Cut-Out Sugar Cookies That Hold Their Shape

Before you start

A cut-out cookie has a different job from a drop cookie: it must come out of the oven the same shape it went in, flat enough to decorate and sturdy enough to stack. That means no baking soda, only a little baking powder, a lower ratio of butter to flour and very little creaming, since air trapped in the dough expands and softens the edges.

Roll the dough while it is soft, between two sheets of parchment, and chill the flat sheets before cutting. This avoids working extra flour into the dough, which makes cookies tough and pale. A short freeze of the cut shapes just before baking is what keeps the corners and points crisp.

Ingredients

• Dough375 g (3 cups, spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 225 g (1 cup) unsalted butter — softened but cool
• 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg — room temperature
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp almond extract — optional
• Royal icing450 g (about 4 cups) powdered sugar — sifted
• 3 tbsp meringue powder
• 90 to 120 ml (6 to 8 tbsp) warm water
• As needed gel food coloring

Method

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. Beat the butter and sugar on medium-low for about 1 minute, just until smooth and combined; do not beat until fluffy.
2. Beat in the egg, vanilla and almond extract. Add the flour on low speed and mix until the dough clumps together.
3. Divide the dough in half. Roll each half between two sheets of parchment to 6 mm (¼ in) thick. Stack the sheets on a baking tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes, until firm.
4. Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and line the baking sheets with parchment. Peel the top paper off one dough sheet, cut out shapes and move them to the baking sheets 2.5 cm (1 in) apart. Reroll scraps between parchment and chill again.
5. Freeze the tray of cut cookies for 10 minutes. This sets the butter so the edges stay sharp.
6. Bake one sheet at a time for 8 to 11 minutes, depending on size, until the surface looks dry and matte and the edges are just beginning to color. Cool for 5 minutes on the sheet, then on a rack.
7. For the icing, beat the powdered sugar, meringue powder and 90 ml water on low for 1 minute, then medium-high for 3 to 4 minutes, until thick and glossy. This stiff icing is for outlining.
8. For flooding, thin a portion with water a few drops at a time until a ribbon dropped on the surface disappears in about 10 to 15 seconds. Color as you like, outline the cooled cookies, then flood inside the lines. Let the icing crust for 1 hour and dry completely for 6 to 8 hours before stacking.

Tips for success

• Always cover royal icing with plastic wrap pressed on the surface. It crusts within minutes when exposed to air.
• Bake cookies of similar size together. Small shapes finish several minutes before large ones.
• If the dough softens while cutting, slide the sheet back into the fridge for 10 minutes rather than forcing it.

Substitutions

Meringue powder

Pasteurized liquid egg whites can be used: about 60 ml in place of the meringue powder and half the water. Do not use raw unpasteurized whites in icing that will not be cooked.

Royal icing

For a softer finish, use a glaze of 240 g powdered sugar, 2 tbsp milk and 1 tbsp light corn syrup. It sets with a slight sheen but stays softer and less sharp.

Almond extract

Replace with ½ tsp finely grated lemon zest or leave it out. Almond extract is strong; more than ¼ tsp can taste bitter.

Variations

Chocolate cut-outs

Replace 60 g of the flour with Dutch-process cocoa powder and add 1 tbsp milk. Watch the edges carefully because browning is hard to see.

Lemon cut-outs

Rub the zest of 2 lemons into the sugar before beating and replace the almond extract with ½ tsp lemon extract.

Troubleshooting

Cookies spread and lost their detail

The dough was too warm or overcreamed. Beat the butter and sugar only until combined, chill the rolled dough and freeze the cut shapes before baking.

Cookies are tough and pale

Too much flour was worked in while rolling. Roll between parchment instead of on a floured counter, and limit rerolling to once or twice.

Bubbles or craters in the flooded icing

The flood icing was too thin or air bubbles were trapped. Thicken it slightly, let it sit covered for a few minutes, and pop bubbles with a toothpick right after flooding.

Colors bled into each other

The base layer was not dry before the next color went on, or the icing was too thin. Let each section crust for at least 30 minutes.

Storage

Store plain or fully dried decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, with parchment between layers. Undecorated cookies freeze for up to 3 months. Wrapped dough sheets keep in the fridge for 3 days or the freezer for 2 months.

Safety notes

Do not eat the raw dough; it contains raw flour and raw egg. Meringue powder is made from dried egg whites and is a safe choice for uncooked icing. Contains wheat, egg and milk.