These Vanilla Bean Cut Out Sugar Cookies are soft, buttery, and hold their shape perfectly in the oven. Vanilla bean paste is used in place of extract to create a flavorful cookie with visible vanilla flecks in every bite.
I can't seem to bake cookies fast enough around here. Turns out I've got a couple of little cookies monsters living here. My two oldest boys have a new system of helping each other climb onto the kitchen counters to sneak cookies.
One night, I stayed up after getting all three kids to bed and whipped up a batch of these Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies. My plan was to decorate them the next day with the kids. That morning, my two-year-old was up at 5 AM, playing quietly in the living room - turns out he was so quiet because he had gotten a hold of every sugar cookie he could reach! Broken pieces and crumbs trailed from the kitchen to the dining area and the living room. Our old hound dog looked happy but guilty, so I'm sure he had a few too!
Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter - You will need unsalted butter that is softened to room temperature for easy creaming.
- Sugar - Use standard white granulated sugar for this cookie recipe.
- Vanilla Bean Paste - The star ingredient of the cookies! It gives a stronger vanilla flavor than extract and those visible flecks of vanilla bean. I used Heilala Vanilla Bean Paste but any high-quality vanilla bean paste will work. My local grocery store didn't carry it so I used Heilala Vanilla Paste from Amazon Prime.
- Egg - You'll need one large egg for texture and structure.
- Salt - Just a pinch balances the sweetness and enhances the vanilla flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour - I use unbleached all-purpose flour. Important: Be sure to carefully measure your dry ingredients. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife; avoid packing the flour down. A common reason sugar cookies turn out dry is due to improper measuring.
Substitutions
- Vanilla Bean Paste Substitute: If you don't have vanilla bean paste you can easily substitute it. Use 1 Vanilla Bean (scraped) + ½ teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Mix scraped vanilla bean seeds in with the butter during the creaming step. Add vanilla extract after you add the egg.
- Can I use vanilla extract? Yes, substitute with 1 Tablespoon of pure vanilla extract. The flavor won't be quite as intense, and you won't have the speckles, but the cookies will still be tasty.
- Salted vs. Unsalted Butter: If you only have salted butter, omit the salt from the recipe.
Recipe Tips
- Chill the dough for perfect shapes. You will need to chill the dough for at least one hour. This solidifies the butter, ensuring that your cut out sugar cookies hold their shape and don't spread.
- Roll for softness. Roll the dough out to ¼" thickness. If you roll them thinner, they will be crispy rather than soft. You can certainly roll them thicker too; just be sure to adjust the baking time. Tip: If your cookie cutters are sticking to the dough, dip them in flour before each press.
- Cooling. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Fresh vanilla bean cookies are delicate and can break if you try to move them too soon.
Icing and Decorating Vanilla Bean Cookies
Simple Glaze: To decorate, I used this recipe for Simple Cookie Glaze from King Arthur Flour to quickly and minimally decorate my cookies this year.
Natural Food Colors: I used Chefmaster Natural Food Coloring to color my glaze and got the perfect shade of winter blue! I like the muted tones paired with the flecks of vanilla bean.
Festive Shapes: We loved this little vintage truck with the Christmas tree cookie cutter! This recipe is perfect for making flavorful, soft cut-out cookies all throughout the year. I look forward to making some heart shaped cookies this Valentine's Day.
📖 Recipe
Vanilla Bean Cut Out Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Butter softened
- ¾ cup Sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons Vanilla Bean Paste
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 2 ¼ cups All-Purpose Flour
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture is light, creamy and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
- Add flavor and egg: Add vanilla bean paste and the egg. Beat on medium speed until well combined and smooth.
- Make the dough: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Turn mixer to low and gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until the flour is incorporated and a smooth dough is formed. Tip: Avoid overmixing for soft cookies.
- Chill: Divide dough into 2 parts. Shape each into a flat disc, wrap individually in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to overnight).
- Roll and Cut: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Remove disc of dough from fridge. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to ¼" thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters.
- Bake: Arrange cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Note: Larger cookies (over 4 inches) may need 10-12 minutes.
- Cool: Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to set. Transfer them to wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe adapted from Christmas Southern Living 2000.
I really love using the Vanilla Bean Paste and have been using it in cakes (like this Vanilla Cake from Modern Honey) and cookies. It gives the cookies visible flecks of vanilla bean, like in Blue Bell Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, which just feels a little bit fancy to me.
Merry Christmas y'all!
Alaine
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Angel says
How many will this make?
Alaine says
The recipe should make around 2 dozen using a smaller 3" cookie cutter.