Sand Dollar Cookies

Sand Dollar Cookies come out looking like little edible seashells—soft, pale, and delicately decorated to mimic the markings of real sand dollars. The dough itself is a classic buttery sugar‑cookie base, flavored with almond extract for a warm sweetness.

Prep Time15

Cook Time13

Total Time28

Course: Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: sugar cookies

Servings: cookies

Calories: 172kcal

Author: Jessica & Nellie

Equipment

Ingredients

1 cup butter softened (8oz, 225g)
1 cup granulated sugar 7oz, 200g
1 egg
2 tsp almond extract
2 tsp milk
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
3 cups flour 16oz, 450g
⅓ cup almond slices 1.3oz, 37g
2-3 TBSP sanding sugar either white, silver or gold

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325°F. Place some parchment paper on your baking sheet and set aside.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, use your paddle attachment to beat the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, almond extract and milk and continue beating until the egg is mixed in.
Add the baking powder, salt and flour and beat on low speed until you get a firm dough.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about a ¼” thickness. Use a 2" round cookie cutter to cut out circles of dough. Re-roll any scraps and keep cutting out your dough until you use it all. You should get 24-28 - 2” cookies.
Place the cookies on your prepared baking sheet leaving at least 2 inches of space between each one.
Place 5 almond slices in the middle of each cookie in a star pattern. Use a straw to make 5 little holes in the cookie. You’ll want 3 little holes at the base of the cookie and the 2 little holes, one on each side. Sprinkle the tops of each cookie with sanding sugar.
Bake for 13-15 minutes. The cookie will appear “dry” and the edges will be very, very lightly browned. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before moving to a rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Notes

Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days; they’ll still be fine, just a bit crispier.

These cookies can also be frozen for up to 2 months in an airtight container. If stacking, place parchment between layers to keep the almond decorations from sticking together.

Nutrition