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What could be more iconic of the winter season than sugar cookies? These soft sugar cookies are loved by all and are perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth. Plus, they're pretty easy to make at home – you just need a few simple ingredients and some time to let them bake.
So grab your favorite cookie cutters and your apron and check out this recipe for sugar cookies – you'll be baking up a storm in no time! This is one of the BEST cookie recipes for Christmas or for Valentine's Day.
This recipe is the perfect sugar cookie recipe. I've been using it for years to make Iced Christmas Cookies and Iced Valentine's Cookies. These sugar cookies are the perfect canvas for decorating with royal icing.
WHAT YOU’LL LOVE ABOUT THIS RECIPE
- These cut-out cookies have a fantastic buttery flavor with slightly crisp edges and soft middles.
- The cookie dough is super easy to work and bakes up beautifully.
- This simple cookie dough works well for a multitude of cookie recipes.
RECIPE NOTES
These cut-out sugar cookies are soft with light and crispy golden brown edges. Mix up a batch of royal icing and decorate a batch of these simple sugar cookies for Christmas cookies or Valentine's Day.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
SUGAR COOKIE DOUGH
- Flour. All-purpose flour works best in this cookie recipe.
- Baking powder.
- Salt. Fine sea salt is perfect.
- Sugar. granulated white sugar.
- Butter. Unsalted room temperature butter.
- Eggs. Room temperature eggs.
- Vanilla. Vanilla extract and if you want to you can add other flavors to your cookie dough such as almond extract or lemon extract.
FOR DECORATING
- Royal Icing or Buttercream both work as sugar cooking frosting.
- Sprinkles
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine flour with the baking powder, and salt, in a large bowl and set aside.
- Cream the butter and the sugar together, using a stand mixer or a hand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat for about 5 minutes on high speed until the sugar is dissolved into the butter. Scrape down the sides.
- Add the egg and the vanilla, beat to combine. Scrape the sides of the bowl again.
- Sprinkle in the dry ingredients turn the mixer to low speed until the dough is combined.
- If the dough seems too wet to roll out sugar cookies you can add an additional tablespoon or two of flour.
- At this point you have several options: you can roll out your dough now by adding a little flour to your work surface and using a rolling pin to roll the dough to about a ¼-inch thick. Refrigerate the rolled-out dough before cutting it with your favorite cookie cutters OR you can divide the dough into 2 pieces, form it into two discs and then wrap it in plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for several days before rolling it out.
- Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to about ¼-inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out your cookies. Combine the dough scraps and reroll to get more cookies.
- For best results chill dough before baking. Place the cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and chill for 2 hours up to overnight.
- When you are ready to bake the cookies preheat the oven to 350℉ (175℃).
- Bake cookies for 11-14 minutes. You want the bottoms to be a light golden brown but not too much browning on the top of the cookies. Watch closely as oven temperatures vary.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Decorate the cooled sugar cookies with royal icing or simple buttercream frosting.
OTHER COOKIE RECIPES THAT YOU’LL LOVE
If you're hungry for more cookie recipes, check out some of our favorites.
Try one of our classics like Chocolate Chip Cookies, or the BEST Shortbread Cookies you've ever had. My two favorites are the Dark Chocolate Chip Shortbread and the Pecan Fingers. You must give these cookies a try!
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Cut Out Sugar Cookies
These cut-out sugar cookies are soft with light and crispy edges. Mix up a batch of royal icing and decorate a batch of these simple sugar cookies for Christmas cookies or Valentine's Day.
Equipment
- cookie cutters
- Stand Mixer or hand mixer
- gel food dye
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Dough
- 2 sticks unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cups granulated sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for rolling out the dough
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Royal Icing
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup meringue powder
- ¼ to ½ cup water you may not use all of this water
Easy Cookie Glaze
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ½ to 1 tablepoon vanilla extract leave out if you need the icing to be bright white
- 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
- 4 to 5 tablespoons water
- pinch fine sea salt
Instructions
- Combine the dry ingredients, the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
- Cream the butter and the sugar together using a stand mixer or a hand mixer. Beat for about 5 minutes on high speed until the sugar is dissolved into the butter. Scrape down the sides.
- Add the egg and the vanilla, beat to combine. Scrape the sides of the bowl again.
- Add the dry ingredients and beat on low until the dough is combined. If the dough seems too wet to roll out sugar cookies, you can add a tablespoon or two of flour.
- You have several options: you roll the dough out on a floured surface, or you can chill the dough in the refrigerator for several days before rolling it out.
- Roll out the cookie dough on a lightly floured surface to about ¼-inch thick. Place the cookies on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and chill for 2 hours up to overnight.
- When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350℉ (175℃). Bake the cookies for 11-14 minutes. Watch closely as oven temperatures vary. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Decorate the cooled sugar cookies with royal icing or simple buttercream.
Royal Icing
- Combine the powdered sugar and the meringue powder. Whisk to combine.
- Add ¼ cup of water and mix on low with a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
- Slowly add in additional water until the royal icing reaches the consistency that you want. Add more water to thin.
- Add food coloring, if desired.
Easy Icing Glaze
- Add the powdered sugar and salt to a bowl whisk to remove the lumps.
- Add the corn syrup, vanilla, and half of the water. Whisk to combine.
- Continue to add water until you reach the desired consistency.
- Add food coloring, if desired.
Laura's Tips + Notes
- Storing. Store iced cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezing. Iced sugar cookies can be stored in the freezer for several months. Store in an airtight container with layers of parchment paper between each layer of cookies. Thaw the cookies in the refrigerator or at room temperature until they are thawed. You can also freeze extra cookie dough. Store the cookie dough in a zip-top bag and press all the air out of it. Store in the freezer for several months. Bring the dough to room temperature before rolling it out.
YOUR OWN NOTES
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cookieCalories: 161kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 4mgFiber: 1gSugar: 8gCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg
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