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    Broken Oven Baking » Recipes » Cookies

    Soft Almond Sugar Cookies

    Published: Aug 30, 2022 by Kayla Burton · This post may contain affiliate links · 22 Comments

    2.3K shares
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    Jump to Recipe

    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.

    Soft almond sugar cookies with icing.

    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!

    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Love This Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Substitutions & Variations
    • Step by Step Instructions
    • Expert Tips
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Storage
    • More Recipes You'll Love
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    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

    Ingredients needed to make soft almond sugar cookies with icing.
    • 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

    Wet cookie ingredients mixed together in a bowl.

    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.

    Almond flavored cookie dough in a bowl.

    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.

    Almond sugar cookie dough balls on a baking sheet.

    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.

    A hand holding an almond cookie with icing and sliced almonds on top.

    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

    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. For best results, sift your powdered sugar to ensure there are no clumps in your icing.

    Recipe FAQs

    Why are my cookies hard and crunchy?

    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.

    Instead of soft, my cookies turned out tough. Why is that?

    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.

    Why are my cookies thick and dry?

    This is usually a result of over-measuring the flour. Weigh your dry ingredients in grams using a food scale for most accurate measurements!

    Can I make these without the icing?

    Of course! These almond cookies are just as delicious plain as they are with the glaze.

    A hand holding two halves of a soft iced almond cookie.

    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.

    More Recipes You'll Love

    • Easy Almond Coffee Cake
    • No Bake Cheesecake Bites
    • Top view of espresso chocolate chip cookies with flaky salt.
      Salted Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Snickerdoodle pumpkin bread.
      Homemade Snickerdoodle Pumpkin Bread

    Did you try this recipe?
    Leave a ⭐️ review below and tag @brokenovenbaking on Instagram & Facebook!

    📖 Recipe

    Soft Almond Sugar Cookies

    Kayla Burton
    This easy cookie recipe makes melt in your mouth, buttery soft cookies with the best almond flavor! Top with icing and sliced almonds for extra deliciousness!
    4.99 from 73 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save for LaterSaved!
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8 large cookies
    Calories 412 kcal

    Equipment

    • Hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment recommended
    • Mixing bowls
    • Measuring spoons
    • Scale/measuring cups
    • 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.

    Video

    Notes

    *If you prefer a more subtle almond flavor, try using 1 teaspoon of almond extract instead of 2 teaspoons.
    Storage: Store unfrosted cookies at room temperature and iced cookies in the refrigerator for 1 week. Or, store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Cookie dough balls can be frozen and baked 1 month later.
    Nutrition: The provided nutrition information is an estimate, accuracy is not guaranteed.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 412kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 6gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 295mgPotassium: 107mgFiber: 2gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 476IUCalcium: 36mgIron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Carol says

      January 28, 2023 at 1:29 pm

      5 stars
      Just made them.! They are fabulous- soft and buttery!

      Reply
    2. Anna says

      January 28, 2023 at 12:45 am

      They're in the oven, and I added cinnamon. We'll see how they turn out! The dough itself is excellent.

      Reply
      • Kayla Burton says

        January 28, 2023 at 8:04 am

        Thank you! I hope you like the cookies even more! 🙂

        Reply
    3. GreekPrincess says

      January 27, 2023 at 11:25 am

      4 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • Kayla Burton says

        January 28, 2023 at 8:03 am

        I'm glad you enjoyed them!! So sorry to hear the first batch didn't turn out! Do you use an oven thermometer?

        Reply
        • GreekPrincess says

          January 28, 2023 at 10:34 am

          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!

          Reply
    4. Jeff Ehrenhard says

      December 21, 2022 at 2:50 pm

      Can I roll the dough into a log wrap in plastic wrap refrigerate and cut to the desired thickness?

      Reply
      • Kayla Burton says

        December 21, 2022 at 2:53 pm

        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 🙂

        Reply
    5. Violet S says

      December 02, 2022 at 5:48 pm

      5 stars
      Unbelievably soft! The icing is a nice addition but the cookie itself is so flavorful as well!

      Reply
      • Kayla Burton says

        December 06, 2022 at 8:19 am

        Yay I'm glad you think so!! Thanks, Violet!

        Reply
    6. Oots says

      November 18, 2022 at 7:32 pm

      I don’t want huge cookies. What if if I make them half that size?

      Reply
      • Kayla Burton says

        November 19, 2022 at 9:08 pm

        They can be made into smaller cookies

        Reply
    7. Heather McFarland says

      November 08, 2022 at 5:18 pm

      5 stars
      Is the calorie count per serving or for the total recipe?

      Reply
      • Kayla Burton says

        November 08, 2022 at 5:56 pm

        It's an estimate per iced cookie, assuming 8 cookies are made

        Reply
    8. Krista says

      September 30, 2022 at 7:58 pm

      5 stars
      I love the texture of these cookies! So soft! The perfect amount of almond flavor too! Will definitely be making them again.

      Reply
      • Kayla Burton says

        November 04, 2022 at 9:24 am

        Thank you so much, Krista!!

        Reply
    9. Alison says

      September 26, 2022 at 8:53 pm

      What is the weight measurement of the flour please?

      Reply
      • Kayla Burton says

        September 26, 2022 at 9:48 pm

        250 grams (see "metric" tab in the recipe card) 🙂

        Reply
    10. Lpsales says

      September 23, 2022 at 3:53 pm

      Have you ever tried combining regular flour and almond flour to make these cookies?

      Reply
      • Kayla Burton says

        September 23, 2022 at 4:11 pm

        No, I haven't

        Reply
        • JM says

          February 07, 2023 at 6:21 pm

          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

          Reply
          • Kayla Burton says

            February 07, 2023 at 6:26 pm

            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.

            Reply

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    About Kayla

    Hey, I'm Kayla! I'm a self-taught baker, recipe developer & food photographer in Chicago! This blog is a way for me to share recipes, tips, and everything I love related to baking & photography. If you have any questions or want to connect, I'd love to hear from you!
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