Almond Sugar Cookies

These buttery almond sugar cookies are the perfect sweet treat any time of the year. Made in 30 minutes, this crowd-pleasing cookie stores and travels well, which is why it’s one of our favorite easy cookie recipes. It’s perfect for packing into cookie tins as gifts for the holidays, or arrange the almond cookies on a platter and bring them to your next special gathering or event.

With crisp outer edges and tender, chewy interiors, these almond-flavored delights are simply irresistible and one of our best sugar cookie recipes. If you love almonds, don’t miss our other favorite almond cookie recipes, like these chewy almond cookies and almond sandies.

Ingredients for Almond Sugar Cookies

• Almond extract: Give the cookies their signature flavor that (surprisingly) tastes a lot like cherries. Keep in mind that a little goes a long way when it comes to making recipes with almond extract.
• Butter: Unsalted butter provides the cookies with richness, makes them tender and provides structure.
• Sugar: Beyond making these little cookies sweet, sugar helps them rise and spread while keeping them moist. In this recipe, the cookies are also flattened with a sugar-coated glass before baking, which gives the cookies a crackly, crisp exterior.
• All-purpose flour: This is the go-to flour for most cookie recipes. To measure flour, we suggest tried-and-true methods, like scooping into the measuring cup and scraping. Using too much (or too little) flour can greatly impact the final texture and appearance of cookies.
• Almond glaze: The glaze is the secret to the best almond sugar cookies ever. While the cookies are good without it, drizzling them with a confectioners’ sugar glaze really makes them stand out.

Directions

Step 1: Cream together butter and sugar

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Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, five to seven minutes. Beat in the almond extract until it’s fully incorporated.

Editor’s Tip: Check out our helpful guide on how to cream butter and sugar properly. It’s key to ensuring your cookies turn out just right.

Step 2: Combine the ingredients

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Next, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well.

Editor’s Tip: Take care not to overmix your dough in this step. Doing so will cause the gluten in the flour to develop too much, which can cause cookies to become tough and dense.

Step 3: Roll into balls, then press

Divide and roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Arrange the balls 2 inches apart on ungreased sheet pans. Coat the bottom of a glass with cooking spray, then dip it in granulated sugar. Gently flatten the cookies with the sugar-coated glass, dipping the glass in sugar again as needed until all the cookies are flattened.

Step 4: Bake

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Transfer the cookies to the oven and bake until the edges are lightly golden, seven to nine minutes. Cool for one minute before removing the cookies to wire racks (like this space-saving cookie cooling rack) to cool completely.

Editor’s Tip: The cookies are ready once they appear almost set in the middle, and the edges are just beginning to get some color. Try not to overbake the cookies as they will lose their softness and chew if left in the oven too long.

Step 5: Prepare the glaze, then drizzle

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While the almond sugar cookies cool, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, almond extract (this is our Test Kitchen’s pick for the best almond extract), and enough water to achieve glaze consistency. Tint the glaze with food coloring if desired, then drizzle it over the cookies. Garnish with toasted sliced almonds.

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Almond Sugar Cookie Variations

• Skip the almond extract: If you do not enjoy the taste of almond extract or are allergic to tree nuts, you can omit the almond extract and add an equal amount of vanilla extract to the recipe instead (just don’t make this vanilla mistake).
• Gluten-free almond sugar cookies: We haven’t tested using GF flour in this cookie recipe, but based on other recipes, you should have good results swapping the all-purpose flour with an equal amount of your favorite gluten-free one-to-one baking flour.
• Orange sugar cookies: For a bright, citrus twist, replace the almond extract in the cookies with orange extract. Then, prepare the glaze using orange juice rather than water and add a few pinches of orange zest.

How to Store Almond Sugar Cookies

Store almond sugar cookies in an airtight storage container for up to three days. To keep the cookies soft and chewy, try storing them with a tortilla or slice of bread.

Can you make almond sugar cookies ahead of time?

You can prep almond sugar cookies ahead of time. The dough can be made up to three days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to roll  it into balls and bake.

How to Freeze Almond Sugar Cookies

Looking for a long-term storage option? Good news: You can freeze almond sugar cookies either baked or unbaked.

• Baked cookies: Tightly wrap the cookies in plastic and store them in a freezer-safe storage container for up to three months. Defrost the cookies overnight at room temperature before eating.
• Cookie dough: Roll the dough into balls, chill the balls in the fridge until firm, and then freeze the cookie dough balls in layers, separated by parchment paper, in a freezer-safe, airtight storage container. To bake, let the dough balls defrost at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes, then roll in sugar and bake as directed above. Note that the cookies may need an extra minute or two in the oven if baking from frozen.

Tips for Almond Sugar Cookies

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Why didn’t my almond sugar cookies spread?

Cookies that don’t spread (or spread too much) are one of the most common cookie mistakes. It’s usually caused by overmeasuring your flour. Perfect almond sugar cookies depend on having the correct ratio of flour, butter and sugar, so measure with care.

Why are my almond sugar cookies flat?

Flat cookies are often caused by improper measuring. You may also wind up with flat cookies if your oven temperature is too high, or your cookie dough is too warm and soft when baking. This is why you chill cookie dough before baking in some recipes, as it firms up the fat (butter or shortening) in the dough and gives the flour a chance to hydrate.