I love a good sugar cookie and after a lot of recipe trying and sugar cookie eating this is the perfect sugar cookie!!
The last few months I have been on the hunt for the perfect sugar cookie. The perfect sugar cookie would be one that did not need to be rolled out or refrigerated, would have an almond flavor and a yummy almond frosting on top.
You see, I found the perfect sugar cookie at a small little deli in Kalama, Washington. Kalama is about an hour north of Portland, too far away to visit on a regular basis to satisfy my sugar cookie cravings! I love their almond sugar cookies – and I wanted to find a way to create them at home.
I tried numerous recipes – some close but not quite right. I shared my quest with my blogger friend Melanie at My Kitchen Cafe. Melanie sent me several almond sugar cookie recipes and I tried them all and guess what?! One of them was a winner! Another food blogger had shared it with Melanie and then she shared it with me and now I’m sharing it with you! Thank you Melanie.
So today’s recipe is for what I think is the perfect sugar cookie! They don’t need to be refrigerated or rolled out – they have a lovely almond flavor and a yummy almond frosting. They are slightly crisp around the edges and soft in the middle. They are even better the second day!
Because I know a few of you are going to ask, the recipe is correct, there are no eggs in this recipe. Yes, no eggs. So it is a great cookie for anyone with egg allergies.
After scooping the cookie dough, dip a glass into some sugar and use it to press the dough down to about 1/4″ thick
After the cookies have cooled frost them with some almond frosting. Yum!
The batch makes about 2 dozen cookies so it’s not huge which is probably a good thing because I have a tendency to eat them all myself!! If you aren’t an almond lover just substitute vanilla for the almond extract.
- 1 cup butter softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. almond extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. almond extract
- 4-5 tsp. milk I used whipping cream
- Mix butter, sugar and extract in a large bowl
- Beat until cream, 1 to 2 minutes
- Add remaining ingredients
- Beat 1 to 2 more minutes
- Roll dough into 1 inch balls
- Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet and flatten balls to 1/4 inch thickness with the bottom of a buttered glass dipped in sugar
- Bake at 400 for 7-9 minutes or until edges are very lightly browned
- Cool 1 minute
- Move to a wire rack
- Stir together glaze ingredients with a wire whisk
- Decorate cooled cookies with glaze and sliced almonds (optional)
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1 tsp sugar extract?
Tina »
oops – good catch Tina – that’s 1 tsp. almond extract. I’ve changed it in the recpe – thanks!
Wow, this sounds great. I have a wonderful oh so yummy, everyone expects them at all the holidays and occasions, recipe made with powdered sugar not granulated, but it does need to be refrigerated and rolled out(the part I hate the most).
I’m going to try these today. Can’t wait!
These sound really good!
Hallelujah! I’m so glad they were awesome. Now I’m going to go make them…they sound like the perfect solution to my dilemma of what to make when I host book group at my house!
Oh I can’t wait to try these. My husband loves sugar cookies and I love almond and anything that does not have to be rolled out. Thanks for all the great recipes!
I just made these and they are absolutely wonderful! Thanks for the great recipe, I’m sure I will make it often!
I made these a few days ago and they are AWESOME!!! I love the almond flavor, it is such a nice twist on the traditional butter cookie. I found them just a teensy tiny bit too sweet with the frosting on them, so I think when I make them again I will maybe just drizzle the frosting on so it isn’t fully covered. Also, I was thinking these would be really wonderful with some slivered almonds on top and then the drizzled icing. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Thanks for the recipe…this is going in my keeper file for Christmas cookies!
Thanks for this fabulous recipe! These are to die for! I made a variation with mini chocolate chips on top (I put them on right after they came out of the oven)! So good!
Silly question but this recipe doesn’t require an egg?
no egg!
My three year old and I just made these together…yum! I couldn’t believe how easy they were to make. Thanks for the great recipe.
I made these yesterday and really enjoyed them. Friends said they were tasty too! My only problem was the in the humidity the glaze took forever to harden, and the sprinkles I added faded their colors into the glaze. Other than that, tasty for a thin cookie. (I am usually a thick and chewy cookie girl.) Thanks!
I can’t wait to try this recipe, I love sugar cookies.
Those sound so yummy! My favorite sugar cookies come from a little place in St. George, UT which is about 4.5-5 hours away. I obviously don’t get them that often!
I tried these and enjoyed them. I’ll make them again. They are an easier alternative to my favorite roll out sugar cookie. You may want to try this roll-out recipe. I think they’re fantastic and people always ask me for the recipe. http://timeforsupper.blogspot.com/2010/04/best-soft-sugar-cookies.html
I am going to try these tonight for my girlsfriends. We are having soup club and we are having chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese. And I thought these cookies sounded great. I am going to do white icing with green sprinkles. I am getting ready for St. Patricks Day.
Thank you so much for the recipe. They turned out great! I made them for a bridal shower and cut them into hearts and wedding dresses. The frosting was great too! Check our blog for pics.
I’ve been doing a similar sugar cookie search on my blog. If only I’d know about your blog back when you first posted it. I could have saved time (and pounds). Now I have to give this recipe a try.
Leigh Anne,
I made these today and they were WONDERFUL!!! Thank you so much for sharing! Elizabeth
Hi I was wondering what the name of the deli in Kalama is? My mom is always on the hunt for the perfect sugar cookie and is heading from Portland to Seattle this week so she may have to stop in for one!
I don’t remember the name on n the main drag on the north end and on the west side of the street. It is attached to a antique place
should it be salted or unsalted butter?
Salted. You can assume I use salted in all my recipes unless otherwise noted.
Thank you so much for the quick response. Standing here in my kitchen staring at the computer.
Just made these for our mom/kids gingerbread decorating
party. I swapped vanilla for almond extract. Thinned icing a bit
& topped w/ holiday sprinkles. Easy, cute & delicious!
Oh, I am SO going to make these tonight!! I was craving a cookie recipe to make & I didn’t have the right ingredients. This will fit the bill. My favorite sugar cookie I ever came across is an Amish sugar cookie, so I’m excited to see how these compare. Thanks for this recipe!
Enjoy and let me know what you think!
I just made these. Delicious! In my case though, I had to add a lot more whipping cream than 4-5 tsp. Are you sure it shouldn’t be 4-5 Tbsp? I just had to keep adding more and more liquid to make the icing spreadable. So, so good though. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Easy recipes are the absolute best. Do you beat the dough with a handheld electric mixer? Thanks!
I use my kitchen aid but you could do it with an hand held mixer too
Thank you, Leigh Anne!
This just went in my top 4 favorite cookies file, along with chocolate chip, oatmeal and wedding cookies. So fun and thank you for this fantastic recipe!
Kathryn, So glad you loved them too – it is definitely one of my top favorites!!
I just wanted to thank you for putting this out there! I was searching for a sugar cookie recipe that I could use with my class of very deserving 4th graders as a way to apply what they have learned over the last two months of fractions. The recipe had to meet a few of my criteria, one, be a drop cookie friendly recipe that did not need to be chilled, and two, be nut (I substituted vanilla extract for the almond)and egg free so I wouldn’t risk allergic reactions or food safety concerns. This one fit the bill! Not only that, it was so delicious! I grew up using this same glaze on our roll out sugar cookies, so good! ! I think I’ll use this one for our holiday cookies from now on!
Beth, I am so glad you found the recipe. This is my FAVORITE sugar cookie ever. Hope you and your students enjoy it too.