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From: Half Baked Harvest
Kicking off the holiday baking season with my Easy Slice ‘n’ Bake Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies.
Servings: 40 cookies
More Recipe: Chocolate Chip & Cookie Butter Thumbprints
Ingredients
Vanilla Almond Cookies
- 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon hazelnut liquor (optional)
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 large eggs
- 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Whipped Caramel Frosting
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup caramel sauce or maple syrup
- assorted holiday sprinkles, for decorating
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, and vanilla until combined. Add the hazelnut liquor (if using), almond extract, and eggs - 1 at a time, and mix until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, beat until combined and the dough forms a ball.
- Divide the dough in half. Place each ball of dough on a large piece of wax or parchment paper. Shape into a log about 10" long. Wrap the dough up in the paper and place in the fridge for 3-4 hours or up to 5 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Unwrap the dough and cut the log into 1/4-inch slices. Arrange the slices on the prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes for soft cookies. Let cool.
- To make the frosting. Beat together the butter and vanilla in a large bowl until extra light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and caramel or maple. Beat until whipped, about 2 more minutes.
- Frost the cooled cookies and decorate as desired. To make the shapes of your favorite Christmas cutouts, find a few small Christmas cookie cutters and gently place in the center of the frosted cookie. Sprinkle the inside of the cookie cutter with sanding sugar. Gently shake the cookie to evenly distribute the sanding sugar and then remove the cookie cutter and finish decorating. See photos for reference.
- Store cookies, covered for up to 4 days at room temperature.
Notes
If in a Hurry, Freeze the Dough: Alternately, if in a hurry, you can freeze the dough for 45 minutes. Then slice the logs into 1/4 inch rounds and bake as directed.Tip: If you have an almost empty roll of wrapping paper, cut the roll down the center, then fit the cut roll around each log. This will prevent the dough from forming a straight edge in the fridge.
Tip: Use a piece of paper as a funnel for the sanding sugar. This ensures that the sugar stays neatly inside the cookie cutter.
More Recipe: Shortbread Cutouts Recipe
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