Marbled Slice and Bake Sugar Cookies
Soft, buttery sugar cookies with swirls of color running through every slice. No cookie cutters needed, and the dough log can wait in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to bake.*A single batch makes about 4 dozen cookies*
Servings: 48 Servings
Calories: 79kcal
Equipment
- Electric Hand Mixer -OR- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment -OR- Wooden Spoon
- Large Mixing Bowl OR Stand Mixer Bowl
- Sharp Knife
Ingredients
- 1 Cup salted butter, softened
- ¾ Cup granulated sugar
- ¾ Cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 + ½ Cups all-purpose flour
- Red and green gel food coloring
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugars, extracts, and egg with an electric hand mixer (or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) until well blended.1 Cup salted butter, softened, ¾ Cup granulated sugar, ¾ Cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon almond extract, 1 large egg
- Slowly stir in the dry ingredients until a dough has formed.1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, 2 + ½ Cups all-purpose flour
- Divide the dough into 3 equal(ish) portions. Set 1 portion aside, and place the other 2 portions into 2 separate bowls to be colored. Add a few drops of gel food coloring to each bowl and mix it in, adding more as desired to reach the shade you want. *A few streaks of white in your colored doughs is ok!Red and green gel food coloring
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the plain dough into a rectangle that’s about 15" x 6".
- Place small chunks of the colored doughs all over the rolled plain dough and gently flatten the colorful pieces into an even layer(ish). You can use a rolling pin to help if desired.
- Starting with the long side, tightly roll the dough into a log. Transfer to a sheet of wax paper and place in the fridge to cool and firm up for at least 1 hour (2 hours to overnight is best).
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Unwrap the dough and trim the edges if necessary, discarding them (or flatten into a cookie). Slice the log into ¼" slices and place them about 2" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, until the edges are just beginning to brown and set up. Cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Storage: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Baked cookies freeze well too, for up to 3 months in an airtight container with wax paper between the layers. Thaw them at room temperature.
Make-Ahead: Wrapped tightly, the dough log keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It also freezes beautifully for up to 3 months.Wrap the log in wax paper, then in plastic wrap or foil, and label it with the date and the baking temperature. You can slice and bake straight from frozen, which is the best part, just add a minute or two to the bake time.
Variation Ideas:
- Go seasonal with your colors. This is the whole appeal. Oranges, reds, and yellows for fall, which is what we used in these photos. Soft pink, purple, and blue for Easter. Red, white, and blue for the Fourth of July. Black and orange for Halloween. Pink and red for Valentine's Day. The dough never changes.
- Use three colors instead of two. We keep one portion plain because the white is what makes the colors pop, but you can divide the dough into four portions and color three of them if you want a busier swirl.
- Switch up the extract. Lemon extract in place of the almond gives these a completely different personality, and peppermint extract leans them hard into Christmas.
- Add sprinkles to the outside. Roll the chilled log in nonpareils or sanding sugar before slicing and every cookie gets a sparkly edge.
- Dip them in white chocolate. Half dipped and left to set on parchment, these go from fun to a little bit fancy.
Nutrition
Calories: 79kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 55mg | Potassium: 20mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 123IU | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.3mg
