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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
I love your recipes Tieghan! These cookie look quick and easy to make and could be decorated in anyway. Do you think or has anyone tried making the dough using gluten free flour? Does it hold well?
Thanks so much Morgan!! It should be just fine for you to use an equal amount of gluten free flour! Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xT
Tried it and they turned out great!
Thanks so much Morgan!!
These were so delicious and everyone was a fan! This was by far the best frosting recipe as well, I had to keep myself from eating it on its own! 🤣
Hey Teresa,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your review! Love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Sunday!🎄
Really tasty!
Hey Vandana,
Fantastic!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your comment, I love to hear that it was tasty! Have a great weekend:)
This recipe looks amazing! I am planning on adding them to my cookie tins. Are you able to freeze the cookies? Or freeze the cookies and add frosting later!
Thank you!
Hey Brittany,
Yes, you can totally freeze these!! Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love them! xx
Hi Tiegen. This recipe looks great. Can you please clarify – can you freeze these cookies *after* frosting and decorating? Or would you recommend freezing cookies *before* frosting? Thanks! I’m hoping to bake, frost, decorate, and freeze so they’re ready to defrost and enjoy at a later date. Thanks!!!
Hi Jane,
You’ll want to freeze these cookies before frosting:) I hope you love the recipe! xT
Made these today-delicious! Didn’t have hazelnut liqueur so used amaretto instead-worked nicely. I used the maple syrup instead of caramel-think caramel would have been stronger, the syrup just gave a little of that taste. I only cut/baked one log-would this dough freeze? What about the buttercream-I made the full batch in error, so have lots left over.
Hey Sarah,
Happy Friday! ☃️ So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! xT
Where did you get the mini cookie cutter?
Hey there,
All of the mini cookie cutters are from Target:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Can this dough be used for cut outs with cookie cutters? Thanks!
Hey Alyson,
You’ll want to use this recipe for cut outs:
https://fett-weg.today/christmas-lights-cookies/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Hands down the best frosting I’ve ever made!
Thank you so much Colleen! Love to hear this!! xx
Hi! Could I use vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla bean powder?
Hey Jillian,
Sure, that will work for you! Let me know how the recipe turns out, I hope you love these cookies! xT
This recipe was a huge hit!! I wanted to make a homemade caramel sauce and couldn’t find your recipe. I found another one in place but would’ve loved to use yours if you could post it for next time 🙂
Hey Ali,
Happy Wednesday!! I truly appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a hit:)
I’m also looking for Tieghan’s caramel sauce recipe to put in the icing! I can’t find it anywhere.
Hi Kari,
You can follow the instructions in step 5 for this recipe:
https://fett-weg.today/gingerbread-cake-with-caramel-cream-cheese-buttercream/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
My son said these were the best frosted sugar cookies ever. 😀
Hey Jessica,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Happy Tuesday! 🎄
I’m not a fan of almond extract, is there a different flavor you think would make a good substitute?
Hi Natale,
You can skip the almond extract and just use the hazelnut and vanilla:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Making these today! I’m having the finding the Carmel sauce recipe.
Can I make the dough ahead of time and freeze for a few days? If so how long should I let it sit out before slice+bake? Thanks!
Or would it be better to store in fridge for that time?
You can keep in the fridge for up to 5 days:)
Hey there,
Sure, that will work well for you! U would let thaw for an hour or two depending how warm your kitchen is! I hope you love this recipe! xx
Hi- I am making these cookies, and my question is regarding the size of the cookies – 1/4 inch cookies from 2 10 inch logs should be 80 cookies – but the recipe says it makes 40 cookies. Should this be 1/2 inch cookies – or is the yield actually more than 40? Thanks!
Hey Sara,
You should end up with 40 cookies, I only did 1/4 inch slices. Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx