Early March on the Michigan homestead and the afternoons are asking for something slow. The kind of afternoon where you put flour on the counter and let the house fill up with the smell of something baking while the world outside is still gray and cold and figuring itself out.

These molded sugar cookies have been one of my favorite things I have made in a long time. They are simple to put together and the results are just so beautiful. If you have a carved wooden cookie mold sitting somewhere in your kitchen waiting for the right moment, this is it.

With the spring equinox just around the corner I have been looking for little ways to mark the turning of the season. To celebrate the fact that the light is coming back and the mud is returning and something underneath all of that quiet brown stillness is waking up. These molded sugar cookies felt like exactly the right thing. Beautiful enough to feel like a celebration and simple enough to make on an ordinary afternoon.

They are perfect pressed with a flower mold, dusted in powdered sugar, and tucked into a little basket with some jam and a candle for someone you love. A small handmade gift that says spring is coming and I was thinking of you.

I want to mention that these are a little different from springerle cookies, which are a traditional German pressed cookie that takes about three days to make from start to finish. These use a classic cut out sugar cookie dough pressed into the mold. Both are wonderful but this version comes together in an afternoon and I think that makes them a little more approachable for everyday baking.

I pressed these into a mold and dusted them in powdered sugar and honestly could not stop looking at them. Tucked into a little spring basket with some jam from the pantry and a candle they make the most perfect spring equinox gift for someone you love.

You can find the wooden cookie mold I used right here. It is such a beautiful tool to have in your kitchen.

Watch the Full Video

If you want to see these cookies come together from start to finish you can watch the full video over on our YouTube channel. We also answer some of your most requested questions, take a peek inside our indoor greenhouse, and share a very big milestone we are celebrating around here including a special giveaway for one of you.

The Recipe

Molded Sugar Cookies

INGREDIENTS

Ingredient	Amount
Unsalted butter	1 cup
Granulated white sugar	1 cup
Vanilla extract	1 teaspoon
Almond extract	1/2 teaspoon
Egg	1 large
Salt	1/2 teaspoon
All-purpose flour	3 cups

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together until smooth. This should take at least three minutes and you want it really well combined.

3. Beat in the vanilla extract, almond extract and egg.

4. In a separate bowl combine the salt with the flour. Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients in small portions.

5. If the dough looks crumbly continue mixing for another thirty seconds to a minute. The dough should pull away from the sides of the mixer cleanly.

6. If the dough still looks too dry or stiff for your mixer turn it out onto a floured surface and knead it by hand. Flour the surface as needed and wet your hands before kneading.

7. Do not chill the dough. Divide it into two or three workable portions, roll it out onto a floured surface, and press into your mold. Keep the cookies on the thicker side, closer to a quarter inch than an eighth inch, so the design holds beautifully.

8. Bake at 350 degrees F for six to eight minutes. They should look just barely set at the edges. Let them cool on the baking sheet until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack.

9. Once fully cooled dust generously with powdered sugar. They are stunning.

A Few Notes from the Homestead Kitchen

The almond extract is what makes these taste like a proper bakery cookie. Do not leave it out.

Rolling the dough thicker than you think you need to is important when using a mold. A thin cookie will lose the detail in the design.

These keep beautifully in an airtight container for up to a week, though they have never lasted that long around here.

Building a Spring Equinox Gift Basket

Once the cookies are cooled and dusted this is one of my favorite ways to share them. A simple basket with a few things that say I was thinking of you and I wanted to bring a little beauty to your door.

Here is what we tucked into ours:

• Molded sugar cookies dusted in powdered sugar

• A jar of jam or jelly preserved from last season

• A candle from Antique Candle Co

• A handwritten note

Wrap it in a little tissue, tuck a ribbon around the handle, and you have the most perfect spring equinox gift. It is the kind of thing that makes someone feel genuinely cared for and that is really the whole point.

I hope these cookies bring something warm and beautiful into your home this spring.

With love from the homestead, Amanda