St. Patricks Day Sugar Cookies (Printable Version)

Tender cookies with green icing and sprinkles for festive March celebrations

# What You Need:

→ Cookie Dough

01 - 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - ½ teaspoon baking powder
03 - ¼ teaspoon salt
04 - ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
08 - ½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)

→ Icing & Decoration

09 - 2 cups powdered sugar
10 - 2–3 tablespoons milk
11 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 - Green food coloring
13 - Green and gold sprinkles (optional)

# How To Make It:

01 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until evenly blended.
02 - Beat softened butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, approximately 2–3 minutes.
03 - Add egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract if using. Mix until fully incorporated into the butter mixture.
04 - Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing on low speed just until dough forms. Avoid overmixing.
05 - Divide dough in half and shape each portion into a disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
06 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
07 - On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to ¼-inch thickness. Cut shapes using shamrock or round cookie cutters.
08 - Arrange cookies 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 8–10 minutes until edges are just turning golden.
09 - Let cookies rest on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely before icing.
10 - Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add green food coloring gradually to achieve desired shade.
11 - Ice cooled cookies and immediately apply sprinkles while icing is wet. Allow icing to set completely before serving.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • These cookies stay tender for days unlike some sugar cookies that turn rock hard
  • The almond extract creates this subtle sophistication that makes people ask what your secret ingredient is
02 -
  • Overworking the dough once you add the flour makes tough cookies so stop mixing the second everything comes together
  • Warm dough spreads into blob shapes so if your cutouts lose their form pop the whole tray in the fridge for fifteen minutes before baking
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients incorporate better so take everything out of the fridge at least thirty minutes before starting
  • Rotate your baking sheets halfway through cooking time for evenly browned cookies every single time

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