Description
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with these Shamrock Sugar Cookies! They’re bursting with vanilla flavor and decorated to bring joy. Easy to make and perfect for sharing.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- seeds scraped from 1 whole vanilla bean
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- salt, to taste
- optional: gel food coloring for tinting
- optional: sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set it aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar until creamy, about 3 minutes. Incorporate the vanilla bean seeds and mix for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing until fully combined.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed. If the dough is too soft, incorporate an extra tablespoon of flour.
- Split the dough into two portions. On floured parchment or a silicone mat, roll each portion to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use flour as needed to prevent sticking.
- Dust one rolled dough with flour and cover with parchment. Stack the second rolled dough on top, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours or up to 2 days.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut shapes from the chilled dough with cookie cutters and place them on the sheets, keeping them 3 inches apart.
- Bake cookies for 11-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
- To make the frosting, beat butter and vanilla bean seeds until creamy. Add confectioners’ sugar, cream, and vanilla extract, mixing well. Adjust sweetness with salt if needed. Color as desired with gel food coloring.
- Decorate the cooled cookies with frosting and sprinkles. Frosted cookies can be stored at room temperature for 1 day or in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
For even shapes, use cookie cutters for a uniform look.
Ensure butter is softened for better mixing.
The dough can be prepared in advance and chilled.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 60mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 20mg