Sugar Cookies

With crisp edges, thick centers, and room for lots of decorating icing, you’ll love these soft cut out sugar cookies.

Baking sugar cookies from scratch is a time-honored tradition. 

We want to give you a few tips to make these the best sugar cookies possible.

TIPS

Eggs at room temperature.

Sift the flour before adding.

Refrain from overmixing, mix just till all the ingredients are combined. When you over mix your cookie will become hard once cooked.  You want a soft tender cookie to eat.

Chill the dough before rolling.

Go easy on the flour when rolling out the dough.

Bake on a pasty mat or parchment paper.

Chill the cookies on the try before baking, if possible.

Remove cookies from the oven before they become golden in colour. You want them to set, not brown, they should no longer appear soft and melty.

 If your cookies are burnt on the bottom, check these items: your oven temperature readings are off, your cookie sheet is too dark, your cookies were baked on a lower rack, the heat was too high, or you baked the cookies right on the sheet without a pastry mat or any parchment paper.

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

   Method

1. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl beat butter and sugar together on high speed (either stand or hand mixer) until completely smooth 2 minutes, or until butter mixture is pale yellow, light and fluffy. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice while mixing.
3. Add the egg, vanilla, and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scraping down the sides as needed.
4. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix on low until combined. (The dough will be relatively soft.)
5. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll each half out to approx ¼-inch thickness. Cover with plastic wrap, then refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours or up to 2 days. 
6. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or use a pastry mat if you have one.
7. Once dough is chilled remove 1 half of the dough from the fridge. (Make sure surface and rolling pin are lightly floured) Roll out the dough till its ¼ inch thick, that way, they will be tough enough to be handled and decorated, but thin enough to stay a little crunchy
8. Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used.
9. Arrange cookies on baking sheets 3 inches apart. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.
10. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
11. Repeat from 7 to 10 with 2nd piece of dough
12. Decorate the cooled cookies as desired!