The Best Rolled Sugar Cookie Dough
Rolled sugar cookies, also known as, cut-out sugar cookies go hand in hand with the holiday season. If you know me or you've followed along for a while, you know I LOVE baking and decorating cookies! In fact, it's how I got my start in the food world. To kick off the holiday season, I'm sharing my favorite sugar cookie dough recipe with y'all! If you need a go-to sugar cookie recipe, this could be the one for you!
I have used this recipe countless times. Most recently, I decided to make an advent calendar using one recipe of this dough, plus a lot of sprinkles and icing.
Why I love this recipe for Sugar Cookies
There are many reasons why I go back to using this recipe over and over again. Try making this recipe yourself to see just how easy the dough is to work with. You can take this dough from the mixing bowl, to the counter to be rolled and cut, and into the oven in no time. There is zero chill time required for this sugar cookie dough recipe (a lot of cookie doughs require a minimum 2-4 hour chill time before you can get to rolling and cutting steps).
*you can chill this dough, but I would not recommend doing so.
Helpful tips for baking cookies
Leave your butter out on the countertop the night before you plan to bake cookies to make sure it’s soft.
Make sure your egg is at room temperature before mixing it in with your other ingredients (I usually pull mine out about an hour before I mix my dough).
I like to bake on an aluminum baking sheet fitted with a piece of parchment paper or a silpat.
If you don't have cookie cutters on hand, use the top of a cup to cut out your dough into circle shapes.
What can I say about sugar cookies that hasn't been said before? Hmmm... probably not too much. Sugar cookies are well known because they are easy to make and delightful to eat. I've baked and decorated a cookie or two in my day (click here to read more on that). If you decide to decorate your cookies, see the recipes below.
The holiday baking season is upon us. We will be counting down the days until Christmas comes with the Cookie Advent calendar I made. I hope your season is merry and bright. And as always, happy baking!!
-XOXO-
Sally
The Best Rolled Sugar Cookie Dough Recipe
1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
1 cup granulated sugar
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 cups of All-Purpose flour
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Whisk baking powder, kosher salt, and flour in a medium size bowl until well combined, set aside.
Cream butter and sugar until smooth.
Beat in vanilla extract and egg.
Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until well combined and dough is pulling away from the sides of the mixing bowl.
DO NOT CHILL, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut cookies with a cookie cutter and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges turn slightly golden. Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes on your baking sheet, before transferring to a cooling rack.
*Once cool, decorate or store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe
16oz box of Confectioners Sugar (4 Cups)
3.5 tablespoons of milk, plus extra
3.5 tablespoons of light corn syrup
1 teaspoon of extract (optional)
Food coloring gels (optional)
Mix all ingredients together until a smooth glossy icing forms. If the icing is too stiff, add extra milk by the teaspoon until the desired consistency is reached. *to check consistency, draw a line though the top of the icing with a knife. The line should disappear in about 10 seconds.
The Best Rolled Sugar Cookie Dough
Ingredients
- 3 cups of All-Purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Whisk baking powder, kosher salt, and flour in a medium size bowl until well combined, set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar until smooth.
- Beat in vanilla extract and egg.
- Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until well combined and dough is pulling away from the sides of the mixing bowl.
- DO NOT CHILL, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut cookies with a cookie cutter. Transfer shapes to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges turn slightly golden. Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes on your baking sheet, before transferring to a cooling rack.
- *Once cool, decorate or store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.