Description
Classic cut-out sugar cookies with a tender texture and light golden edges, perfect for decorating with sweet, smooth icing and sprinkles. These cookies are easy to make, chilled for best shape retention, and baked to perfection. Ideal for holidays, celebrations, or anytime you want a delicious buttery treat.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Sugar Cookies:
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (227 g)
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled (344 g)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
For the Icing:
- 4–5 tbsp milk (60–75 ml)
- 3 cups powdered sugar (390 g)
- Sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Add butter and granulated sugar to a large bowl. Cream together until fluffy, about 1-2 minutes, which aerates the mixture and gives the cookies a light texture.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Add the egg and vanilla extract to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix until the batter is pale in color and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes, ensuring everything is well combined.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and mix just until combined, avoiding overmixing to keep cookies tender.
- Chill Dough: Shape the dough into a disk, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This firms up the dough to make rolling and cutting easier.
- Prepare Baking Sheet: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and for even baking.
- Roll Out Dough: On a well-floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. If too cold and stiff, let sit for 10-20 minutes before rolling.
- Cut Cookies: Use cookie cutters to cut shapes from the rolled dough.
- Chill Cut Cookies: Transfer cut cookies to the parchment-lined baking sheet and chill for at least 1 hour before baking to help cookies hold their shape.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). If chilling cookies on a sheet, line another baking sheet with parchment for baking.
- Arrange Cookies: Place chilled cookie cutouts about 2 inches apart to allow for slight spreading during baking.
- Bake Cookies: Bake 3 ½ inch cookies for 10-12 minutes; bake 2 inch mini cookies for 6-8 minutes. Bake until edges are light golden and not browned.
- Prepare Icing: Sift powdered sugar into a bowl. Add 4 tablespoons milk and mix until smooth. Add extra milk if icing is too thick until the desired consistency is reached.
- Decorate Cookies: Transfer icing to a piping bag with a small round tip or snip the end of a plastic bag. Decorate cookies with icing and sprinkles as desired.
- Let Icing Dry: Allow iced cookies to dry completely before serving to set the decoration.
- Store Leftovers: Store leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to four days to maintain freshness and flavor.
Notes
- Yields approximately 32 cookies sized 3 ½ to 4 inches or 64 mini cookies sized about 2 inches.
- Proper flour measurement is crucial: spoon flour into the measuring cup and level with a knife or weigh it (125 g per cup) to avoid dense cookies.
- Chilling dough both before rolling and after cutting is important to retain cookie shape and prevent excessive spreading during baking.
- Monitor baking closely to avoid over-browning; cookies should be light golden at the edges.
- Store cookies in an airtight container for up to four days to maintain the best taste and texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 medium cookie (about 35 g)
- Calories: 160
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
