I fell in love with soft sugar cookies in college, and I’ve been making them regularly ever since.  There’s nothing like biting into a soft, chewy cookie flavored with a hint of almond and covered in a smooth frosting.

We especially love making these for Valentine’s Day with a heart cookie cutter, but they’re equally exceptional for any other holiday or day of the year.  You’ll find them easy to make, simple to customize with different flavors and extracts, and a recipe you come back to time and time again (just like I do).

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The Best Soft Sugar Cookies

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Ingredients

Cookies

• 1 cup butter room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbs baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Buttercream Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter room temperature
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 Tbs milk
• food coloring optional

Glaze

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• food coloring optional

Instructions

Cookies

• Cream butter and sugar until soft and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• Add eggs, sour cream and almond extract.  Mix well.
• Add flour, baking powder and salt.  Mix until combined.
• Scoop out onto a large piece of plastic wrap in the shape of a disk.  Cover and refrigerate for 2+ hours or freeze for 30+ minutes.
• Roll out to about 1/4″ thickness onto a lightly floured surface.
• Cut with cookie cutters and place onto a greased or silicone-mat-lined baking sheet.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes, until set.
• Let cool completely before frosting.

Buttercream Frosting

• Combined all ingredients and whip until light and fluffy.  Add more milk if it gets too thick, or more powdered sugar if it’s too runny.

Glaze

• Stir ingredients together until smooth.  Add more water if it gets too thick, or more powdered sugar if it’s too runny.

Notes

If you don’t prefer almond extract, you can use vanilla extract as a substitute.

I’ve substituted plain greek yogurt for the sour cream with good results.

What I Used

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