Learn how to make sugar cookies at home from scratch.
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup of softened unsalted butter 226 g
- 1 cup of white granulated sugar 200g
- 1 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract 6ml
- 1 egg
- 3 cups of all-purpose flour 360g
- 2 tsp. of baking powder 8g
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Icing
- 1 cup of powdered sugar 120g
- 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract 2ml
- 2 to 2 1/2 tbsp of milk desired thickness (30ml)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F/176 C
- In a large bowl cream together the granulated sugar and softened butter, using a mixer.
- Add the vanilla extract and the egg and mix those into the sugar and butter. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed throughout this whole process.
- In a separate bowl combine the salt, flour, and baking powder. Then add it into the other bowl of ingredients. Don't dump it all in, mix it in about a third of it at a time. The dough will eventually form. Remove the beaters and bring the dough together with clean hands.
- Dump the dough onto a floured surface. Split the dough in half so it is easier to work with. You can cover any extra dough with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for a few months.
- Shape the dough into a thick disc then roll it out with a rolling pin until it is about 1/8th of an inch thick to 1/4 of an inch thick. Then use the cookie cutters and cut out the cookies. You can smash any remaining scraps of dough together and roll it out again.
- Place the cutout sugar cookies on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Each cookie should have a little bit of room around it. They won't spread much.
- Bake the cookies for 6 to 8 minutes for softer cookies or 9 to 11 minutes for more crunchy cookies. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Decorate the cookies however you like, with storebought frosting, homemade frosting, storebought royal icing, or homemade icing. For the homemade icing, combine the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk. Don't add all the milk in at once, just add enough to make a thick icing. Place this in a squeeze bottle or piping bag and decorate the cookies.
- Make another color of icing by following the above steps and then adding a few drops of food coloring. Fill in the gaps of the cookie with this color. Once done allow the cookies to sit until the icing sets. Then serve! Enjoy!