Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

Cut-Out Sugar Cookies - made dough December 5, 2019 from In Katrina's Kitchen

I am hopelessly behind on my blog. I have a backlog of recipes to put up and trying to give priority to the baking ones before people swear off sugar after the holidays. So this will be short and sweet. Similar to the White Velvet Sugar Cookies, this dough held its shape and the indentations from the cookies stamps well. The pictures are both from after the cookies were baked so you can see what I mean.

Bake these for no more than 10 minutes. Don't wait for the edges to get brown or the cookies won't have that chewy texture. I do have to give the slightest nod to the White Velvet Sugar Cookies as being a bit better for flavor but this is also good, as long as you don't overbake it. I brought this to a neighborhood holiday potluck and my neighbors liked it and had seconds (and thirds) so this has been endorsed by my block :).

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (I used vanilla)
1 egg
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until smooth, at least 3 minutes.
3. Beat in extracts and egg.
4. In a separate bowl, combine baking powder, salt and flour. Add 1/3 at a time to the wet ingredients. The dough will be stiff. If it becomes too stiff for the mixer, turn out dough onto a countertop surface. Wet your hands and finish kneading the dough by hand. Do not chill dough.
5. Divide into several batches. Roll each batch onto floured surface to 1/4" thickness and cut with cookie shapers, cutters and/or stampers.
6. Bake for 6-8 minutes or no more than 10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 3-5 minutes until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.