Best Christmas Cookies: Reliable Almond Vanilla Cutouts

• One dough covers rolling, cutting, baking, and decorating, so the shopping list stays short and the counter stays manageable. Chilled butter and cream cheese create a pliable dough that is less prone to spreading than a loose drop cookie batter.
• A modest amount of almond extract gives the cookies a bakery-style holiday flavor without requiring nuts, fillings, or multiple icings. Vanilla keeps the glaze familiar for children and flexible for whatever sprinkles are already in the cabinet.
• It makes thirty small cookies for a plate or gift bags.

• 1 cup unsalted butter (227 g)
• 4 ounces cream cheese (113 g)
• 1 cup sugar (200 g)
• 1 large egg (50 g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (4 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (2 g)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (375 g)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (4 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (3 g)
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (180 g)
• 2 Tbsp milk (30 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (2 g)
• Pinch salt (1 g)
• Sanding sugar (30 g)

Ingredient notes

• Unsalted butter lets the salt level stay predictable. Soften it until it yields when pressed, not until it looks oily or glossy; overly soft butter can make the dough sticky before chilling.
• Full-fat brick cream cheese provides tenderness and a little structure. Avoid whipped tub cream cheese, which contains extra air and can change how much flour the dough needs to feel workable.
• Granulated sugar keeps the cookie crumb light and gives the edges a faint crispness. Do not swap in brown sugar here; its extra moisture and molasses flavor will make darker, softer cutouts.
• Use both vanilla and almond extracts for a rounded bakery-counter flavor. If almond extract is unavailable, use an additional half teaspoon vanilla, though the finished cookies will taste simpler.
• All-purpose flour should be spooned into a measuring cup and leveled, or weighed for the most consistent dough. Keep a little extra flour nearby for the counter, not for mixing into the bowl.
• Powdered sugar makes a thin glaze that dries neatly on cooled cookies. Sanding sugar is optional, but its larger crystals keep their sparkle better than standard granulated sugar.

1. 1Cream the base

   Beat the softened butter, cream cheese, and sugar with a hand mixer on medium speed until pale and smooth, about two minutes. Scrape the bowl and beat in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract until fully blended. Keep the mixer at medium rather than high so the dough does not become overly airy.

2. 2Make the dough

   Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Add the dry mixture in two additions on low speed, stopping as soon as no dry streaks remain. The dough should feel soft but not wet. Divide it into two equal disks, wrap each disk, and flatten them to one-inch thickness.

   

3. 3Chill the disks

   Refrigerate the wrapped dough for at least one hour, or up to two days. This pause firms the butter and gives the flour time to absorb moisture. Set two oven racks in the upper and lower thirds and heat the oven to 350°F near the end of chilling.

4. 4Roll and cut

   Work with one disk at a time, leaving the second chilled. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to one-quarter-inch thickness, turning it after several passes. Cut shapes close together, then transfer them with a thin spatula to parchment-lined baking sheets. Gather scraps once, reroll, and cut again.

   

5. 5Bake the cookies

   Bake one sheet at a time for eight to ten minutes, until the bottoms are pale gold and the tops look dry. Small shapes finish first, so use one cutter size per pan when possible. Let cookies stand on the sheet five minutes, then move them to a rack to cool completely.

6. 6Glaze simply

   Whisk powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until smooth and thickly pourable. Spoon a small amount over each cooled cookie, nudging it toward the edges with the back of the spoon. Add sanding sugar while wet, then leave cookies uncovered until the glaze is dry to the touch.

• Use room-temperature butter and cream cheese that are soft enough to blend without lumps. Cold dairy leaves small pieces that can make the rolled dough crack.
• Roll between two sheets of parchment if your kitchen runs warm. Peel away the top sheet, cut shapes directly on the bottom sheet, and slide the parchment onto a pan.
• Keep cutters in similar size groups. A tray of matching sizes bakes more evenly, while mixed tiny and large shapes invite overbaked stars and underdone trees.
• Set a timer for the first eight minutes, then check the undersides. The tops stay pale, so color on the bottom is the better doneness cue.
• Glaze only fully cooled cookies. Warm cookies thin the glaze, causing it to run over the sides instead of forming a clean, dry finish.

Arrange the cookies on one large platter rather than scattering them across several small dishes. Group glazed trees, stars, and rounds in loose rows, then add a bowl of clementines or peppermint sticks nearby for color. For gifts, layer completely dry cookies between parchment in a bakery box or shallow tin. Plan on two to three cookies per person alongside coffee, cocoa, or a dessert table with richer options.