How To Make Sugar Cookies

Rolling Out Your Cookie Dough

How to Make Easy Sugar Cookies | Cookie Recipe | Allrecipes.com

Before you start rolling out your dough, make sure to dust your work surface with flour. This will help prevent the dough from sticking to the counter. While youre at it, have a little bowl of flour on the side, since youll be using quite a bit of it to dust your dough and your toolsand be sure to wear an apron because flour has the tendency to get everywhere!

For easy rolling, divide your dough into two portions. Set one portion aside and place the other on your floured surface, using your hands to lightly shape the dough into a flat disk.

Sprinkle your rolling pin and the top of your dough with flour, then start rolling! Starting from the center and moving the rolling pin outwards, roll your dough until its about 1/8 in. thick, giving the dough a quarter turn every so often to prevent sticking. Continue flouring your surface and tools as necessary.

Overview: How To Make Sugar Cookies With Icing

Make cookie dough. You only need 7-8 ingredients. With so little ingredients, its important that you follow the recipe closely. Creamed butter and sugar provide the base of the cookie dough. Egg is the cookies structure and vanilla extract adds flavor. I almost always add a touch of almond extract for additional flavor and highly recommend that you try it too! Flour is an obvious addition, baking powder adds lift, and salt balances the sweet. So many *little ingredients* doing *big jobs* to create a perfect cookie. By the way, I also make chocolate sugar cookies too!

Divide in two pieces. Smaller sections of dough are easier to roll out.

Roll out cookie dough. Roll it out to 1/4 inch thick or just under 1/4 inch thick. If you have difficulty evenly rolling out dough, try this adjustable rolling pin. Speaking from experience its incredibly handy!

Chill rolled out cookie dough. Without chilling, these cookie cutter sugar cookies wont hold their shape. Chill the rolled out cookie dough for at least 1-2 hours and up to 2 days.

Cut into shapes. If you need suggestions for cookie cutters, I love Ann Clark brand. Some of my favorites include this heart set, dog bone, snowflake, snowman, leaf, and a pumpkin.

Bake & cool. Depending on size, the cookies take about 12 minutes.

See my suggested icings below.

Have a little flour nearby when youre rolling out the cookie dough. Keep your work surface, hands, and rolling pin lightly floured. This is a relatively soft dough.

A Gluten Free Cookie Recipe

Looking for a gluten free cookie that still tastes like dessert? Look no further! These Flourless Chocolate Cookies are fantastic!

Theres plenty of rich chocolate and sweet powdered sugar to mask the absence of flour if you gave these to someone and didnt tell them, they probably wouldnt even know. Theyre like a flat brownie!

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Easy Sugar Cookie Recipe

Quick and easy sugar cookies made with only 3 pantry ingredients and no egg! So simple and foolproof, you can whip up this sugar cookie recipe anytime. Sweet, buttery, and delicious!

If you love cookies that come together in a snap, check out our super popular No Bake Cookies and Rolo Cookies.

Tips For The Best Cookies

How to Make Easy Sugar Cookies: 13 Steps (with Pictures ...

Although this soft sugar cookies are super easy to make, there are a few simple tricks you can use to make sure that your cookies come out perfectly. Heres what I recommend:

Make sure your butter is the right temperature. Room temperature can be a little misleading if your house is too warm or too cool. Your butter shouldnt be so soft that your finger goes right through it if you press on it, but it should also be able to make an imprint. If it wont, or it barely does, its likely too cold still.
Be sure to use just two tablespoons of brown sugar. It adds just enough additional moisture to the cookies to help them spread correctly and stay soft and chewy for days!
Dont over mix the dough after you add the flour. It can over develop the gluten and cause the cookies to not spread as nicely or be tough.
Make sure your cookie dough balls are 1 1/2 tablespoons each or youll want to adjust the baking time. I also found that size to be just right for spreading well.

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Making Soft Drop Cookies

1Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare your baking sheet. You will need 1 to 2 baking sheets. Lightly grease the sheet with cooking spray, cover them with parchment paper.

2Cream the butter, shortening, and sugar until the mixture turns light and fluffy. Place the butter, shortening, and sugar into an electric mixer or food processor. Beat the ingredients together on a medium speed setting until they turn light and fluffy. This will take about 3 minutes.XResearch source

If you cannot find shortening, you can use another ½ cup of butter instead.

3Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. While the mixer is turning, add in the egg and vanilla extract. Keep beating until everything is evenly combined and no streaks of egg yolk remain.

4Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a separate bowl. Pour the flour into a separate bowl. Add the baking powder and baking soda, then whisk everything together.

If you’d like your sugar cookies to be less sweet, add ½ teaspoon of salt

5Slowly beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Set your mixer to the lowest possible speed setting. While the mixer is turning, add the flour mixture into the butter mixture 1 cup at a time.

6Form the dough into small balls and roll them in sugar. Use your hands or a cookie scoop to form the dough into 1-inch balls. Next, fill a bowl with sugar, then rolls the balls in the sugar 1 at a time.XResearch source

Tips For Making Perfect Sugar Cookies:

When cutting out your sugar cookies, make sure to keep your cuts as close together to get as many cookies out of your dough as possible. You will want to re-roll any scraps so that you use all of your dough. Keep in mind that with each re-roll youre adding more flour into the dough, so you want to get as much as possible out of that first roll.
Bake cookies that are about the same size together. Otherwise the small ones will burn and the large ones wont finish baking.
For thinner, crispier sugar cookies: Roll cookie dough thinner and look for the edges of the cookies to be just beginning to turn golden brown to know that they are done.
For thicker, softer sugar cookies: Roll dough to about ¼, and watch for cookies to be just beginning to turn lightly golden around the edges. Let them cool completely on the cookie rack as they may break if you try to move them while theyre still warm.
When making the sugar cookie icing: Its hard to mess this one up, because if you make it too thin, just add more powdered sugar. If its too thick, just add more milk!

Alright, thats how to make the best Sugar Cookies from scratch. Hopefully you guys love cookies as much as I do because I have so many more coming up this month that will be great for your holiday cookie platters .

Enjoy!!

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An Easy Sugar Cookie Icing

For the frosting for these cookies, I did not use a royal icing, which I know is popular. Truthfully, I dont really love the taste of royal frosting, and I know many of you dont keep meringue powder in your cabinets or feel comfortable making egg white frosting.

Instead, I used the same frosting that I used for my Galaxy Cookies. Its easy to make, easy to pipe, and dries hard for stackable cookies. This recipe uses light corn syrup for a nice shiny frosting.

I frosted my cookies and then topped a few of them off with colored sugars, but if you want to skip the frosting you can sprinkle your cut-outs with sanding sugar just before baking. This is the way my mom always makes her sugar cookies, they still taste delicious!

Can You Freeze Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies

How to Make Simple Versatile Sugar Cookies

Bless us all, yes! So much yes. You can bake all throughout November to get Christmas cookies ready, or bake weeks before that wedding youre providing treats for. Trust me, I always do this!

Remove your cookies from the oven and let them set up on the pan for 5 minutes.
Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
Transfer cookies to a cold pan.
Put the whole pan in the freezer for 1-2 hours
Transfer the frozen cookies into a large food storage container.
Store for up to 2 months if they are unfrosted. I would only do about 4 weeks if they are already frosted. More on that below.

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How Long To Sugar Cookies Bake For

This depends greatly on the size and shape of the cookie. My rule of thumb is to start checking around 7 minutes. They seem to take about 7-9 minutes. For large, thick cookies, however, it may take a few minutes longer.

The cookies are done when the tops of the cookies puff up and no longer look wet. They tops will not be glossy anymore. When both of those things happen, it is time to pull them out of the oven. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Tinting Icing And Preparing Pastry Bags

The pristine white finish of royal icing is particularly elegant, and striking in its simplicity. But everything is a little more fun in color. Tint it with food coloring, use it like glue for sprinkles and dragées, or paint it directly onto hardened icing.

Karsten Moran for The New York Times

How to Tint the Icing

For colored icing, make a batch of white royal icing, and divide it into smaller bowls. Using a spoon or fork, mix in food coloring until you reach your desired shade. Cover with plastic wrap, with the cling film pressed directly on the surface, until youre ready to use it.

For deep hues, youll need more food coloring than you think. Depending on the intensity, its possible to use half a bottle. Keep in mind that traditional food coloring contains a lot of liquid, so adding enough for that vibrant red can alter the viscosity of the icing. To preserve the consistency, add little to no water when making the icing, using the food coloring as the thinning liquid.

Gel food coloring can be a game changer here. The color is more concentrated, and it contains virtually no liquid. So a little will go a long way, and adding a lot wont affect the viscosity.

Karsten Moran for The New York Times

What Makes These The Best Sugar Cookies

I tested SO many versions of these sugar cookies, Im pretty sure my mother in law , thought I was losing my mind. Id be all, Just one more version! and then a week later theres still new batches on the counter.

But seriously, I love a good old fashioned soft sugar cookie. Like, for reals. So it just had to be right. And Im happy to say these are it. These sugar cookies are:

Not too thin
Delicious!
And they stay good for DAYS.

In fact these soft sugar cookies are dangerous because you want to keep eating them all! Lets talk about how to make them.

The Best Chewy Sugar Cookies Recipe

Dessert 15 mins

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These Chewy Sugar Cookies are soft, chewy and delicious! Quick and easy to make, this sugar cookie recipe produces a flavorful bakery style soft sugar cookie that turns out perfectly every time!

Sugar cookies are always a favorite no matter the occasion! Great for holidays, as homemade gift for a sick friend or as an afternoon treat, these well-loved cookies are just perfect! And this recipe makes absolutely the BEST sugar cookies Ive ever tasted!

Sugar Cookies are one of my very favorite cookies in the entire world. I bake all types of them for various occasions through the year. When I want a soft, rolled sugar cookie dough to use cookie cutters to cut into shapes and decorate, my Cut Out Sugar Cookie recipe is my go-to. Delicious and flavorful, it holds frosting or icing and the taste is out of this world!

But when I just want a soft, chewy bakery-style sugar cookie to serve or share, these Chewy Sugar Cookies, as well as my Lemon Sugar Cookies or my Chocolate Sugar Cookies, are quick, simple and amazing and dont require a rolling pin! The soft, chewy texture and out of this world flavor brings me back time after time. They are truly one of the most perfect cookies ever.

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How Thick Do I Roll Sugar Cookies

These sugar cookies remain soft because theyre rolled out pretty thick. Roll out the cookie dough to about 1/4 inch thick or just under 1/4 inch thick. Yes, this is on the thicker side and yes, this produces extra thick and soft cookies. If rolling out cookie dough doesnt sound appealing, try my drop sugar cookies instead.

These Easy Chewy Sugar Cookies Are A Family Favorite Plus There Is An Easy Step

A few years ago, I hit the jackpot of ugly Christmas sweaters.

For years I had been on a mission to find the perfect Christmas sweater one that was a bit whimsy, filled with personality and obnoxiously, over-the-top Christmasy.

I had pretty lofty expectations, and I wasnt all that hopeful Id actually meet those expectations. BUT , I never expected I would find something that would actually exceed my expectations.

At this hole-in-the-wall thrift store, I found this fantastically tacky, bright red sweater with cartoon cats decorating a tree with the words, Meowy Christmas written across the bottom.

The only thing that could make it better would be if the tree lit up.

Now, Im pretty sure this was a handmade, one-of-a-kind sweater someone made for their cat-loving grandma. While I feel guilty wearing it in jest when it was probably made in earnest, its probably the most comfortable thing I own.

And I wear it proudly during this season.

And proudly when I eat these chewy sugar cookies .

Guys, Im practically a Christmas commercial.

I feel like its Christmas law that sugar cookies should be consumed during the holiday season.

It seems a little Scrooge-y and Grinch-like to skip out on a classic old fashioned sugar cookie like this, especially when you can top them with frosting , decorate with royal icing, roll them in sprinkles or spread some peppermint ice cream in between them and call it a day.

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How To Store Sugar Cookies

You can extend the life of your cookies by storing them in an airtight container or bag at room temperature. You can also freeze them for several months. Wrap them in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and freeze until ready to eat. When you defrost them, the moisture may cause the sprinkles to bleed a bitbut theyll still taste delicious!

If youre not ready to bake right away, you can also freeze the raw cookie dough. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Stored this way, sugar cookie dough will keep for several months. When youre ready to bake, place the dough in the fridge to defrost, which should take about 24 hours.

Lets go cookie crazy! Share a picture of your cookies on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter and tag us so we can see! Happy baking!

Looking for more delicious sugar cookie recipes? Check these out:

What If I Dont Have 4 Hours To Chill The Cookie Dough

How To Make The Best Sugar Cookies

You can speed chilling process place cookie dough in the freezer for one hour.
Or you can roll the cookie dough between 2 pieces of parchment. Slide it onto a baking sheet or a freezer safe tray. Place the tray into the freezer for 20 minutes or 1 hour into the fridge. And cut out and bake cookies.
Dont leave rolled out cookie dough in the fridge for an extended time, edges tend to dry out.

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They’ll Come Out Buttery And Delicious Every Time

So you’ve always wanted to learn how to make sugar cookies? Those buttery, delightful cookies that seem to melt in your mouth. Well, you’re in luck! We have created a simple step-by-step process that illustrates how to do just this thing.

Start by choosing a recipe and making sure you have all of the ingredients. Here, we’re using our delectable recipe for classic buttery sugar cookies.

Why Is My Sugar Cookie Dough Too Sticky

This just means that not enough flour was added. Even if you have added the amount instructed in the recipe, you may need to add a tad more. Humidity and sea level factor into how much flour is needed. If your dough is too wet, I would suggest adding flour 1 tbsp at a time until the dough has reached play-doh like consistency.

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Cut Out Sugar Cookies

Cut Out Sugar Cookies are popular all year round. Favorite with children and adults alike you cant go wrong with a basic vanilla cookie.

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Sugar Cookies require only few ingredients and are super simple to make from scratch. This recipe is a cross between shortbread and sugar cookies. They are little crunchy on the outside and soft inside.

Other Cut Out Cookie Recipes.