder
11 - 3–4 tbsp water
12 - Gel food coloring (various pastel colors)
# How to make it:
01 - Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside for later use.
02 - Beat the softened butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, approximately 2–3 minutes.
03 - Mix in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract until fully incorporated into the butter mixture.
04 - Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined. Avoid overmixing to maintain tender texture.
05 - Divide dough into two equal portions, flatten into discs, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for minimum 45 minutes.
06 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
07 - On a lightly floured surface, roll one dough disc to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut egg shapes using cookie cutter and arrange 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets.
08 - Bake for 8–10 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool completely on the baking sheet.
09 - Combine powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water in a bowl. Mix until smooth and reaches pipeable consistency.
10 - Divide icing into separate bowls and tint each with gel food coloring to create pastel shades as desired.
11 - Pipe or spread colored icing onto cooled cookies, creating festive Easter egg patterns. Allow icing to set completely before serving.
# Expert suggestions:
01 -
- The dough is incredibly forgiving and handles beautifully even if you are new to rolling out cookies
- You can make them ahead and freeze either the dough or the undecorated baked cookies
02 -
- Chilling the dough is nonnegotiable because warm dough spreads too much and loses that clean egg shape
- The royal icing will form a crust within 15 to 20 minutes but takes several hours to fully harden
03 -
- Rotate your baking sheets halfway through for even browning
- Let the icing set completely before stacking the cookies or they will stick together