Perfect Sugar Cookies

This is the perfect recipe for sugar cookies when you need to cut out detailed shapes.  The ratios of dry ingredients to liquids ensures that the cookies don't spread too much when you bake them, making them ideal for cookie cutters!  I've used this recipe both for cookie bouquets, and moustache cookies, and am sure I will use it many times again in the future.

Allow a good two hours to refrigerate the dough before baking.  This makes cutting the shapes much easier.

Step 1: Ingredients

Get your butter and egg out of the fridge at least 30 minutes prior to mixing for best results.  Even though you are going to refrigerate this dough for an hour or more, creaming together the butter and sugar is considerably easier when the ingredients are all room temperature!

1 cup (8oz) butter, room temperature
1 cup (200g) sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla (or your favorite) extract
3 cups (375g) flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Comments

[foobear]

Thank you, I'm going to try this out

[foobear]

I tried this and made them with whole wheat flour. Well, now I know why nobody makes them that way! They tasted too much like bread. So I am trying again, this time with unbleached flour, and they are decidedly edible, but still not awesome like sugar cookies should be. So I guess I had better give in and use regular old white flour if I want the to taste right

[barbian7]

I wonder if coconut oil would work in place of the the corn syrup? I like to roll out on waxed paper--easier clean-up, and not as frustrating as plastic. Martha Stewart's royal icing with lemon juice in it is a tasty icing recipe.

[halloweengirl80]

OH, PS, you can also roll cookies out in powdered sugar, thus eliminating the rage-inducing plastic wrap mishaps, and also the floury taste :)

[halloweengirl80]

Scooch, you're an experienced-but-frustrated amateur chef/baker's best friend! LOL :) Thanks again, your "basic" recipes are really, really awesome!

[maltesergr8]

Cookies are beautiful!

Can you please share the icing recipe that you used for the cookies pictured above? Thanks ;)

[scoochmaroo]

Certainly!

1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
assorted food coloring

I don't normally use corn syrup, but the addition made the colors extra glossy.

Enjoy!

[Shany120]

Awesome!

[sunshiine]

Beautiful! I am into this! Thanks for sharing! Have a splendorous day!
Sunshiine

[zurichko]

What kind of sticks did you use? Wilson's?

[scoochmaroo]

I've used both Wilton's sticks and just straight up bamboo skewers from my local grocery store, both with great results.

[zurichko]

Wiltons...shows how much I know about baking. Ha! I have Popsicle sticks....I guess I'll experiment..