Description
This easy sugar cookie recipe is made with basic ingredients and is easy to roll out to make cut-out sugar cookies of any shape. They bake up soft and chewy, and are perfect for decorating for any occasion.
Ingredients
- 170g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 180g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg (50g not including shell), at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 310g All-Purpose Flour
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 3g (1 tsp) kosher salt (see notes above recipe for using other salt)
Instructions
- Place the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream together on medium high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, stopping to scrape down the edges a few times to ensure the mixture is fully combined. This step can also be done in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer.
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix well to combine.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Flour the top lightly and pat gently into a rectangle shape with your hands.
- Top with a second piece of parchment paper, and roll to a thickness of 0.25" / 6mm.
- Transfer the dough, still between the two pieces of parchment paper, to a sheet pan. Chill in the fridge for at least two hours to allow the dough to firm up, and up to three days ahead.
- When you are ready to bake the sugar cookies, preheat the oven to 325°f /165°c with a rack arranged in the middle of the oven. Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove the top sheet of parchment paper from the cookie dough. Cut out shapes of your choice using the cutters of your choice, and arrange on the prepared baking sheets, leaving a little room for spreading and arranging by size if you are using multiple sizes of cutters - small cut out sugar cookies together and larger ones together etc.
- Once you have cut out your cookies, place the baking sheets with the cut out dough on them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to firm up slightly.
- Re-roll scraps of dough by pressing them together, flouring lightly, then rolling the dough out between two sheets of parchment again. Chill or freeze for 10-15 minutes before cutting out more cookies.
- Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes, until they are set around the edges and just beginning to go golden. Different sized cookies may need more or less time depending on their size, so check after 12 minutes for doneness.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Notes
If you only have salted butter, that is fine, just omit the salt from the recipe.
For more notes on making sugar cookie dough, including how to add sprinkles to the dough, see my post - how to make sugar cookie dough.
For icing suggestions, see my post on sugar cookie icing
Can you freeze sugar cookies?
Yes - if you want to freeze the baked sugar cookies, layer the cooled cookies with parchment paper in an airtight container, then freeze for up to three months. Defrost at room temperature before eating. If you want to freeze before baking, freeze the cookies on a baking sheet to preserve their shape then transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. As the recipe already has you freeze the cookies there is no need to alter the baking time or temp - just bake as directed.
Flavor variations for Homemade Sugar Cookies
The great thing about this sugar cookie recipe is that it is super versatile - you can mix and match as you like! I covered a bunch of flavour variations in my post on how to make cookie dough, including how to make a funfetti version of these sugar cookies.
How do you roll out sugar cookie dough?
I roll out my sugar cookie dough between two pieces of parchment paper. I use pre-cut paper (16.5" x 12.25" / 42x32cm), and the dough, rolled to the correct thickness, should almost fill the space between the two sheets.
I also use rolling pin guides, which are silicone strips which lay down either side of the dough and the rolling pin presses down onto them to help the dough be rolled to an even thickness.
Can I re roll the scraps?
Yes, you can press the scraps of the sugar cookie dough together after cutting and re-roll. However, be aware that the more you work the dough and add extra flour, the tougher it will be and you may not get a nice neat surface. I like to use small cutters to cut out little pieces of dough to make the most out of each roll out - they make very good snacks!
Using cookie stamps / printed cookie cutters
I tried this during the recipe testing process, and it works super well - you just have to make sure that the dough is well chilled (make sure you give it the full 2 hours chill time called for in the recipe).
You can then cut out using your cookie stamps as you would with a regular cutter. Make sure that you dust them lightly in flour and the dough is nice and cold. The key to keeping the pattern in the cookie is to make sure that it is super solid and frozen when you bake them - I would give them at least 30 minutes in the freezer before baking.
I used snowflake cutters and some super cute christmas cutters, along with some really cute patterned plunger cutters which gave a cookie shape but with a really cute top on it. I have also done a valentine's version using these heart shaped cookie cutters. I went for a really easy option with the stamped cookies and gave them a simple glaze made with 150g powdered sugar and 35g lemon juice. I let the cookies stand for 5 minutes when they came out of the oven, then painted them with the glaze and left them to cool and set. It's a super easy way to make really cute but easy cookies.