St. Patricks Day Sugar Cookies (Printable)

Tender sugar cookies topped with green icing and sprinkles, perfect for St. Patricks Day celebrations. Easy to make and fun to decorate.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Cookie Dough

01 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
04 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
08 - 1/2 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)

# Steps:

01 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until well combined.
02 - Beat softened butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, approximately 2-3 minutes.
03 - Mix in egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using) until fully incorporated.
04 - Gradually add dry ingredients to wet mixture, mixing on low speed just until combined. Do not overmix.
05 - Divide dough in half, shape into disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
06 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
07 - Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with shamrock or round cookie cutters.
08 - Place cookies 1 inch apart on prepared sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges just begin to turn golden.
09 - Let cookies rest on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
10 - Mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add green food coloring to achieve desired shade.
11 - Ice cooled cookies and add sprinkles. Allow icing to set before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The dough comes together in under fifteen minutes but bakes into something that tastes like you spent all afternoon on it
  • That hint of almond extract makes these taste like bakery cookies instead of plain sugar cookies
02 -
  • Chilling the dough is nonnegotiable warm dough spreads into sad thin cookies
  • Let the baking sheets cool between batches or the dough starts melting before it hits the oven
03 -
  • Rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking for even browning
  • Add a pinch of lemon zest to the icing for a fresh bright note

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