Description
Sweet cinnamon sugar cookies topped with sliced almonds to make adorable beachy sand dollars! These summery cookies only require about 30 minutes from start to finish, and there’s no cookie dough chilling required.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/3 cup (267g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Topping
- 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (45g) sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats (always recommended for cookies). Set aside.
- Make the cookies: Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. The dough will be thick.
- Roll cookie dough into balls, about 1 heaping Tablespoon (30–35g) of cookie dough each. I recommend this cookie scoop.
- For the topping: Mix the sugar and cinnamon together. Roll the dough balls in cinnamon-sugar topping. Arrange cookie dough balls 3 inches apart on the baking sheets. Gently press 5 sliced almonds onto the tops of each dough ball, as pictured above. The almonds may not stick because of the cinnamon sugar, so stick the pointy ends into the cookie dough balls to help them adhere. Again, see the photo above if you need a visual.
- Bake cookies for 11–12 minutes, or until the edges appear set. The cookies will be very puffy and soft.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies slightly deflate as they cool.
- Cover leftover cookies tightly and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: There are a few options here! First, you can prepare the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Make sure that you let it come to room temperature before rolling and baking the cookies. You can also freeze the cookie dough balls in a freezer-friendly container or zip-top bag for up to 3 months. I recommend freezing the dough balls without the cinnamon-sugar topping. When you are ready to bake, remove the balls from the freezer, let sit for 30 minutes, preheat the oven, then roll into topping and add the almonds. You can also freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- Cream of Tartar: Cream of tartar is required for this recipe, and there isn’t an equal substitution that will provide the same results.
- Extra Egg Yolk: To bring this dough together so it isn’t quite as crumbly, use 1 large egg, plus 1 extra-large egg yolk.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.