For the person who loves sugar cookies, this recipe is for you! It’s day five of cookie week and there are only two recipes left. If you missed the first recipes I posted, go check out my soft ginger molasses cookies, chocolate crinkle cookies, cranberry orange shortbread, and candy cane chocolate chip cookies. I will be honest, traditional sugar cookies are never going to be the first ones I grab. The frosting is too sweet, and I typically find them to be a bit bland. When I decided to create a sugar cookie to share for cookie week, I knew it had to be special. So I made these sugar plum cookies!
Instead of being flat and crispy like a traditional sugar cookie, these are soft and pillowy. Instead of a cloyingly sweet frosting, these use a glaze that is made with vanilla extract, almond extract, and orange extract for a combination of flavors that is addictingly delicious. Glazing them while they are still warm allows part of the glaze to be absorbed into the sugar cookies, and some sugar sprinkles on top complete a cookie that is pretty close to perfect. As someone who wants chocolate in just about every dessert, finding something that satisfies my sweet tooth without chocolate in it comes with high praise!
These sugar plum cookies come together by mixing butter and sugar. Adding eggs, beating well after each addition, and adding your vanilla and almond extracts. Mix in your dry ingredients then refrigerate the dough for one hour. Make sure that you make your glaze before the cookies go into the oven because you need to glaze them while they are warm! Whisk the glaze ingredients together until they are nice and smooth. When the cookies are warm, but just cool enough to touch, dip them into the glaze and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. I like to put a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper underneath the cooling rack for easy cleanup. Immediately after glazing, sprinkle with sugar sprinkles. You can use any sprinkles that you like, but for these cookies I prefer sugar sprinkles.
If you’re a sugar cookie lover, these sugar plums are for you!
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. almond extract
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp. salt
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. almond extract
- ½ tsp. orange extract
- 1-3 tbsp. water
- Sprinkles for topping
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a large bowl and a hand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and almond extracts and mix again.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder, Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Cover the dough and refrigerate for one hour to chill.
- When ready to bake, line two baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Form the cookies into balls, rolling with your hands to make them round. Place on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes until the centers are set and edges and bottoms are golden brown. While the cookies are baking, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla, almond, and orange extracts, and one tablespoon of water at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
- While the cookies are still warm, dip them in the glaze and place on a wire baking rack to cool completely. Add the sprinkles while the glaze is still wet. For easy cleanup, you can place a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper underneath the cooling rack.
- Enjoy!
Like what you see? Pin it here!
Leave a Reply