Description
Classic Christmas Sugar Cookie Stars recipe featuring a tender, buttery dough flavored with vanilla and almond extracts. These cookies are easy to make and perfect for holiday decorating, offering a delightful sugary crunch on top and a soft texture inside.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
Decoration
- 3 to 4 tablespoons sugar for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) to ensure it reaches the right temperature for baking your cookies evenly.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and baking powder, stirring them together to distribute evenly.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, use a mixer to cream the softened butter and white sugar together until the mixture is smooth and fluffy, which helps create a tender cookie texture.
- Add Egg and Extracts: Beat in the egg followed by the vanilla and almond extracts to the creamed butter and sugar mixture until fully incorporated, enhancing the cookie’s flavor.
- Combine Dry with Wet: Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing slowly to form a smooth dough without overmixing.
- Shape Dough Balls: Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of the dough into balls and place them evenly spaced on ungreased cookie sheets for uniform baking.
- Flatten and Decorate: Use the bottom of a glass to gently flatten each dough ball, then lightly sprinkle the tops with sugar for a sparkling, sweet topping.
- Bake: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes until the edges just start to turn golden, keeping the centers soft.
- Cool: Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on wire racks to set their shape and texture before serving or decorating further.
Notes
- Ensure butter is softened to room temperature for better creaming with sugar.
- Do not overbake cookies to keep them tender inside.
- Use ungreased cookie sheets for a crisp bottom.
- For festive variation, decorate with colored sugar or sprinkles instead of plain sugar.
- Store cookies in an airtight container to maintain freshness.
