Make Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies are a true classic in the cookie world, popular for both their simplicity and adaptability for any occasion. There are two main types of sugar cookies. There is the soft, chewy kind that you drop onto a baking sheet. Then there are the harder, crunchy kind that you roll out into a flat sheet and cut out with a cookie cutter. Both kinds are equally delicious, but they get prepared in slightly different ways.

Ingredients

Soft Drop Cookies[1][2]

  • ½ cup (115 grams) butter, softened
  • ½ cup (115 grams) shortening
  • 1 cup (225 grams) white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2¼ cups (225 grams) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt (optional)
  • Additional sugar

Makes about 5 dozen cookies

Crunchy Shaped Cookies[3][4]

  • 1 cup (225 grams) butter, softened at room temperature for 1 hour
  • 1 cup (225 grams) white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Steps

Making Soft Drop Cookies

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and prepare your baking sheet. You can lightly grease the sheet with cooking spray, or you can cover it with a sheet of parchment paper.
  2. Cream the butter, shortening, and sugar until the mixture turns light and fluffy. You can do this using an electric mixer or a food processor on a medium speed setting. It will take about 3 minutes.[5]
    • If you cannot find shortening, you can use another ½ cup (115 grammes) of butter instead.
  3. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Keep beating until everything is evenly combined. There should be not streaks of unmixed egg yolk. Set the butter mixture aside when you are done.
  4. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a separate bowl. If you'd like your sugar cookies to be less sweet, add ½ teaspoon of salt.
  5. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Set your mixer to the lowest possible speed setting, and add in the flour mixture 1 cup (100 grammes) at a time.
  6. Form the dough into 1-inch (2.54 centimeters) balls.[1] You can do this by hand or with a cookie scoop. Don't roll all of the dough out, however; a baking sheet can only fit so many cookies. Instead, roll out only as many cookies as you can fit onto your baking sheet.
  7. Roll the balls in sugar before placing them on the baking sheet. Space the cookies 1½ to 2 inches (3.81 to 5.08 centimeters) apart.[2] The sugar will give the cookies a nice texture after they are baked.
  8. Gently flatten the cookies with a glass. Do not flatten the cookies so much that they stick together. They will flatten a little while you bake them.
  9. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, then place them on a wire rack to cool. While the first batch of cookies baking, you can start rolling out the next batch. Then, when the first batch is cooling, you can start baking the second batch.
  10. Let the cookies cool completely before decorating them if desired. You can leave them plain, or you can spread some coloured buttercream on top and add some sprinkles.

Making Crunchy Shaped Cookies

  1. Cream the butter and sugar until it turns light and fluffy. You can do this in an electric mixer or in a food processor fitted with whisks. It will take about 2 minutes. The butter 'must be at room temperature.
  2. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix until evenly combined. There should be no streaks of broken egg yolk in the mixture.[3] When you are done, set the mixture aside.
  3. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. To prevent your cookies from turning out too dry and crumbly, you must measure out the flour accurately. Do not scoop it up out of the bag. Instead, use a spoon to transfer the flour into the measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.[3]
  4. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and blend until evenly combined. Set your mixer to the slowest speed possible, then add the flour mixture 1 cup (100 grammes) at a time.
  5. Divide the dough into two balls and roll it out into a thin sheet between two pieces of parchment paper. Cover a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper. Roll out a ball of dough into ⅛ to ¼-inch (3 to 6 millimetres) thickness, then cover it with another sheet of parchment paper. Repeat this step for the second ball of dough, using another baking sheet if necessary.[4]
  6. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour and start preheating your oven to 350°F (177°C). You need to refrigerate the dough so that it will be nice and firm when you go to cut it. Once the hour is almost up, start preheating your oven so that it will be ready by the time you finish cutting your cookies.
  7. Cut the cookies using 2 to 3 inch (5.08 to 7.62 centimetres) cookie cutters. When you are ready to start baking your cookies, take the baking sheets out of the fridge, and transfer the rolled out dough to a cutting board. Cut the cookies out as closely together as possible.
    • You can ball up the scraps and roll them out to make more cookies. If the dough gets too warm, place a cold baking sheet on top of it for 10 minutes before continuing.[6]
  8. Place the cookies 1 inch (2.54 centimetres) apart on a prepared baking sheet.[6] Prepare the baking sheet by either lightly greasing it with cooking spray, or by covering it with a sheet of parchment paper.
  9. Bake the cookies for 8 to 12 minutes. The longer you bake them, the crispier they will become. If you prefer your cookies to be softer, bake them for 8 to 9 minutes. If you light them to be crispier, bake them for 10 to 12 minutes instead.[3]
    • If you have any leftover dough, you can start rolling and cutting it now while the first batch of cookies is baking.
  10. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack. If you are making more cookies, you can start baking them now while the first batch is cooling off.
  11. Let the cookies cool completely before decorating them. You can decorate them with Royal icing or with glacé icing made from powdered sugar and water. A delicious finishing touch could be a dip in some warm melted chocolate for a gorgeous flavour.



Tips

  • If you freeze the dough in cylindrical logs, you can bake one or two quickly in a microwave on high for one minute to get a sweet snack!
  • If you don't have cookie cutters, you can be creative and use the open end of a drinking glass, an opened tin can or even use a sharp paring knife to create free-form shapes.
  • Try experimenting with different decorations, shapes and sizes. Be creative!
  • Try it with almond extract instead of vanilla.
  • Add different flavours such as orange, peppermint, or whatever else you like in the form of extracts or oils in the dough!
  • Depending on your ideal colour intensity, you can add up to about 30 drops of food colouring. Mix thoroughly with your hands to spread evenly before chilling, or swirl for a marbled or tie-dye effect.
  • Instead of rolling the soft sugar cookies in sugar, roll them in nonpareils sprinkles for a bit of colour!

Warnings

  • Do not leave the cookies unattended. They burn at a rapid speed and brown easily.
  • Remember that the cookies and pan will be hot when they come out of the oven.

Things You'll Need

Soft Drop Cookies

  • Electric mixer
  • Mixing bowl
  • Whisk
  • Baking sheet
  • Parchment paper or cooking spray
  • Cooling rack

Crunchy Shaped Cookies

  • Mixing bowl
  • Whisk
  • Electric mixer
  • Plastic wrap
  • Baking sheet
  • Parchment paper
  • Rolling pin
  • Cookie cutters
  • Cooling rack

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/sugar-cookies
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.addapinch.com/chewy-sugar-cookies-recipe/
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/12/sugar-cookies/
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.thekitchn.com/best-cutout-sugar-cookies-recipe-recipes-from-the-kitchn-38629
  5. ↑ http://addapinch.com/chewy-sugar-cookies-recipe/
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/sugar-cookies-recipe.html
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