| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 3 hr 45 min |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Inactive: | 3 hr |
| Cook: | 15 min |
| Yield: | about 5 dozen cookies |
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly soft
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus as needed
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- About 1 tablespoon milk
- Food coloring, if desired
- Sprinkles, candies, colored sugar as desired
Instructions
- Whisk the egg and vanilla in a small bowl and set aside.
- With a hand held mixer in a large bowl, cream the butter until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, add both sugars, and continue beating until light, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl again, if needed, then add the egg mixture, beating for about 1 minute. Sift the salt with the flour. Reduce the mixer to a low speed and then add the flour mixture, mixing just until blended.
- Turn the dough out of the bowl. Divide the dough in half and place each half between 2 pieces of lightly floured parchment or waxed paper. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into a disk about 1/4-inch thick. Slide the dough/parchment sheet onto a flat cookie sheet, or on the back of a rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.
- Evenly space the racks in the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Place 1 disk of the cookie dough on a clean work surface and peel off the top sheet of paper. Cut cookies with a 1 1/2-inch round or a decorative shaped cookie cutter directly on the parchment. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a parchment-lined or non-stick baking sheet, spacing them about 1-inch apart. Repeat with other sheet of dough. Any excess dough can be re-rolled, refrigerated, and cut.
- Bake until the edges of the cookies are a light golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.
- For decorating: Whisk the confectioners’ sugar with just enough milk to make a thick icing. Transfer icing to a small plastic bag. Press the icing into a corner of the bag and snip off the corner with scissors to make a small opening. Gently press the icing onto the cookie to make a simple pattern. Decorate as desired. Set aside for about 1 hour to let the icing harden.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- Walnut Orange Variation: Add 3/4 teaspoon grated zest of orange with the sugar, and 2/3 cup finely chopped walnuts with the flour.
- Pecan-Cinnamon Variation: Mix 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon with the flour, and add 2/3 cup finely chopped pecans with the flour. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies before baking with a mixture of 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon.
- Almond Variation: Reduce the vanilla extract to 1 teaspoon and add 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract. Add 3/4 cup chopped toasted sliced almonds to the dough with the flour. If desired, for decoration, brush the tops of the unbaked cookies with some egg white and press a few un-toasted almond slices onto the top of each cookie prior to baking.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 60 servings |
| Calories | 60 |
| Total Fat | 3 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 1 g |
| Cholesterol | 11 mg |
| Sodium | 12 mg |
Reviews
yep i made these cookies and they were delicous we will be making mre for christmas
Fun to make and held there shape I hardly get a
recipe for sugar cookies that actually keep the shape. However,it tasted like shortbread and the icing helped a little but it wasn’t really a icing. Good but not the best.
recipe for sugar cookies that actually keep the shape. However,it tasted like shortbread and the icing helped a little but it wasn’t really a icing. Good but not the best.
I absolutely love this recipe! It’s exactly what I needed this holiday season. It made a lot of cookies for me and now I can’t wait to enjoy every one of them with my friends and family! A definite must
Made these cookies yesterday for my daughter’s Christmas party. They were easy to make and everyone loved them.
I didn’t make the icing because not enough time so I put sugar sprinkles on the cookies before I baked them and they came out great. Will make them again.
I didn’t make the icing because not enough time so I put sugar sprinkles on the cookies before I baked them and they came out great. Will make them again.
is it possible to roll out this cookie dough
My go to for great cookies that keep their shape when baked!
Good but not necessarily better than an average sugar cookie recipe. I used vanilla bean paste rather than extract which should have yielded extra flavor so that says they’re just ok. On the plus side they didn’t spread while baking so if shape is important, this is your cookie. However, unless you’re using mini cutters, you’ll never get 5 dozen. I used a 2 1/2-3 inch heart shaped cutter and got 18 cookies. That’s pretty far from 60 no matter the variance in cutter size.
This is my go to sugar cookie recipe every year!!
I use this all the time for my sugar cookies and it’s a great recipe. Best sugar cookie recipe i’ve used!
These were great once I modified the cook time. I like a thinner cookie, so I think that was my problem. They need to be a solid 1/4 inch, otherwise, reduce your time by almost half. Tasted great after that!