From the Kitchen
Our Favorite Sugar Cookies
A tried and true cut out sugar cookie recipe for holidays, celebrations, and any excuse to get out the cookie cutters.
There are certain things that have a way of taking you right back to childhood, and a kitchen table covered in sugar cookies waiting to be decorated is one of them.
These are the sugar cookies we come back to whenever the cookie cutters come out. They're buttery, simple, not overly sweet, and sturdy enough for little hands and an unreasonable amount of frosting.
And they aren't precious.
Make pumpkins and ghosts in October. Stars and trees at Christmas. Hearts in February. Let the kids use too many sprinkles. Mix a frosting color that turns out nothing like you intended. Eat one before the frosting sets.
That's sort of the point.
The Recipe
Our Favorite Sugar Cookies
A simple cut out sugar cookie that holds its shape beautifully and is ready for frosting, sprinkles, and whatever holiday happens to be next.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (260 g) all purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons (22 g) powdered sugar
- 8 tablespoons (112 g) salted butter, room temperature
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, kosher salt, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar.
- Cut the butter into small, approximately 1 inch cubes and add it to the dry ingredients. Add the egg and vanilla.
- Using a wooden spoon, begin mixing and breaking up the butter until the ingredients are somewhat combined. Then use your hands to bring the dough together. The dough should feel a little like playdough. Continue working it until it forms a ball and becomes easy to handle.
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough into two sections to make rolling easier.
- Roll the dough on a surface lightly sprinkled with powdered sugar, or between sheets of parchment paper, to approximately 1/3 inch thick.
- Cut the dough with your favorite cookie cutters and place the cookies approximately 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 6 to 8 minutes. The cookies will still be soft when they first come out of the oven.
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting or decorating.
Get out the cookie cutters. Make a mess. Eat one before you frost the rest.
Some traditions are worth keeping simple.
