These are the softest, melt-in-your-mouth Almond Sugar Cookies. They are incredibly easy to make and irresistibly soft thanks to marzipan. With a simple cream cheese frosting, these are perfect for any time of the year.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say these are one of the BEST cookies I think I’ve ever made. These almond sugar cookies are exactly what you are looking for in a sugar cookie. They are delectably soft and totally melt in your mouth. They aren’t overly sweet, so they pair perfectly with a creamy, slightly sweet, cream cheese frosting. Pure perfection.
These cookies don’t require any typical roll-out cookie refrigeration time, which makes for a quick start to finish. And, they are not limited to just Valentine’s Day, they can be cut in any shape and the frosting be can be tinted to any color to match the holiday or theme. Although, pink heart shaped cookies are awfully hard to resist!
The almond sugar cookies get their almond flavor from both marzipan and almond extract. Using marzipan adds a little sweetness, and all creaminess that really contributes to the melt in your mouth effect. Makes these to hand out to your loved ones this Valentine’s Day, decorate with your kids, or just make a batch for yourself.
What you’ll need to make the Almond Sugar Cookies
- unsalted butter
- granulated sugar
- marzipan
- almond extract
- large eggs
- all-purpose flour
- salt
- baking soda
- full-fat cream cheese
- vanilla extract
- confectioners’ sugar
How to make the sugar cookies
Start with preheating your oven and lining a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the room temperature butter, granulated sugar and marzipan until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes on medium high speed. Then, mix in the eggs and almond extract.
In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda.
With the mixer on low speed, mix in the flour mixture and mix until completely combined and no dry streaks remain, about 1 minute.
Turn the cookie dough out on to a lightly floured surface. Gently knead into a ball. Roll the dough out to a 1/3-inch thick round. Using desired cookie cutters, cut dough and place on prepared baking sheets. Press together and roll out remaining scraps, repeating process until dough is gone.
Place the cookies in the oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until the sides of the cookies are barely beginning to turn a light golden brown. Be sure not to over cook or they will be come crunchy! The centers will still be quite soft, but will harden slightly as they cool. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets.
Let’s make the cream cheese frosting!
Once the cookies have cooled completely, place the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the vanilla extract and confectioners’ sugar. Increase the speed and beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy and increased in size, about 3-4 minutes.
Now, for the food coloring, there are a few ways to approach this. If you want to do multiple colors, divide the frosting between mixing bowls. Add a few drops of color to each bowl and whisk until completely incorporated.
Or, if you only want one color, add to the mixing bowl after the confectioners’ sugar has been combined. Or, you can leave it white!
Spread frosting over each cooled sugar cookie, garnishing with sprinkles, if desired. Eat!
Notes & tidbits
Almond Sugar Cookies
These are the softest, melt-in-your-mouth Almond Sugar Cookies. They are incredibly easy to make and irresistibly soft thanks to marzipan. With a simple cream cheese frosting, these are perfect for any time of the year.
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 16 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (2.7 grams) marzipan
- 1 3/4 teaspoons almond extract
- 2 large eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
For the frosting
- 6 ounces full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups confectioners' sugar
- food coloring and sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat, set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, sugar and marzipan until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes on medium-high speed. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the almond extract and eggs. Mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the flour mixture and increase speed to medium and mix just until the flour is combined and no dry streaks remain.
- Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface. Gently knead into a ball. Roll the dough out to 1/3-inch thick round or rectangle. Using desired cookie cutters, cut the dough and place on prepared baking sheets. Press together and re-roll any scraps and repeat process until dough is gone.
- Place the cookies in the preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or just until the sides of the cookies are barely turning a light golden brown. The centers will still be soft. Be sure not to over bake! Or the cookies will be crunchy. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheets completely.
- Once the cookies are cooled, make the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth, about 2 minutes on medium-high speed. Scrape down the sides and reduce the speed to low and mix in the vanilla extract and confectioners' sugar. Increase speed again to medium-high speed and beat mixture until the size has increased and is totally smooth, about 3-4 minutes. Add food coloring at end and mix once more until incorporated, if desired.
- Smear or spread the frosting over each cooled cookie and garnish with sprinkles, if desired. Serve!
Notes
Store cookies well wrapped at room temperature up to 5 days.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 252
Nutritional information is only an estimate.
