Cut-out sugar cookies

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Put 225 g softened unsalted butter and 200 g granulated sugar in a bowl and beat on medium speed for about two minutes. For cut-out cookies you only need to beat until smooth rather than very fluffy, so the cookies don't puff and lose their shape as they bake. The mixture is ready when it's smooth, slightly paler and the sugar has nearly dissolved.

   Suggested time: about 2 minutes.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Add 50 g eggs, 6 g vanilla extract and 1 g almond extract to the butter and beat on low speed until combined. A hint of almond gives the cookies a deeper aroma without overpowering the vanilla. Stop when the mixture is uniform with no streaks of egg white left.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Whisk together 375 g all-purpose flour, 4 g baking powder and 3 g salt, then add it to the butter in two additions and mix on the lowest speed. Mixing slowly and just enough keeps the dough from turning tough and gives crisp, clean shapes. The dough is ready when it comes together in a soft mass that doesn't stick to your hands, with no dry flour left.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Divide the dough in half, place each half between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it out about six millimeters thick, then refrigerate for about an hour. Rolling before chilling saves you from dusting with extra flour, which makes cookies hard. The sheets are ready when they're evenly firm and the parchment peels off easily.

   Suggested time: about 60 minutes.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Heat the oven to 175°C, line the baking sheets with parchment paper and have your favorite cookie cutters ready. A moderate temperature bakes the cookies evenly without darkening the edges. The oven is ready after about fifteen minutes of preheating.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Take out one sheet of dough at a time, peel off the parchment and press the cutters straight down, then move the shapes to the baking sheet about two centimeters apart. If the dough softens, put the whole sheet in the freezer for five minutes so the shapes keep sharp edges. The shapes are ready when they have clean edges and don't stretch out of shape when you lift them.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Bake at 175°C for 8 to 10 minutes, keeping in mind that small shapes bake faster. Cut-out cookies are best still pale, as a base for the icing. They're done when the tops look dry, the edges are just turning a very pale gold and the bottoms are evenly golden.

   Bake at 175°C for about 8 to 10 minutes.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for about two minutes, then move them to a rack and let them cool completely, about thirty minutes. Decorating while they're still warm makes the icing run and keeps it from drying. They're ready when the undersides feel cool and the cookies are firm and crisp.

   Suggested time: about 30 minutes.

   Mark step 8 as done

9. Step 9

   Beat 32 g egg whites with 250 g powdered sugar and 5 g lemon juice on low speed, then divide it into small bowls and tint with a pinch food coloring. The lemon juice makes the icing whiter and helps it set hard faster. The icing is ready when it's glossy and smooth, forms ribbons and holds its shape when drizzled back over the surface.

   Mark step 9 as done

10. Step 10

    Spoon the icing into a piping bag with a small tip, outline the edge of each cookie first, then thin the remaining icing with a few drops of water and flood the centers. The thick outline works like a dam that keeps the thinner icing from spilling over. The cookies are finished when the icing is flat and smooth and has dried hard after about six to eight hours in the open air.

    Mark step 10 as done