These extra easy Almond Sugar Cookies are buttery, crisp on the edges, and chewy in the middle. Almond extract in the dough and the sugar cookie frosting make them extra flavorful!
I’ve been making these cookies for years, and they are always a hit! They can be decorated to match any holiday or event, and you will always come home with an empty tray.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THESE SUGAR COOKIES WITH ALMOND EXTRACT
They call for just six simple ingredients, and the dough comes together in minutes.
You don’t have to chill the dough, you can get right to baking.
No cookie cutters, no rolling pin needed! Just roll the dough into balls and flatten them with a glass. No mess!
Every bite is buttery, chewy, and packed with almond flavor.
They are topped with a creamy almond sugar cookie frosting. It’s so yummy!
SUGAR COOKIES WITHOUT THE FUSS
Love sugar cookies but hate taking all the time to roll them out? Me too!
These easy sugar cookies require no rolling out on the counter top! Just roll them in balls and squish them.
They are quick to put together and have great flavor. When my kids were little, they loved dipping the glass in sugar and then smashing the cookies flat. So many fun memories of baking these almond Christmas cookies for friends and neighbors!
Can I just use vanilla extract instead?
I absolutely love this sugar cookie recipe with almond flavoring, but if you aren’t fond of it, you can substitute vanilla. They aren’t quite the same. Make sure you use a good quality vanilla extract or they tend to be a little bland. You may even want to add vanilla beans.
HOW TO MAKE ALMOND SUGAR COOKIES
PREP – Let your butter come to room temperature on the counter.
WET INGREDIENTS – In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and almond extract together until creamy. I use a hand mixer, but you can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
DRY INGREDIENTS – Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Add to creamed mixture and stir just till combined.
FORM – Roll dough into balls approximately 1 1/4″ across. Place on silicone lined or lightly greased cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie with a glass dipped in sugar. The thinner you press them, the more crisp they will be.
BAKE – Bake cookies for 7-9 minutes, or until the edges are barely light brown. Let cool on pans for 2-3 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
FROST – After cookies are cooled, spread the tops with frosting. Garnish the tops with sprinkles or sliced almonds if desired.
ALMOND SUGAR COOKIE FROSTING
To make the homemade frosting, beat the soft butter, powdered sugar, almond extract, vanilla, salt, and cream till smooth, adding as much cream as you need to get a spreadable consistency.
The buttery cookies topped with the sweet almond frosting are simply irresistible!
They aren’t just perfect for Christmas, you can use different colors of sprinkles and make them for any occasion.
And of course if you prefer, you can add food coloring to the frosting with the cream.
Or you can just decorate the tops with sliced almonds.
LEFTOVERS? If you have any leftover cookies, just store them in an airtight container. I like to place waxed paper between the layers to protect the frosting. They will last at room temperature for up to a week. The frosting helps keep them soft.
If you prefer, you can store them in the refrigerator. You can serve them cold, or let them come to room temperature first.
You can also freeze the cookies, but I recommend freezing them before you frost them. Then when ready to serve, let them thaw and then add the frosting.
Simple buttery sugar cookies flavored with almond extract. They require no cookie cutters, so they are extra easy! You'll love the creamy almond sugar cookie frosting!
Mix butter, sugar and extract in a large bowl. Beat until creamy, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients and stir till mixed well.
Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet and flatten balls to 1/4 inch thickness with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.
Bake at 375 for 7-9 minutes or until edges are barely lightly browned. Cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet before moving to cooling racks.
Cool completely. Frost cookies and decorate with sprinkles if desired.
Frosting: Beat together all ingredients till smooth and creamy, adding as much cream or milk as needed.
Notes
For crisper cookies, cook until the edges are golden brown.
I haven’t tried that, but I think they would be too crumbly with almond flour. There’s no egg to bind the ingredients together, so the gluten in the flour helps with that. If you want to try it, I’d make half or even a quarter of the recipe so you don’t waste ingredients if they don’t turn out. Good luck!
These cookies are delicious and the icing is to die for … I chilled mine for 30 minutes before baking, but I’m not sure they needed it. I’ll bake these again for sure!
Hi, I’ve been mixing this for too long and it’s still more of a powder consistency. Is the butter really the only “liquid” in the recipe? It seems like it may be missing milk or an egg?
Thank you
It’s a shortbread type cookie, so no egg or milk, just the butter and almond extract. If your butter wasn’t soft enough, the dough could be pretty stiff. Letting it sit in a warm place should soften it enough that you can get it to stick together. If your flour was packed in the cup, your batter could be too dry. If that’s the case, you can try adding a bit more softened butter.
Do you mean in the dough or the frosting? I think it would be fine in the dough, it may just be a little less firm. You can add the extract to the frosting to taste, but add it before the cream so it doesn’t get too runny.
If you do use food coloring, I’d make sure to use the gel food coloring. Liquid food coloring will change the consistency of the dough, and you don’t want to make it too wet.
Can I use Almond flour instead of all purpose flour?
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I haven’t tried that, but I think they would be too crumbly with almond flour. There’s no egg to bind the ingredients together, so the gluten in the flour helps with that. If you want to try it, I’d make half or even a quarter of the recipe so you don’t waste ingredients if they don’t turn out. Good luck!
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These cookies are delicious and the icing is to die for … I chilled mine for 30 minutes before baking, but I’m not sure they needed it. I’ll bake these again for sure!
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So glad you loved them, they’ve been a favorite of mine for years!
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Hi, I’ve been mixing this for too long and it’s still more of a powder consistency. Is the butter really the only “liquid” in the recipe? It seems like it may be missing milk or an egg?
Thank you
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It’s a shortbread type cookie, so no egg or milk, just the butter and almond extract. If your butter wasn’t soft enough, the dough could be pretty stiff. Letting it sit in a warm place should soften it enough that you can get it to stick together. If your flour was packed in the cup, your batter could be too dry. If that’s the case, you can try adding a bit more softened butter.
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Forget about the egg issue my bad
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Can i use 1 teaspoon of each on extracts?
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Do you mean in the dough or the frosting? I think it would be fine in the dough, it may just be a little less firm. You can add the extract to the frosting to taste, but add it before the cream so it doesn’t get too runny.
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You sure this recipe takes 1
egg only?
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Can I use food coloring in this recipe whit out the frosting
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If you do use food coloring, I’d make sure to use the gel food coloring. Liquid food coloring will change the consistency of the dough, and you don’t want to make it too wet.
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Can I use food coloring in this recipe
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Of course! I often add a bit of food coloring to the frosting. If you add it to the dough, make sure you use gel food coloring. 🙂
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LOVE these sugar cookies! They truly are the best!
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Aw, thanks Jen! So happy to hear it!
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I personally love adding almond to sugar cookies!! These are by far my kids favorite. We make them at least once a month!
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I wish I lived at your house. LOL! 🙂
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