I have to admit that baking can sometimes scare me. It's such an exact science that when I go to make my usual adjustments, I sometimes end up with a failure. Baking is not a forgiving medium by any means. Over the years, I've taken my past failures and worked through them as best I could to start building up my baking confidence and knowledge.

Cut-out style sugar cookies have been part of that fear factor for me since they are one of the most simplistic and yet horribly technical cookies out there. However, I think that I've finally cracked the code!

Sugar cookies start out rather simply, so when you mess with their ingredients too much, it shows and you can taste it. Let's face it, there isn't much to hide behind here. Sugar. Butter. Flour. So, while some of these directions below may seem... silly - follow them. There's a reason for each and every step in this process.

You MUST follow the instructions on scooping flour and chilling the dough.

Other than that, these cookies are easy as can be and taste absolutely amazing. These are by far some of my most favorite cookies to make and eat.

Originally, I was going to use a royal icing, but I ended up deciding on a glacé style icing instead. It colors well, hardens up wonderfully, and is pretty easy to work with when it comes to piping.

There was a small learning curve here for me, but that could be because while I consider myself pretty artsy, I am horrible at cookie and cake decorating. Even with that, I'm pretty proud of how these cute little guys turned out! 

Zombie & Monster Men Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
These numbers vary entirely on the size of your cookie and thickness of the dough.
Servings: 24 • Size: 1 Cookie • Calories: 151 • Fat: 5 g • Saturated Fat: 3 g • Carb: 26 g • Fiber: 0 g • Protein: 2 g • Sugar: 9133 g • Sodium: 71 mg

Ingredients:
Cookies:
1 C. Light Butter, Room Temperature
1/2 C. Sugar
1/4 C. Sweetener Blend
1 Whole Large Egg
1 Tsp. Almond Extract
1/2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 C. All-Purpose Flour
1 C. Whole Wheat White Flour
1 1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp. Sea Salt

Icing:
1 C. + 3 Tbsp. Powdered Sugar
2 Tbsp. Reduced Fat Milk
2 Tbsp. Corn Syrup
1/4 Tsp. Almond Extract

Directions:

Place the butter, 1/2 C. Sugar, and 1/4 C. Sweetener Blend into the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment; beat together on a medium-high speed until soft and fluffy.

Add in the 1 Whole Large Egg, 1 Tsp. Almond Extract, and 1/2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract. Continue to beat together until well blended, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the 1 C. Whole Wheat White Flour, 1 1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder, and 1/2 Tsp. Sea Salt.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Measure the flours by using a regular sized spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup, then use a knife to level it off. DO NOT scoop the flour up with JUST the measuring cup. YOU WILL END UP WITH DRY HORRIBLE COOKIES!

Lower the speed of the mixer and slowly add in the flour to the butter mixture.

Once it's all incorporated, remove the dough onto a lightly floured parchment covered surface and roll it out to your desired thickness.

Mine was about 1/8"-1/4" thick.

Cover the rolled out dough with another sheet of parchment paper and place it into the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.

Once chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheet with foil, parchment, or a silicone mat.

Remove the dough from the fridge and cut it with your desired cookie cutters; transferring the cut-outs carefully onto the prepared baking sheets.

I got about 24 5"x3" cookies.

Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes or until the bottom edges are just starting to turn a little brown.

Once done, remove the baking sheet from the oven and immediately transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

While the cookies are cooling, mix up your icing by whisking together the 1 C. + 3 Tbsp. Powdered Sugar, 2 Tbsp. Reduced Fat Milk, 2 Tbsp. Corn Syrup, and 1/4 Tsp. Almond Extract.

Add coloring if desired.

Transfer the icing into a piping back or Zip-seal bag to decorate your cookies as you like!

Allow the icing to set for about an hour to firm up.

Nutritional Claims: Low Sodium, Low Potassium, Kidney Friendly, Pescatarian, Peanut Free, Tree Nut Free, Soy Free, Fish Free, Shellfish Free, Pork Free, Red Meat Free, Crustacean Free, Celery Free, Mustard Free, Sesame Free, Lupine Free, Mollusk Free, Alcohol Free