The Best Sugar Cookies Recipe
Calories: 177kcal
Adjust Servings Here: 24 Cookies
Description
This sugar cookies recipe has a classic taste, crispy texture, and perfect sweetness. This recipe uses less sugar and butter than other recipes, but the end result is a soft, fluffy, tasty sugar cookie that’s just as pleasing to the palate.
Ingredients
- 3 ¾ cups (468 g) All-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 8 oz (226 g) Unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) White sugar
- 2 large Eggs
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Instructions
- Dry ingredients - In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Set aside3 ¾ cups All-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- Creaming - In a large bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Pro tip - Do not skip on this creaming step for the butter/sugar. Creaming works best when the butter is at firm room temperature, not soft room temperature.8 oz Unsalted butter, 1 cup White sugar
- Wet ingredients - Add the vanilla extract followed by the eggs one at a time making sure each is well incorporated.Pro tip - I combined the vanilla extract with the eggs in the video. But, you don't necessarily have to do that.2 large Eggs, 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- Wet to dry - Next, add the flour mixture. Combine well but do not over-mix at this time.Pro tip - We do not want to activate the gluten in the dough so do avoid overmixing the flour.
- Chill - Transfer the dough onto a work surface and divide the dough into two discs. Wrap each in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge until firm enough to roll About 30 minutes to an hour at least. Pro tip - you can keep the dough chilled in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can even freeze the dough for up to a month.
- Roll - Once the dough is chilled; roll the dough on a lightly floured surface evenly. Pro tip - I roll my cookies to about ¼-inch or 6 mm thickness using a rolling pin with spacers. Read - 10 Tips - how to roll and cut sugar cookies
- Cut - Using your favorite cookie cutter cut out desired shaped cookies and place them on a cookie sheet one inch apart. I've used some 3-inch round and square cookie cutters for these cookies.
- Oven - Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 177°C/ Gas Mark 4Pro tip - It is best to keep the cookies chilled in the refrigerator while the oven is preheating. Chilled cookies will prevent spreading.
- Bake - Transfer the chilled cookies to the oven and bake on the middle rack for about 8 to 10 minutes depending on the thickness of the cookies. Pro tip - The cookies must not be dark around the edges. As soon as they get a slight color on the bottom they are ready. They will continue to cook with the residue heat on the baking tray.
- Cool - When baked let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool further before you transfer to an airtight container.Pro tip - always frost cold cookies otherwise the icing will melt.
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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