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Kicking off the holiday baking season with my Easy Slice ‘n’ Bake Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies. Made with brown sugar, real vanilla, and my secret ingredients, a little bit of hazelnut liquor and almond extract to bring out the vanilla flavor. These cookies are soft, buttery, and perfectly sweet with the best vanilla flavor and notes of brown sugar. They’re generously frosted with a thick and creamy whipped caramel buttercream frosting. Then decorated with festive holiday sprinkles. The combination of real vanilla, brown sugar, and almond extract, keeps these cookies incredibly flavorful. Plus, they’ve got some really GOOD frosting. These cookies make for a great homemade gift, and a festive addition to your holiday cookie box!
Just like last holiday season, I’m focusing on ALL of the Christmas cookies. I have so many ideas and not enough days to share – like so many ideas. I’m in Christmas mode, and picking the best cookies to share has been hard!
These cookies were an easy choice. I think my mother picked them from my list 5 times over, so I had to start here. And I’m happy I did. I LOVE these cookies. They might be one of my easiest, but cutest.
I know it looks like making these cute could take time, but I have a secret little shortcut you’ll love.
My hang-up with basic sugar cookies is that they’re often flavorless. And even worse, the frosting just tastes like sugar, and I’m definitely not into that.
With these cookies, I wanted to add flavor with brown sugar and real vanilla bean. But most importantly, I wanted to use a buttercream frosting instead of the classic sugar icing.
A soft brown sugar vanilla cookie with real whipped caramel frosting = VERY GOOD sugar cookies!
The details
Beat the butter with the brown sugar and vanilla bean powder. You’ll want to beat for at least a minute to really infuse the butter with the vanilla flavor. Next, add eggs, hazelnut liquor, and almond extract, then all the dry ingredients.
From here, shape the dough into two logs, wrap them up in paper, and chill until firm enough to slice n’ bake.
If you have an almost empty roll of wrapping paper around, cut the roll and fit it around each log. This will prevent the dough from forming a straight edge in the fridge!
And when ready to bake, simply slice-n-bake!
The frosting
I went with a vanilla buttercream, but there’s a little secret ingredient involved – salted caramel. Or you can use thick maple syrup. It’s only a fourth of a cup, but it just makes the frosting melt in your mouth.
Use homemade caramel sauce or store-bought, though I prefer homemade sauce if you have the time.
It’s honestly, so good and makes for one of the best buttercream frostings.
Decorating is easy and fun
Even though each cookie looks all cute, I kept things SO simple. The trick is to use Christmas cookie cutters as “stencils”. Then fill in the cutter with holiday sanding sugars. I used a small reindeer, a Christmas tree, and a Santa hat.
Just place the cookie cutter on top of the frosted cookie and sprinkle a little sanding sugar inside the cutter. Shake the cookie to evenly distribute the sanding sugar.
It’s so easy and I had fun decorating! To help get the sanding sugar cleanly into each cookie cutter, I made a small funnel out of paper.
And of course, you can skip using the cookie cutters altogether. Simply decorate each cookie with your favorite assortment of holiday sprinkles. They’ll be delicious and cute either way!
Looking for other Christmas cookies? Here are my favorites:
Vanilla Ginger Shortbread Wreaths
Lastly, if you make these Easy Slice ‘n’ Bake Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Easy Slice ‘n’ Bake Vanilla Almond Sugar Cookies
Servings: 40 cookies
Calories Per Serving: 112 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Vanilla Almond Cookies
- 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon hazelnut liquor (optional)
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 large eggs
- 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Whipped Caramel Frosting
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup caramel sauce or maple syrup
- assorted holiday sprinkles, for decorating
Instructions
- 1. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, and vanilla until combined. Add the hazelnut liquor (if using), almond extract, and eggs – 1 at a time, and mix until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, beat until combined and the dough forms a ball. 2. Divide the dough in half. Place each ball of dough on a large piece of wax or parchment paper. Shape into a log about 10" long. Wrap the dough up in the paper and place in the fridge for 3-4 hours or up to 5 days.3. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.4. Unwrap the dough and cut the log into 1/4-inch slices. Arrange the slices on the prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes for soft cookies. Let cool. 5. To make the frosting. Beat together the butter and vanilla in a large bowl until extra light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and caramel or maple. Beat until whipped, about 2 more minutes.6. Frost the cooled cookies and decorate as desired. To make the shapes of your favorite Christmas cutouts, find a few small Christmas cookie cutters and gently place in the center of the frosted cookie. Sprinkle the inside of the cookie cutter with sanding sugar. Gently shake the cookie to evenly distribute the sanding sugar and then remove the cookie cutter and finish decorating. See photos for reference.7. Store cookies, covered for up to 4 days at room temperature.
Notes
If in a Hurry, Freeze the Dough: Alternately, if in a hurry, you can freeze the dough for 45 minutes. Then slice the logs into 1/4 inch rounds and bake as directed.
Tip: If you have an almost empty roll of wrapping paper, cut the roll down the center, then fit the cut roll around each log. This will prevent the dough from forming a straight edge in the fridge.
Tip: Use a piece of paper as a funnel for the sanding sugar. This ensures that the sugar stays neatly inside the cookie cutter.
I was so excited to make this recipe….unfortunately I found the cookie to be dry and crumbly and a little flavorless. I don’t know what I did wrong? I have been baking for decades, I followed recipe to a T, did not overcook as I always like my cookies a little of the soft side. I read someone else’s comment about overmixing, I might have done that…🤔
I will say the frosting is OUTSTANDING!! Really fabulous, and I will use that again.
Hey Pamela,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe! So sorry to hear these were dry for you! What kind of flour did you use? Over-mixing could also be the culprit! So glad you enjoyed the frosting! xx
These were terrific! Love the frosting and used your homemade caramel recipe which is amazing! This one’s a keeper!
Thanks so much Lisa!! Love to hear that these cookies were enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xT
These cookies are so delicious – just like the soft frosted ones from the grocery store! I am giving this recipe 4 stars because I think it could use a little more detail in the instructions. I agree with a lot of other commenters that these cookies could easily be bone-dry. I made a few changes that I thought helped: I beat the butter, sugar and vanilla for several minutes until it was light and fluffy rather than until combined. Once I added the dry ingredients, I mixed only until the flour was incorporated. I think this part was most important. Don’t mix the dough until it forms a ball! This will over work the flour. Mix until combined, then turn out the dough onto the counter and shape it into a ball with your hands. I also cut them a little thicker than 1/4 inch.
Hey Megan,
Perfect!! ⛄️ I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for trying it out! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xx
This is a terrible recipe- I wish I had read the other reviews earlier. The cookie consistency is hard and crumbly and relatively flavorless. Also, I’m the video on IG she adds white sugar? Maybe that’s what’s missing idk but unfortunately this is my first recipe I’ve tried here and it was a waste of time and money
Hey Sarah,
Sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed, was there anything you may have adjusted? Let me know how I can help! xx
I was so excited to try these but I too had an issue with these turning out more like a dry, crumbly shortbread and nothing like a soft, chewy sugar cookie. I followed the recipe exactly, did not over bake, and have made a million cookies in my lifetime. Without the frosting, they are almost inedible but the frosting is insanely delicious. Wish I could figure out what went wrong with these.
Hi Lauren,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback. My only guess is the inconsistency in how thin or thick the cookies were sliced and then possibly them being baked for too long, that’s really what would cause them to dry out so much. Let me know if this helps! xx
These were delicious. I had no issues with them being too dry like others, though I did add a sprinkle of cream of tarter. The frosting was delicious and definitely different than the normal sugar cookie frosting.
Hey Randi,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays!🎄🎁
These are delicious! Slicing them from the fridge is so satisfying, and I love how they bake into perfect circles – no spreading. I wonder if other bakers who have tried this over mixed the dough when adding the flour? Could be very easy to do.
Hey Anna,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays!🎄🎁
These are dry and break into powdering substance in your mouth, I did not overcook them. I made everything precisely as directed, I am an experienced baker. Maybe something is wrong with the recipe measurements? Has anyone made them and had them taste like cookies, not cookie crumbs?
I agree. Mine were very dense, almost like a shortbread (like the comment below).
Hi there,
So sorry to hear you had some issues with this recipe. No other readers have had this issue so it makes me wonder if you possible missed a step or overlooked an ingredient. Please let me know how I can help! xx
I too noticed the texture was a different and flavor could have been bumped up a bit. I didn’t use the hazelnut liquor, so I wonder if I should have added that or extra vanilla or almond extract. Not sure.. but I was happy they didn’t spread out after baking so the recipe will make a great cut out cookie. Next time I’m adding the liquor.
I hope this works better with the hazelnut Stacey! Let me know!!
Could I use shaped cookie cutters for these cookies instead of just having them round?
Hey Guin,
For cut out cookies, I would recommend using this recipe:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/christmas-lights-cookies/
Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Hi, can you freeze frosted cookies? Or would that ruin the frosting? Thank you!
Hi Karine,
I would recommend freezing without the frosting. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
If I don’t bake all the cookies at one time, will the frosting keep in the fridge? If so, for how long? I would like to be able to make a few at time with grandchildren. Thanks!
Hi Mona,
I would say the frosting is good for 3-4 days in the fridge. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
The flavor of the dough was fantastic but after baking they came out pretty dry. Like a scone dry. Not sure why? The texture of the dough seemed perfect. Baked at 350F. Definitely did not over bake them.
Hey Amanda,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try, sorry they came out dry! How long did you bake them for? Were they sliced a little too thin? Let me know! xx
I just wanted to comment that when you increase the number of servings, the directions still say the amounts you have in brackets. Because you say “1.5 sticks of butter (1 1/2 cups)” the only number that changes is the stick amount when you increase the recipe. Counting butter in sticks is strange to me and must be an American thing but the “stick” butter in Canada is super expensive. It would be helpful if you listed the cups in the directions and the sticks in bracket. Less confusion. I was trying to double the recipe and almost got caught on this little detail. My comment is just to help anyone else trying to double or triple! Otherwise the cookies were fantastic!
Hi Laura,
Thanks for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! Since I am based in the US, it is easier for me to use US customary measurements as that is what we use. When doubling or tripling a recipe, it is really important to make sure all of the measurements are correct. Sorry for any confusion. xT
Maybe it is a personal preference, but these turned out only okay! I thought they would end up like your standard cookie (crunchy edge, soft and chewy interior), but they ended up very dense: almost like a shortbread but less short! The only difference I made from the recipe is freezing the dough before use, but I can’t imagine it made THAT much of a difference (if anything, freezing cookie dough tends to help the crunchy-chewy factor). The flavour of the dough is delicious, but the textures are all off. Womp.
Swapped the eggs out for 2 flax eggs to make this vegan. Delish!
Hi Jenni,
Happy Monday!!☃️ I truly appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad it was enjoyed! xT
Hi Lena,
Sorry to hear these cookies were not enjoyed, thanks for giving them a try! Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
I don’t have vanilla powder but I do have vanilla extract and a vanilla bean. Do you suggest I add the extract and alittle bit of the bean or would that be too much vanilla?
Hi Kristen,
You can go ahead and just use the vanilla extract. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
I know some others had issues with them coming out like shortbread—we did not! I scooped my flower into the measuring cup with a spoon so as not to overmeasure, and then I did not mix until the dough formed a ball, but made sure everything was well-combined. I used disposable kitchen gloves and plastic wrap to help form the log, then put the dough in the fridge for two days. They came out wonderfully soft and delicious! We are gobbling them up, and the kids haven’t even decorated them yet! 😂
Hey Katlin,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays!🎄🎁