I absolutely love almond flavored desserts. They have such a rich, sweet, nutty flavor that I can't get enough of. These Soft Almond Sugar Cookies are seriously the best sugar cookie that's quickly become my favorite! They're sweet, rich, and have that perfect, doughy, chewy texture we all love in sugar cookies. To top it all off, they are glazed in a sweet almond icing with the perfect amount of almond flavor and sliced almonds for a little crunch.
These soft almond cookies are simple to whip up, incredibly delicious, and I have a feeling this recipe is going to become your new go-to sugar cookie recipe! If you're as obsessed with almond flavor I am, I highly recommend trying my Almond Poppy Seed Muffins, Almond Cream Cake, Almond Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting, and Almond Coffee Cake!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- These buttery soft cookies will melt in your mouth, just like my Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars!
- It only requires 10 ingredients that you probably already have on hand - no secret ingredient needed.
- These super easy almond flavored cookies come together in only 4 steps and about 30 minutes!
- The flavor of these soft sugar cookies is great all year round, so keep this recipe on-hand for everything from movie nights to birthday parties to the holiday season where these will become your go-to almond Christmas cookies.
- This delicious take on classic sugar cookies is easy to double or triple to make a lot of cookies.
Ingredients
- Almond extract is what turns these sugar cookies into something super special. It can be found in the baking aisle of your grocery store by the vanilla extract. I highly recommend using a high quality one, like Watkins Pure Almond Extract.
- Granulated sugar beat together with room temperature butter makes these into soft and chewy sugar cookies.
- Powdered sugar, also referred to as confectioners' sugar, is key to making a smooth, creamy almond icing when combined with milk. Not only is powdered sugar finely ground, it also contains cornstarch which helps bring the icing together.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Substitute your favorite extract flavoring for the almond extract such as vanilla, maple, or lemon.
- Add food coloring to the icing to make decorated chewy almond sugar cookies.
- Incorporate your favorite chocolate candies or dried fruit into the batter to add additional texture and flavor.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, beat softened unsalted butter and sugar until light and fluffy on medium-high speed. Then add in the egg and almond extract.
Step 2: Mix the all purpose flour, baking soda, and salt into the wet ingredients until just combined, ensuring you scrape the sides of the bowl.
Step 3: Roll the almond cookie dough into 3-4 tablespoon balls and place on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart until you fill the entire baking sheet. Bake cookies at 350°F until the edges of the cookies look dry and are just barely tan. Remove from the oven and cool the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Step 4: To make the icing, in a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract. Spread almond icing on the cookies, add a few sliced almonds, and let dry.
Expert Tips
- Room temperature butter is necessary to be able to cream with the sugar. Leave the butter on the counter a few hours ahead of baking or pop it into the microwave in 10 second increments until you can lightly press into the side of the stick of butter.
- Be careful not to over-bake the cookies! They should just be starting to tan on the edges and may still look undercooked in the centers when you take them out of the oven. If they bake for too long, they won't be as soft.
- For best results, sift your powdered sugar to ensure there are no clumps in your icing.
Recipe FAQs
Most likely this is because of the bake time. Unlike other cookie recipes, you barely want these sugar cookies to brown. Keep a close eye on them while baking so you don't overcook them and immediately transfer them to a cooling rack.
This can be from overworking your dough. When flour gets overmixed, it can turn your desserts tough or gluey. Make sure you stop mixing as soon as you can no longer see the dry ingredients to ensure soft cookies.
This is usually a result of over-measuring the flour. Weigh your dry ingredients in grams using a food scale for most accurate measurements!
Of course! These almond cookies are just as delicious plain as they are with the glaze.
Storage
Room Temperature
Store unfrosted cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Refrigerator
Iced almond cookies can be stored in the fridge for 1 week. They should stay soft here!
Freezing Instructions
For the longest shelf life, wrap the baked cookies in a freezer-safe storage container and freeze for up to 3 months.
If you don't want to bake all of the the dough right away, roll the remaining dough into balls and then freeze in a Ziploc bag so you can have freshly baked cookies whenever you get a hankering. Store in your freezer for up to 1 month and place cookie dough balls directly from the freezer onto a prepared cookie sheet and bake as directed.
Did you try this recipe?
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📖 Recipe
Soft Almond Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- Hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment recommended
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons
- Cookie scoop
- Baking sheet
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
Almond Sugar Cookies
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoons almond extract*
- 2 cups all-purpose flour weighed in grams or spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Almond Icing
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1½ tablespoons milk
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ cup sliced almonds optional, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy (1-2 minutes). Mix in the egg and almond extract well.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly to combine. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Scoop 3-4 tablespoons of dough, roll into a ball, and place on a baking sheet 2-3 inches apart. Bake until the edges just start to tan (about 9-12 minutes).
- Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- In a small bowl, make the icing by stirring together the powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract until smooth. Spread icing over the cooled cookies and top with a few sliced almonds.
Carol says
Just made them.! They are fabulous- soft and buttery!
Anna says
They're in the oven, and I added cinnamon. We'll see how they turn out! The dough itself is excellent.
Kayla Burton says
Thank you! I hope you like the cookies even more! 🙂
GreekPrincess says
I just made these…..I got 16 cookies out of it and they definitely needed 13-14 minutes. I baked them at 12 and they tasted raw. I threw them out. The second batch, I baked for 14 min and they were perfect! I used a large cookie scoop and made them into balls. They are very good cookies!
Kayla Burton says
I'm glad you enjoyed them!! So sorry to hear the first batch didn't turn out! Do you use an oven thermometer?
GreekPrincess says
Yes. I did place them in the fridge for 15 minutes before baking tho because my butter was super softened and I got worried they would spend out too much. I used a 1/4 teaspoon salt, not 1/2 teaspoon. Way too salty for me. But the texture, size, crisp, softness, flavor are excellent! Love them!
Jeff Ehrenhard says
Can I roll the dough into a log wrap in plastic wrap refrigerate and cut to the desired thickness?
Kayla Burton says
Hi Jeff! I've only tested these as cookie dough balls so I'm not sure how that would turn out but would love to hear how it goes if you try! Happy Holidays 🙂
Violet S says
Unbelievably soft! The icing is a nice addition but the cookie itself is so flavorful as well!
Kayla Burton says
Yay I'm glad you think so!! Thanks, Violet!
Oots says
I don’t want huge cookies. What if if I make them half that size?
Kayla Burton says
They can be made into smaller cookies
Heather McFarland says
Is the calorie count per serving or for the total recipe?
Kayla Burton says
It's an estimate per iced cookie, assuming 8 cookies are made
Krista says
I love the texture of these cookies! So soft! The perfect amount of almond flavor too! Will definitely be making them again.
Kayla Burton says
Thank you so much, Krista!!
Alison says
What is the weight measurement of the flour please?
Kayla Burton says
250 grams (see "metric" tab in the recipe card) 🙂
Lpsales says
Have you ever tried combining regular flour and almond flour to make these cookies?
Kayla Burton says
No, I haven't
JM says
I love the taste of this recipe, but for some reason my cookies did not spread at all and they stayed in the shape of the ball but got bigger as they cooked. I didn’t do anything different
Kayla Burton says
I'm so sorry to hear that your cookies did not spread properly! Sometimes this can happen when there's too much flour, the butter is too cold, and/or the baking soda is no longer active.