Cutler’s Famous Glazed Sugar Cookies

This recipe originally posted February 2014, updated with new content and photos January 2024

Cutler’s Famous Glazed Sugar Cookies have become a sentimental favorite for Bountiful residents over the years! If you are from Davis County, Utah, you’ve probably eaten at one of the Cutler’s locations. They specialize in cookies, and this is one of their original crowd pleasers! This is the original recipe from my friends, Curt and Nancy Cutler, handed down from Curt’s mother, Sandra, who founded Cutler’s in 1980.

History of Cutler’s Cookies in Bountiful, Utah

I love to hear the history behind a restaurant, especially one that has been around for years! Cutler’s opened in 1980 and was supposed to be a temporary place for Sandra Cutler to sell cookies during the Christmas season. Over the years, Cutler’s Cookies has blossomed into a Utah icon. Sandra’s first location was open only until the spring of 1981, when the family moved away for a work opportunity. They returned in 1984. It was then that Sandra found a building on Main Street in Bountiful, which was remodeled (by her sons, who were in the construction business) into the first permanent Cutler’s location. Sandra loved to bake, and all of her recipes are self-developed.

I asked Curt, who took over his mom’s shop years later, where she got the inspiration to sell cookies back in 1980. I mean, now it seems there is a cookie shop (or 2 or 3) in every town, but it was not common back in the 80’s! He said she read an article in a magazine that gave her the idea and she decided to go with her inspiration. Her family supported her idea, and over 40 years later, they are one of THE OG cookie bakers in Utah.

What makes the best sugar cookie?

What makes the best sugar cookie? That’s a highly personal question! Sugar cookies are a matter of preference. Some like sugar cookies that are crisp, without any frosting or glaze. Some love them smothered with a thick layer of buttercream. I’m a buttercream fan myself, but this particular recipe, with a light glaze and just a hint of almond, is out of this world amazing! If you love soft, buttery sugar cookies that are not too sweet, this is your cookie.

Use Cake Flour for the Softest Sugar Cookies

Cutler’s uses cake flour in their cookies, which is a game changer, especially in sugar cookies! If you’ve made sugar cookies, you know that one of the big problems when cutting the cookies is the scraps of dough that toughen each time they are rolled and cut. Cake flour takes care of this issue, so no worries about cardboard-like treats as you cut out the last few cookies! When I asked Curt about the inspiration for cake flour in cookies, he said it was discovered when they were experimenting with different types of flour back in the 5-Points Mall days!

Using cake flour for sugar cookies is a great option because it produces a more tender, cake-like cookie. The original recipe I received from Curt called for 5 cups of cake flour. After experimenting with this recipe over the years, I adjusted the cake flour to 3 cups and use 2 cups of all-purpose flour, to equal 5 cups of flour total. I found that combining cake and all-purpose flour results in a dough that is not too soft. It also takes care of issues with cookie dough spreading too much while baking. Using both types of flour produces cookies that are soft, yet not too cake-like!

I first posted Curt’s sugar cookie recipe with buttercream frosting in February of 2012. After many requests for the glazed version, I asked Curt if he could come over and show me exactly how the glazed cookies are made at Cutler’s bakery. He agreed, and we had an afternoon of shaping dough, baking, and decorating. My daughter Corrine, granddaughter Ani, and friends Mel and Cathy, from the bakery, came to join in the fun!

Easy Dip and Drip Method for Glazing Sugar Cookies

Below, I show the method I personally use most often. I simply separate the glaze into two pie plates or shallow bowls. I color one of the glazes pale pink and leave the other white, then dip and let excess glaze drip back into the pie plate. If the glaze gets too thick, I thin it by whisking in a bit of milk or water.

How do you apply glaze to sugar cookies?

I thought you might like to see the method Cutler’s uses when glazing cookies a whole pan at a time. Their secret is a stainless steel pan you’ll find in the hardware store. It looks like this (below) and costs just a few dollars. Some call it a trowel pan or a spackle pan. I think it looks like a mini-trough! Over the years, readers have told me they use other long baking pans, a loaf pan, or even a 9×13-inch pan (this is my favorite) to pour the glaze over the cookies.

How to Glaze Sugar Cookies Step by Step

• Gather all ingredients needed for cookie dough, glaze, and decorating. Gather all baking tools as well (spatula for scraping glaze, pan for pouring glaze, cookie sheets, parchment paper, sprinkles).
• Line baking pans with parchment paper.
• Roll the dough to about 1/4-inch thick. Make sure there is plenty of flour on the surface so the dough will not stick.
• Cut out shapes with cookie cutter. Remember that part about generously flouring the surface? If you don’t flour the surface enough, you may need to use a spatula or bench scraper to get the cookies into the baking pan!
• After baking, remove from oven and let cool completely.
• Make the glaze in a large bowl according to recipe. Fill the mini-trough or 9×13-inch pan with glaze. If you are pouring the glaze, then double the glaze recipe. If you do not use the trough/pouring method and simply dip the cookies into the glaze, a single recipe will be just the right amount.
• Before glazing the cooled cookies, line a baking pan with a clean sheet of parchment paper to catch the excess glaze. Set a cooling rack inside of the baking pan (see photo). Excess glaze can easily be scraped off the parchment and poured again.
• Place the cookies on top of the cooling rack in the lined pan. This is the method Curt uses to cover all of the cookies at one time.
• If you don’t want to purchase a spackle pan (mini-trough), simply mix the glaze in a bowl or pie plate, dip the cookie into the glaze, and either gently scrape excess glaze off or let it drip off the cookie. Don’t forget to hurry and throw some sprinkles on top of the freshly glazed cookies, then allow the glaze to set.

Of course, the easiest way to enjoy a Cutler’s cookie is to hop in the car, drive over to Cutler’s, and get your cookie fresh from their bakery! The Cutler’s crew sells about 500 dozen (6,000) heart-shaped cookies the week of Valentine’s Day, not counting the pink frosted or other cookies sold as well.

Hope your Valentine’s Day is filled with all things sweet, my friends!