Best Christmas Cookies: Easy Sugar Cookies
User Reviews
5
Best Christmas Cookies: Easy Sugar Cookies
Description
The dough is made by creaming softened unsalted butter with sugar, then mixing in egg, vanilla, and almond extracts. Dry ingredients including flour, baking powder, and salt are gradually incorporated to form a soft dough. Chilling the dough in disks ensures easier rolling and shape retention during baking.
After chilling, the dough is rolled to about ¼-inch thickness and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Baking at 350°F produces cookies that are firm but tender with light golden edges. Decorating with royal icing and sprinkles is optional and suitable for festive occasions.
The recipe yields a reliable sugar cookie that holds shape well and provides a buttery, subtly flavored base for decorating.
Ingredients
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt sea salt
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks, softened, unsalted
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg large
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- royal icing for decorating
- coarse sugar
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix to combine, then mix in the vanilla and almond extracts.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing on low speed until combined. The dough will be soft.
- Divide the dough in half. Form each half into a ball, then flatten into a 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until about ¼-inch thick. If the dough is too firm to roll right away, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften. Use cookie cutters to cut out desired shapes, then transfer the cut-outs to the prepared baking sheets, re-rolling the scraps as necessary.
- Bake, one sheet at a time, for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are just beginning to turn golden brown. The cookies will seem underdone in the middle, but they will set up as they cool. The exact timing will depend on the size of your cookie cutters.
- Let cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, decorate as desired.
- Makes about 30 cookies. Exact yield will vary based on the size of your cookie cutters.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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