Cutouts that KEEP THEIR SHAPE

YES. REALLY. Just like those professionals that you see on instagram. [which are not, and never will be me.] I’m just here to hopefully give someone in the world some advice, tips, enjoyment, 5:00PM Tuesday/Thursday reading & whatever knowledge I can find in the world worth sharing. Today’s knowledge is cutout cookies that actually keep their shape. You’ve done it, make some adorable cut out cookie flowers, cats, leaves, dinosaurs & you put them in the oven for 8-10 minutes and they come out as, a large blob, small something, and a medium oh no. WELL, I’m here to save the day. [hopefully]. & these taste good, [super bonus]. [left, raw dough – real shapes]

Sugar Cookie Cutout Recipe

Ingredients: 

• 4 cups flour
• 1 cup unsalted butter [room temp]
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp. almond extract

Directions: 

**Preheat oven to 360 Degrees. [yes. 360. not a typo]

— Cream butter & sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs & extracts. Then, add your salt & gradually mix in your flour. Take your bowl of dough & wrap in plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours. Roll out [to roughly 1/4 ” thick]& cut out. 
** If you roll your cookies out in between parchment paper, [instead of on the counter with flour] this will keep the cookie’s from getting too dry. Lay your parchment on the counter, then your dough, and another layer of parchment paper between your dough and roller. A parchment sandwich if you will. 

Bake for 8-10 minutes. THEY WILL NOT BE GOLDEN BROWN. [see photo example below] You might want to conduct a test to see how many minutes your oven needs. Mine needs 9 1/2 minutes. You won’t see the light brown edges like typical cookies, so make sure they are baked, but not overdone. 

Let the cookies cool, and you can frost them with buttercream flowers, royal icing, or whatever your little heart desires. The most exciting part is that they will keep whatever cutout shape you make them. It took me [& my mom] about 4 recipes and trial and error to find this gem of a cutout, so… your welcome. Kisses.