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Kicking off the holiday baking season with my Easy Slice ‘n’ Bake Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies. Made with brown sugar, real vanilla, and my secret ingredients, a little bit of hazelnut liquor and almond extract to bring out the vanilla flavor. These cookies are soft, buttery, and perfectly sweet with the best vanilla flavor and notes of brown sugar. They’re generously frosted with a thick and creamy whipped caramel buttercream frosting. Then decorated with festive holiday sprinkles. The combination of real vanilla, brown sugar, and almond extract, keeps these cookies incredibly flavorful. Plus, they’ve got some really GOOD frosting. These cookies make for a great homemade gift, and a festive addition to your holiday cookie box!
Just like last holiday season, I’m focusing on ALL of the Christmas cookies. I have so many ideas and not enough days to share – like so many ideas. I’m in Christmas mode, and picking the best cookies to share has been hard!
These cookies were an easy choice. I think my mother picked them from my list 5 times over, so I had to start here. And I’m happy I did. I LOVE these cookies. They might be one of my easiest, but cutest.
I know it looks like making these cute could take time, but I have a secret little shortcut you’ll love.
My hang-up with basic sugar cookies is that they’re often flavorless. And even worse, the frosting just tastes like sugar, and I’m definitely not into that.
With these cookies, I wanted to add flavor with brown sugar and real vanilla bean. But most importantly, I wanted to use a buttercream frosting instead of the classic sugar icing.
A soft brown sugar vanilla cookie with real whipped caramel frosting = VERY GOOD sugar cookies!
The details
Beat the butter with the brown sugar and vanilla bean powder. You’ll want to beat for at least a minute to really infuse the butter with the vanilla flavor. Next, add eggs, hazelnut liquor, and almond extract, then all the dry ingredients.
From here, shape the dough into two logs, wrap them up in paper, and chill until firm enough to slice n’ bake.
If you have an almost empty roll of wrapping paper around, cut the roll and fit it around each log. This will prevent the dough from forming a straight edge in the fridge!
And when ready to bake, simply slice-n-bake!
The frosting
I went with a vanilla buttercream, but there’s a little secret ingredient involved – salted caramel. Or you can use thick maple syrup. It’s only a fourth of a cup, but it just makes the frosting melt in your mouth.
Use homemade caramel sauce or store-bought, though I prefer homemade sauce if you have the time.
It’s honestly, so good and makes for one of the best buttercream frostings.
Decorating is easy and fun
Even though each cookie looks all cute, I kept things SO simple. The trick is to use Christmas cookie cutters as “stencils”. Then fill in the cutter with holiday sanding sugars. I used a small reindeer, a Christmas tree, and a Santa hat.
Just place the cookie cutter on top of the frosted cookie and sprinkle a little sanding sugar inside the cutter. Shake the cookie to evenly distribute the sanding sugar.
It’s so easy and I had fun decorating! To help get the sanding sugar cleanly into each cookie cutter, I made a small funnel out of paper.
And of course, you can skip using the cookie cutters altogether. Simply decorate each cookie with your favorite assortment of holiday sprinkles. They’ll be delicious and cute either way!
Looking for other Christmas cookies? Here are my favorites:
Vanilla Ginger Shortbread Wreaths
Lastly, if you make these Easy Slice ‘n’ Bake Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Easy Slice ‘n’ Bake Vanilla Almond Sugar Cookies
Servings: 40 cookies
Calories Per Serving: 112 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Vanilla Almond Cookies
- 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon hazelnut liquor (optional)
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 large eggs
- 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Whipped Caramel Frosting
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup caramel sauce or maple syrup
- assorted holiday sprinkles, for decorating
Instructions
- 1. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, and vanilla until combined. Add the hazelnut liquor (if using), almond extract, and eggs – 1 at a time, and mix until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, beat until combined and the dough forms a ball. 2. Divide the dough in half. Place each ball of dough on a large piece of wax or parchment paper. Shape into a log about 10" long. Wrap the dough up in the paper and place in the fridge for 3-4 hours or up to 5 days.3. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.4. Unwrap the dough and cut the log into 1/4-inch slices. Arrange the slices on the prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes for soft cookies. Let cool. 5. To make the frosting. Beat together the butter and vanilla in a large bowl until extra light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and caramel or maple. Beat until whipped, about 2 more minutes.6. Frost the cooled cookies and decorate as desired. To make the shapes of your favorite Christmas cutouts, find a few small Christmas cookie cutters and gently place in the center of the frosted cookie. Sprinkle the inside of the cookie cutter with sanding sugar. Gently shake the cookie to evenly distribute the sanding sugar and then remove the cookie cutter and finish decorating. See photos for reference.7. Store cookies, covered for up to 4 days at room temperature.
Notes
If in a Hurry, Freeze the Dough: Alternately, if in a hurry, you can freeze the dough for 45 minutes. Then slice the logs into 1/4 inch rounds and bake as directed.
Tip: If you have an almost empty roll of wrapping paper, cut the roll down the center, then fit the cut roll around each log. This will prevent the dough from forming a straight edge in the fridge.
Tip: Use a piece of paper as a funnel for the sanding sugar. This ensures that the sugar stays neatly inside the cookie cutter.
This post was originally published on November 29, 2022
So pretty! Love the caramel in the icing too. Xx
Thanks so much Kelly-Jane!!
Where do you get the tiny cookie cutters and the chocolate chips for the Santa hat
Hi Donna,
The cookie cutters are from Target:
https://api.shopstyle.com/action/apiVisitRetailer?id=949639386&pid=uid3696-43323264-41&aid=45496900&utm_content=productwidget%3A63816b742d0ba511edc44c84&utm_medium=referral
Those aren’t chocolate chips, just the frosting that I used with a different pipping tip:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
How do you keep your cookies from drying up in Colorado’s high altitude?! Do you have a secret? Whenever I bake cookies in Utah they dry and crisp up almost immediately. Would love to hear your tips!
Hey Sarah,
I think it would depend on the recipe that you are using, but I just keep all of my baked goods in an airtight container at room temp. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xT
I have been making these cookies for SEVERAL years .. I found them on Pinterest sooooo long ago via your blog and didn’t realize until very recently it was actually a “half baked harvest” recipe! Anyways my family and friends have loved these cookies for many years and always ask for them each year…thank you!
Thanks so much Lauren:) I appreciate you following along and making these cookies! xx
These are gorgeous!
I don’t see the recipe for the caramel sauce and if you don’t have one, what kind of store bought would you recommend!?
Hey Shannon,
Any of your favorite caramel sauces from your local grocery store are great to use here! Let me know if you give the cookies a try, I hope they are delish! xx
Do you need to add more liquid if you’re not using the liquor?
Hey Danette,
Nope, you can just skip that:) Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope these cookies turn out well for you! xx
Can this dough be frozen as well to bake at a later time?
Hi Jami,
You bet, you can freeze for up to 3 months. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
I love ❤️ your cookie decorating style!
Thanks so much Nancy!!
My grandson is allergic to nuts. Will this still taste good without the almond extract? Or do you recommend something in place of it. Thank you!
Hey Ann,
I would use some vanilla extract:) Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
If you own a Circut or other die-cut machine, you can cut cookie stencils. Also, if you make classic spritz cookies, some of the dies can work as stencils for the sugar decorations.
Thanks so much for sharing Kathy!!
Could I use maple extract instead of maple syrup in the frosting? If so, how much?
Hi Joanne,
So sorry, I wouldn’t recommend that, you will want to stick with the maple syrup or caramel sauce:) Please let me know if I can help in any other way! I hope these cookies turn out well for you! xT
Hi!! I love all recipes! I recently bought vanilla bean paste not powder. Would that be ok to substitute?
Hi Heather,
Yes, that would work just fine for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it turns out well for you! xxT
Does the frosting set for stacking of remain soft?
Hey Nancy,
The frosting will set for you, so these would be great to use as a gift or in a cookie box! I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions:) xx
Excited to try this recipe! Would the cookies freeze well once frosted?
Hey Dana,
I would recommend freezing these without the frosting and then adding that fresh once they are baked:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you enjoy this recipe! xT
Could you use this recipe to roll out cookies so you could use cookie cutters?
Hey Lauren,
For cut out cookies, I would recommend using this recipe:
https://fett-weg.today/christmas-lights-cookies/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> They are so good! Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx