Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies
These festive Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies are flavored with vanilla bean paste and decorated with a simple vanilla bean icing!
These cut-out Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies are perfect for Christmas or any other holiday/occasion! They have tons of irresistible vanilla flavor thanks to the vanilla bean paste in both the dough and the icing. Plus, they’re soft, super easy to make and can be cut into any shape you desire. I decorated mine with a simple vanilla bean icing but, you can also use vanilla buttercream like in my Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting or just eat them plain!
Looking for more sugar cookie recipes? Try my Sugar Cookies with Hershey Kisses, Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars or Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookies!
More Christmas Cookies You’ll Love
- Italian Butter Cookies
- Gingerbread Kiss Cookies
- Christmas Sprinkle Cookies
- Gingerbread Coffee Cake Cookies
- Frosted Peppermint Brownie Cookies
Ingredient Breakdown
Sugar Cookies:
All-purpose flour – this gives the cookies structure.
Baking powder – a little bit of baking powder helps the cookies rise slightly. Do not use baking soda!
Salt – enhances flavor.
Butter – provides flavor and structure. I always recommend using unsalted butter but salted butter works if that’s all you have on hand, just be sure to omit the 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Do not use cold or melted butter.
Granulated sugar – sweetens and softens cookies. Do not substitute it with brown sugar.
Eggs – helps bind the ingredients.
Vanilla bean paste – gives the cookies and icing their vanilla flavor and adds little vanilla bean flecks. I used this brand of vanilla paste but any brand will work. You can also substitute with regular vanilla extract.
How To Make Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies
1. Make the Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies: in a small bowl whisk all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to cream softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at a time and vanilla bean paste until just combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
4. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix on low speed until just combined. The dough will be soft but not sticky.
5. Divide dough in half then shape into flat discs. Wrap each tightly with plastic wrap then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
6. On a floured surface, roll out one disc of dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies and place on a baking sheet then freeze for at least 5 minutes.
7. Bake cookies at 350°F for 7-8 minutes then allow to cool completely (my cookies were 3 inches but you may have to adjust the baking time if your cookies are smaller/larger). The cookies should be pale but not wet looking when they come out of the oven. Repeat with the second disc of dough. You can reroll the dough scraps up to 2 more times.
8. Make the Vanilla Bean Icing: In a small bowl mix the confectioners’ sugar, water and vanilla bean paste. The icing is thick but you can add a little bit of water at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Decorate cooled cookies as desired. Store Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature.
Pro Tips For Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate.
- Don’t over mix the dough! Only mix until the dry ingredients are just combined. Over mixing = more gluten development which means tough cookies. We don’t want any tough cookies here!
- Bake one tray at a time on the middle oven rack. This ensures that there is even heat circulation.
- Don’t over bake them! They should still be pale when they come out of the oven because they will continue to bake as they cool on the baking sheet.
- Keep the sugar cookie dough cold! If you put warm cookies in the oven they will spread so I recommend freezing the cookies for a few minutes before baking them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Make Sugar Cookie Dough In Advance?
Yes! Once you make this sugar cookie dough you can either refrigerate it for up to 3 days wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or freeze it for up to 3 months wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and placed in a zip-top bag.
Why do you have to chill sugar cookie dough?
You need to chill sugar cookie dough in order to make the dough easy to work with and to prevent your cookies from spreading too much. If you’re dough is warm then it will become sticky and difficult to handle. I recommend chilling your dough for at least 2 hours before rolling it out and chilling your cookies in the fridge or freezer right before baking them.
How Do Sugar Cookies Keep Their Shape?
Sugar cookies have a high ratio of flour to fat which makes the dough sturdy enough to roll out and cut into shapes. Additionally, the dough is always kept cold which aids in cookies maintaining their shape. My favorite trick to prevent sugar cookies from spreading is to freeze your cookies for 5 minutes before baking them!
What’s the difference between sugar cookies And Shortbread?
Unlike sugar cookies, shortbread is made without eggs or any leavening agents. Shortbread also has a more crumbly texture as a result of the dough’s high fat content. If you’re looking for shortbread recipes try my Shortbread Linzer Cookies, Blueberry Shortbread Bars or Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies!
My Favorite Cookie Tools
- Kitchen scale I love this scale, I’ve been using it for years!
- Stand Mixer
- Baking sheets
- Parchment Paper
- French rolling pin gives you more control than rolling pins with handles.
- Dough measuring strips for these Sugar Cookies I used the blue strips which are 1/4 inch thick.
If you try this recipe then please leave a rating/comment below to let me know how you liked it and feel free to ask any recipe questions you may have! 🙂
Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Rolling Pin
- Cookie cutters
Ingredients
Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies
- 420 g (3 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 226 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
Vanilla Bean Icing
- 180 g (1 1/2 cups) confectioners' sugar
- 1 tbsp + 2 tsp water
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
Instructions
Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies
- In a small bowl whisk all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to cream softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time and vanilla until just combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix on low speed until just combined. The dough will be soft but not sticky.
- Divide dough in half then shape into flat discs. Wrap each tightly with plastic wrap then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- On a floured surface, roll out one disc of dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies and place on a baking sheet then freeze for at least 5 minutes.
- Bake cookies for 8 minutes then allow to cool completely (my cookies were 3 inches but you may have to adjust the baking time if your cookies are smaller/larger). The cookies should be pale be pale but not wet looking when they come out of the oven. Repeat with the second disc of dough. You can reroll the dough scraps up to 2 more times.
Vanilla Bean Icing
- In a small bowl mix the confectioners' sugar, water and vanilla bean paste. The icing is thick but you can add a little bit of water at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Decorate cooled cookies as desired.
Notes
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate.
- Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter. You can use salted butter, just be sure to omit the 1/2 tsp salt.
- Store Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature.
- Sugar cookie dough wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and placed in a zip-top bag can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before rolling and baking.
- Nutrition: the provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Please read my Nutrition Disclaimer for more information.
