The Best Vanilla Sugar Cookies Recipe
The Best Vanilla Sugar Cookies Recipe
Vanilla Sugar Cookies are a favorite anytime treat weather you choose to decorate them or eat them just as is with a cup of tea. Based on my butter cookie recipe these are soft, crisp and buttery. They do not spread making them a great candidate for shaped and decorated custom cookies.
The Best Vanilla Sugar Cookies Recipe
My go to recipe
These are the best sugar cookies you will ever eat. They are a variation on the delicious butter cookies; they stay soft and crisp and delicious much longer. I make these so often because not only do my kids love them as is; I also decorate them with fondant or royal icing when I need too. If you place and order for cookies with me.. this is what I will make for you.
Unlike most other recipes I do not add any leavening agent like baking powder or baking soda. And yet if you look at the cookies from the side, you can see they do look light and airy. I prefer that my cookies do not spread like regular cookies. That way I can use the same cookie cutter for my fondant and decorate them perfectly.
The big secret to success with this recipes is the way I prepare my dough. I highly recommend that you read the process really well before you start making the dough. The extra beating in the mixing of the dough gets air into the batter making it light and airy before we add flour
The Best Vanilla Sugar Cookies Recipe
Let’s talk ingredients and substitutes
- Unsalted Butter – I like to use unsalted butter in all my baking so I can control the amount of salt. If you must use salted butter just omit the salt in the recipe.
- All Purpose Flour – I have always use all purpose flour with great success. You do not need any other.
- White granulates sugar – as a rule of thump when ever you need to cream sugar and butter – always use a fine grain sugar that will cream faster. If you have to use a coarse grain sugar – just pulse it in the food processor a couple times and it will be fine. A cookies with butter and sugar not creamed will will give a very flaky cookie.
- Vanilla extract – I like using vanilla extract but it also has the tendency to color the dough. If you need a white or fair dough just add clear vanilla extract or rose essence
The Best Vanilla Sugar Cookies Recipe
The Best Vanilla Sugar Cookies
Tools
Ingredients
- 440 grams (4 cups) All-Purpose flour
- 228 grams ( 1 cup) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 225 grams ( 1 cup) granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract.
Method
Plan and Prepare
- Make sure the butter and eggs are room temperature.
- Sift together the flour and salt
The Best Vanilla Sugar Cookies Recipe
Make Dough
- Place butter, sugar and salt in your mixing bowl and mix on medium until light and fluffy.
Do not skim on this step or the cookies will be very dense. - Add eggs one at a time slowly, mixing each well until incorporated.
- When both the eggs are added. Continue mixing on medium for about two more minutes.
- Next add the Vanilla
- Followed by the flour. Do not over mix once the four is incorporated.
- Bring the dough together and divide into two disc
- Wrap in cling/plastic wrap for at least 1 to 2 hours.
The Best Vanilla Sugar Cookies Recipe
Roll Cookies
- Once the dough is chilled; roll dough on a lightly floured surface evenly.
- I roll my cookies a minimum 1/4 inch or 6 mm thick using a rolling pin with spacers.
- Cut out desired shaped cookies and place them on a cookie sheet one inch apart.
- I prefer to chill the cookies while the oven is preheating.
- Preheat the oven at 180 C / 360 F
- Bake cookies for about 8 to 10 minutes depending on thickness of the cookies.
- When baked let cool on the tray for 7 to 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool further.
- You can eat these cookies as is or decorate them with royal icing or fondant.
The Best Vanilla Sugar Cookies Recipe
Storage
- This cookie recipe can be halved or double without any issues.
- The dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days or
- Frozen for up to three months. If frozen thaw in the fridge over night before you roll out.
- The baked cookies will stay at room temperature for up t 4 weeks but best eaten within a few days.
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The Best Vanilla Sugar Cookies Recipe
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Recipe Card – The Best Sugar Cookies Recipe
The Best Vanilla Sugar Cookie Recipe
Prep
Cook
Inactive
Total
Yield 24 Cookies
Vanilla Sugar Cookies are a favorite anytime treat weather you choose to decorate them or eat them just as is with a cup of tea. Based on my butter cookie recipe these are soft, crisp and buttery. They do not spread making them a great candidate for shaped and decorated custom cookies.
Ingredients
- 440 grams (4 cups) All-Purpose flour
- 228 grams ( 1 cup) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 225 grams ( 1 cup) granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract.
Instructions
Plan and Prepare
- Make sure the butter and eggs are room temperature.
- Sift together the flour and salt
Make Dough
- Place butter, sugar and salt in your mixing bowl and mix on medium until light and fluffy. Do not skim on this step or the cookies will be very dense.
- Add eggs one at a time slowly, mixing each well until incorporated.
- When both the eggs are added. Continue mixing on medium for about two more minutes.
- Next add the Vanilla
- Followed by the flour. Do not over mix once the four is incorporated.
- Bring the dough together and divide into two disc
- Wrap in cling/plastic wrap for at least 1 to 2 hours.
Roll Cookies
- Once the dough is chilled; roll dough on a lightly floured surface evenly.
- I roll my cookies a minimum 1/4 or 6 mm thick using a rolling pin with spacers
- Cut out desired shaped cookies and place them on a cookie sheet one inch apart.
- I prefer to chill the cookies while the oven is preheating.
- Preheat the oven at 180 C / 360 F
- Bake cookies for about 8 to 10 minutes depending on thickness of the cookies.
- When baked let cool on the tray for 7 to 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool further.
- You can eat these cookies as is or decorate them with royal icing or fondant.
Storage
- This cookie recipe can be halved or double without any issues.
- The dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days or
- Frozen for up to three months. If frozen thaw in the fridge over night before you roll out.
- The baked cookies will stay at room temperature for up t 4 weeks but best eaten within a few days.
Courses Breakfast, Brunch, High Tea
Cuisine Ameican
If you see decorated cookies on this blog – almost all of them are these Vanilla Sugar Cookies or my Chocolate Sugar Cookies. They are the best..!!
The Best Vanilla Sugar Cookies Recipe
Could I substitute Vanilla sugar instead of vanilla extract?
Yes absolutely Jenn. Use the same amount of sugar and omit the vanilla.
Yes Jenn… You can use vanilla sugar for sure and omit the vanilla in the recipe
I made the dough and refrigerated over-night. When I went to spread the dough it was very crumbly and quite difficult to roll out. Any suggestions?
Yes, Crystal its sounds like the dough was too chilled so it needs to thaw just a bit. Or knead it a bit. You want the dough cold not not so hard that it breaks apart.
My apologies if this is a duplicate.
How thick do you recommend on rolling out the dough? Thank you.
I like to keep mine a minimum 1/4 inch or 6mm thick – Thanks
How thick would you recommend rolling out the dough? Thank you.
I roll my cookies about 1/4 in thick or 6 mm using a rolling pin with spacers
Hello ma'am,
Is there any way in which we can make make eggless sugar cookies?
Hi veena
I love your blog and your recipes
Do you have an eggless version for this recipe? Or a substitute?
Thank you so much
I have two or may be three eggless recipes on my blog – please look under recipes. I do not do much eggless baking so I really don’t have much to share on that
What type of icing/frosting have you used to cover the sugar cookies and where can I find the recipe?
you are an artist….
thanks a lot.
carina
Hi Veena,
I'm wondering if you have ever made the dough, rolled it out and then froze the sheets for later use?
I want to make the dough ahead of time, for a gathering of wee ones, and having it done to the point of cutting out would be great.
Do you think it would work?
Robin Christ
Hi veena, you have a great blog with so many interesting recipes. I have tried this recipe and it tasted great. But I had a problem, the cookies were quite crisp on the sides but they were a bit soft in the center. I cooled them completely and kept them in an airtight container. But they stayed the same way. I tried to follow each and every step of ur recipe exactly. I don't know what
Hi veena, how do you get the color on these cookies? do you decorate the cookies using butter cream frosting?
I baked this yesterday for my 2 year 10 month old- with whole wheat flour- (just atta that you get in India). Really good recipe. thats what she had for breakfast- infact tasted like sweet chapathi.. Thanks for this recipe.. She was munching away- but said that she didnt like that I didnt make the doggie cookie- she was on your site yesterday with me and saw the pictures:) Now I will have to
Hi Veena,
Thanks for the recipe,I tried your sugar cookies,they came out really well .
Swarna
Your very welcome, thanks for letting me know. I'm glad you liked them.
Veena
Hi Nandu,
Thanks for letting me know. I have never tried it with Wheat flour.
Glad to know you enjoyed it..
Thanks for posting your experience here.
hi Veena,i tried u r cookie recipe .instead of all purpose flour ,i used wheat flour ,it came out well .thanks for u r recipe ….
Hi, Can you show how you made those dog, puppy cookie. Love the finish on your cookies.
Please can you make a tutorial on making these. I love your blog.
Natasha from Russia
Hi Amy, Thanks for you comment.
I suggest you follow the recipe the way it is. Making changes might give you a different outcome.
For example, in my recipe there is no baking powder or baking soda but there is an extra egg that most recipes would ask only one for these quantities.
According to me the eggs works as a great leavening agent and gives a light texture. So choose what
I have a great tasting cookie recipe but it drives me crazy because it spreads too much.
I will try this, it looks fairly simple too. You think if I left out the baking powder and soda in my recipe it would work?
Love your blog. Great information. You are turly talented.
Amy