Sugar Cookie Cutouts

Notes

1. Getting Started: Sugar cookie cutouts can have a bit of a learning curve, so we included extra notes we've learned to help you along the way. Reach out with questions—we’re here to help!
2. Servings: Makes 36-48 cookies about 3” wide at ¼” thick. Roll to ⅜” for thicker, chewier cookies; you’ll just yield slightly fewer cookies. (see note #12 for bake time)
3. Storage: Baked cookies keep in an airtight container at room temp for 2 weeks. Freeze baked or unbaked dough for up to 3 months.
4. Prep: Measure all ingredients ahead of time to help make it easy. A food scale is highly recommended for accuracy; we like this scale that measures to 0.1g and includes mL settings.
5. Mixer: A stand or hand mixer works, but a whisk or spatula won’t work well for this recipe.
6. Butter: Your butter should be soft but cool (65–68°F). Butter that’s too warm makes the dough overly soft, which causes spreading in the oven. Salted or unsalted both work—just reduce added salt if using salted.
7. Room Temp Eggs: Leave eggs on the counter for a few hours before using. Place them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes to speed up the process.
8. Flour: 1) Sticky Dough: Dough should be soft and pliable, not sticky. If it's sticking to the sides of the bowl or too sticky to handle, add flour 1 Tbsp at a time until it's like playdough. 2) Dry Dough: This can happen if too much flour was added, or even if your eggs were too small. To rehydrate, whisk an additional room temp egg in a small bowl, then add in 2-3 teaspoons at a time until the dough comes together again.
9. Gluten-Free: Substitute with your favorite GF flour 1:1 ratio (we prefer "King Arthur Measure for Measure").
10. Chilling Dough: Chill rolled sheets for at least 2–4 hours, and up to 24 hours (any longer and it may start to dry). If you’re making the dough a few days in advance before baking, don’t roll out before chilling. Instead, shape into a large disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill for up to 3 days. Let sit at room temp for 15-30 minutes before rolling into a sheet.
11. Rolling Dough: This recipe was developed using the Birchberry Adjustable Rolling Pin, which is extra long and designed for rolling large sheets evenly. Standard pins are shorter—if you’re not using Birchberry, divide the dough in half or thirds, then roll.
12. Thickness: Roll to ¼” for classic cutouts, or ⅜” for thicker, chewier cookies. Even thickness is crucial to ensure the cookies bake uniformly, hold their shape, and have consistent texture across the batch. Both thicknesses will bake evenly without spreading in this recipe—just increase baking time for ⅜” thick to 9–12 minutes, depending on cutout size.
13. Flavors: 1) Extracts: Use 2 tsp vanilla extract + ½ tsp of your extract of choice—such as lemon, orange, maple, or peppermint—and omit the almond extract. 2) Spiced: Use 2 tsp vanilla extract + ½ tsp ground cinnamon + ¼ tsp nutmeg.
14. Oven Temperature: A consistent oven temp is key for an even bake. We use an oven thermometer to monitor the temp.

Troubleshooting

1. How to Know When Baked: Watch the surface of the cookie. Cookies are ready when the tops are no longer shiny. Once the surface of the cookie looks dry, pull them out—they’ll flatten and firm as they cool.
2. Spreading While Baking: 1) To prevent spreading, chill cutouts before baking, don't place chilled cookies on warm baking sheets, and leave space between each cookie to avoid overcrowding the pan. 2) Add enough flour so that the dough isn’t sticky and is easy to handle. 3) Be sure your butter is at the correct temperature since too warm/soft butter encourages spreading. 4) Use perforated silicone mats to keep edges sharp and the bottoms in place.
3. Edges or Bottom Browning: Use light-colored baking sheets to prevent over-browning on the bottom—perforated silicone mats help a lot too. Check your oven’s temperature with an oven thermometer to ensure it’s not running hot, which bakes the cookies too fast.
4. Dry Texture After Baking: 1) The most common is from overbaking. Use the surface of the cookies as your gauge and pull cookies out as soon as the shiny spot on top disappears. 2) Too much flour was added. We typically only need a max 1-2 tablespoons of extra flour at most, if any is needed at all. If your butter is too warm to begin with, you may be inclined to add too much additional flour to make up for the dough softness. It also depends on your climate, and even the size of the eggs used—too small of eggs will need less flour. 3) The dough was left out too long. The flour absorbs more moisture, which dries out the dough before baking.
5. Air Bubbles on Top After Baking: If you have some bubbles on top of your cookies after baking, it’s likely caused by excess air during mixing. If there are a lot, you can push down on hot cookies gently with a spatula, or top them with a baking sheet for a few minutes. Alternatively, if you plan on decorating the cookies, you can lightly prick the raw cookie tops a few times with a fork before baking.
6. Dark Spots After Baking: 1) Most common is the sugar didn’t fully dissolve during creaming. Be sure to cream the butter for the full time until really fluffy, and scrape the bowl many times. 2) Butter wasn’t evenly mixed. Be sure the butter isn’t colder than 65°F so it can fully cream, and scrape the bowl often so all the butter gets fully incorporated.