The Best Sugar Cookies Recipe
Calories: 177kcal
Adjust Servings Here: 24 Cookies
Description
This sugar cookies recipe is a favorite treat anytime. Whether you choose to frost them or eat them just as is with a cup of tea. And, based on my butter cookie recipe, these are soft, crisp, and buttery. Also, they do not spread and are less sweet, making them a great candidate for shaped and decorated custom cookies
Ingredients
- 3 ¾ cups (468 g) All-purpose flour
- 8 oz (226 g) Unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) White sugar
- 2 large Eggs
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the Dough
- In a bowl, sift together the flour and salt.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Do not skimp on this step or the cookies will be very dense.Tip - creaming works best when the butter is at firm room temperature, not soft room temperature.
- Add the eggs one at a time making sure each is well incorporated. Once the eggs are in, mix for a minute or two more.
- Next, add the vanilla. Followed by the flour. Combine well but, do not over mix at this time.
- Bring the dough together and divide into two discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for a minimum of 2 hours or firm enough to roll.
Roll the Cookies
- Once the dough is chilled; roll dough on a lightly floured surface evenly.
- I roll my cookies a minimum ¼ or 6 mm thick using a rolling pin with spacers.Tip - read - 10 Tips - how to roll and cut sugar cookies
- Using your favorite cookie cutter cut out desired shaped cookies and place them on a cookie sheet one inch apart.
- Preheat the oven to 180 C / 356 F.Tip - I prefer to chill the cookies while the oven is preheating. This will prevent spreading
- Bake cookies for about 8 to 10 minutes depending on the 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.
Recipe Notes
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 to 2 weeks but best eaten within a few days.
- Sugar cookies have a good shelf life as a dough as well as cookies. The dough, if wrapped well can usually stay in the fridge or 5 to 6 days before rolling and baking. Alternatively, you can roll the cookies and place them on a parchment-lined tray wrapped well with cling wrap for about 3 to 4 days
- Sugar cookies dough can be frozen for a month or more if wrapped well. A great dough to have on hand in the freeze during the busy festive season
- Most cookies will stay good at room temperature in an airtight container for a few days. They can last for up to 2 weeks but are at their best in the first few days of baking.
- Leaving cookies out overnight will make them soft and stale faster. A good practice would be to keep them in the cookie jar as soon as they are cooled.
- Always, follow the recipe correctly unless you know and what the outcome different. Adding extra flour will give you dry, crumbly cookies. Too much sugar or butter can make the cookies spread and lose their shape when baking. Rolling the cookies too thin will give you hard flat cookies.
- These cookies will cut and bake better when properly chilled. If you don't have enough time I highly recommend using my recipe for no-chill sugar cookies instead. You can also try my other no spread sugar cookies recipe
- If you bake the cookies at a very high temperature or if you bake them for too long the edges will get brown quicker. 180C is a guide I like to use but every oven is different so adjust temperature accordingly.
- If you have cookies baking quicker with most recipes then perhaps its time to check if your oven temperature needs calibration.
- Overbaked cookies when cool tend to be dry and hard. Which is why you need to bake them until they are just about to start getting some color on the edges. The cookies continue to cook and set as they cool too.
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
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