Description
These Mini Sugar Cookies are delightfully soft, tender, and perfectly sweetened bite-sized treats. Made with a blend of butter and oil, they have a wonderfully light texture and are rolled in sugar for a delightful sparkle and slight crunch. Easy to scoop and bake, these cookies are perfect for holiday baking or anytime you want a classic sugar cookie recipe that yields nearly 100 mini treats.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened but still cool to the touch
- ½ cup (115g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar
- ½ cup (108g) canola or vegetable oil
- 1¼ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 large egg
Dry Ingredients
- 2⅓ cups (291g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon salt
For Rolling and Topping
- ¾ cup (173g) granulated sugar, divided (½ cup for rolling dough balls, ¼ cup reserved for topping baked cookies)
Instructions
- Preheat oven and prepare pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line three baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and for easy cleanup. This setup allows you to bake multiple batches efficiently.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the softened butter along with the granulated sugar and powdered sugar until well combined. Add the canola or vegetable oil, continuing to beat while scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Incorporate the large egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract. The mixture may appear slightly curdled, which is normal and expected for this dough.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt until thoroughly mixed. Gradually add this dry mixture to the wet ingredients while beating, scraping the bowl as necessary until the dough comes together evenly.
- Prepare sugar for coating: Set aside ¼ cup of granulated sugar for sprinkling on top of the cookies after baking. Place the remaining ½ cup of sugar into a wide, shallow container or bowl which will be used to coat the dough balls. A rectangular storage container works well for this purpose.
- Scoop and coat dough balls: Scoop the dough into 2-teaspoon portions; if you have a 1-teaspoon cookie scoop, use a heaping scoop for each portion. Drop about 8-10 dough balls into the sugar container at a time. Gently shake or turn the container, or use your fingers, to thoroughly coat each dough ball with granulated sugar.
- Arrange and flatten dough balls: Place the sugar-coated dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them a couple of inches apart to allow for spreading during baking. Each sheet can hold about 30 dough balls. Use a cookie stamp or the bottom of a glass to gently flatten each dough ball to create uniform mini cookies.
- Bake the cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 9-12 minutes until the cookies have puffed up and are beginning to set at the edges but remain soft in the center. They will crisp up as they cool on the racks.
- Sugar topping and cooling: Once the cookies come out of the oven, immediately sprinkle the tops with the reserved ¼ cup of sugar while still warm. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and allow the cookies to cool completely before storing.
Notes
- Equipment: A 1-teaspoon cookie scoop and a cookie stamp make the process easier but are not necessary. If unavailable, use two small spoons to scoop and the bottom of a drinking glass to flatten.
- Dough consistency: The dough is soft due to the combination of butter and oil. Rolling balls in sugar helps make handling easier.
- Batch baking: To efficiently bake all cookies, prepare three pans. Bake one while preparing the next to save time. This recipe yields about 90-100 cookies in total.
- Handling hot baking sheets: Avoid placing dough on hot baking sheets. Allow pans to cool completely between batches to prevent dough melting and sticking.
- Storage: Store cookies at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. These cookies maintain texture and flavor well when frozen.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 70
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 60mg
- Fat: 4g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 9g
- Fiber: 0.2g
- Protein: 0.5g
- Cholesterol: 10mg
