Bourbon Brown Sugar Cut-Out Cookies with Buttercream
Midway between sugar cookies and gingerbread, these cut-out cookies have a subtle brown sugar and bourbon flavor and melt in your mouth texture, perfectly complementing colorful buttercream flowers.
Servings 50 cookies
Calories 88kcal
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 Cup Butter
- 1 Cup Brown Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Tbsp Bourbon or Whiskey see note for substitution
- 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste or vanilla extract
- 3 ½ Cups All-purpose flour
- ½ Cup Cornstarch
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1-2 tsp Milk only if needed
Buttercream
- 1 Cup Butter
- 7 Cups Confectioners Sugar
- ¼-½ Cup Heavy Cream if needed
- Food Coloring as desired
Instructions
Bourbon Brown Sugar Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the center, and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar for the cookies until fluffy, about 1-2 minutes on low speed.
- Add in the eggs, bourbon, and vanilla bean paste. Continue mixing on low to combine until smooth.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk together until combined.
- Add the flour into the mixer bowl with the butter. Use the beater to stir it in gently at first to prevent splattering. Then turn the mixer on low to just combine the batter, about 30 seconds. The dough should hold together. Only if it's crumbly add a splash of milk.
- Roll the dough out on a generously floured surface until it's ¼-inch thick. You can divide the dough into sections if space is limited.
- Use cookie or biscuit cutters to cut out shapes from the dough and place them onto the parchment-lined pan. These can be as close as half an inch together, but not touching. You can reroll and cut the scraps, but don't add more flour if rolling the same dough again.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes until the cookies appear dry but not browned. After 1-2 minutes, transfer the cookies onto a cooling rack until cooled completely. Repeat for multiple batches as needed.
Buttercream Frosting
- In a clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter. Mix on medium-low until lightened in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, fully incorporating each batch before adding the next. If it's tough to mix at any point add a splash of cream.
- Once all the sugar has been incorporated, add cream until you reach your desired consistency. It should hold its shape but be easy to stir with a flexible spatula. If you are spreading the frosting, it can be harder than if you are piping.
- You can add food coloring all at once and use the mixer to incorporate it, if you are making only one color. If you want multiple colors, divide the buttercream among smaller bowls and tint each separately.
- Decorate the cookies as desired, with pretty flowers, other piped designs, or just a simple swoop of spread frosting.
Notes
- Bourbon substitute: Mix 1 tsp vanilla extract with 2 tsp milk to replace the 1 Tbsp of bourbon.
- Make ahead tips:
- Cookie dough can be stored in the fridge for 1-2 days. Allow it to come to room temperature before rolling.
- Rolled and cut raw cookies can be stored in the fridge for 1-2 days, and baked from cold (add 1-2 minutes) or frozen for 1-2 months and thawed before baking.
- Baked cookies, frosted or unfrosted can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for 3-4 days, or frozen for up to 2 months.
- Buttercream can be stored in the fridge in piping bags. Thaw to room temperature to use.