Best Sugar Cookie Recipe {easy to make}

basic sugar cookie
basic sugar cookie

Best Sugar cookie recipe?

Who doesn’t love a great cookie? Cookies are perfect for dipping into coffee, making for a friend, or doing something fun! As you have read, I am just getting into baking; it used to scare me! So, now I am taking it in full force. I know I will have failures; I will probably make stuff that is not super delicious. But I am going to try.

Sugar cookies are the first “easy” cookie I could think of, knowing they didn’t have many ingredients and how it’s supposed to taste in the end. So, I have no fears of the prepackaged mixes, so why shouldn’t I learn to do it from the basics, knowing what is going into my family’s bellies?

I genuinely believe that bringing the cooking and baking home is one way to make healthier choices for the family since you choose what goes into the mac and cheese instead of that one that begins with a K…

Finally, I have learned from diving into this that many recipes say “BEST.”
I thought about sewing, telling my students to start with patterns that do not have many pieces and build with the elements as we build with our techniques.

That is what I was planning on with the baking. Slow and steady. Build on techniques and ingredients. Not trying to win a specific baking show… I am just trying to make something that tastes good.

This simple cookie did hold up to everything I was hoping for. I did a little extra salt to the recipe after tasting the dough.

An essential delicious sugar cookie that can be decorated or eaten with coffee and jam. It’s tasty and will become your go-to cookie!

CourseDessert
 Prep Time30 minutes
 Cook Time15 minutes
 ServingsFive dozen

INGREDIENTS

Cookie Dough

  • One large egg
  • 1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
  • 1 cup(s) unsalted butter slightly softened (2 sticks)
  • 1/2 cup(s) granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoon(s) confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon(s) fine salt
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour plus as needed

Icing

  • 1 cup(s) confectioners’ sugar
  • One tablespoon(s) of whole milk
  • If desired, one tablespoon(s) of an extract (vanilla, almond, orange, lemon, etc.)
  • food coloring (gel) if desired
  • sprinkles if desired
  • candies if desired

INSTRUCTIONS

Cookie Dough and Baking

  1. Whisk the egg and vanilla in a small bowl.
  2. Set Aside.
  3. With a handheld or stand mixer, cream butter until fluffy.
  4. Sift both sugars together and add to the creamed butter a little at a time until fully incorporated. (Best at a lower speed on the mixer)
  5. Then add the egg.
  6. Beat for about 1 minute.
  7. Then sift the salt and flour mixture together.
  8. Add to mixer 1/2 cup at a time until fully incorporated. (Best at a lower speed on the mixer)
  9. Turn dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface.
  10. Cut dough into fourths.
  11. Place each half between 2 pieces of lightly floured parchment paper. Then using a rolling pin, roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness.
  12. Slide the dough/parchment onto a cookie sheet into the refrigerator to chill and set. Best if you can wait overnight, but if you can’t, let it sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
  13. Preheat oven to 325 F
  14. Next, take the dough from the refrigerator and, using cookie cutters, cut your cookies from the pre-rolled dough.
  15. Place onto cookie sheet evenly spaced—about one inch between.
  16. Bake until cookies are a light golden brown or 15 minutes.
  17. Transfer from oven to cookie rack for cooling
  18. Wait until cookies are completely cooled before icing.

Icing

  1. First, sift confectioners’ sugar to remove lumps.
  2. Then add milk
  3. Following the milk, whisk confectioners’ sugar and milk until icing is thick. (If the thinner glaze is preferred, add a touch more milk until desired consistency)
  4. Add extract (vanilla, orange, lemon, etc.) if desired
  5. Whisk again until incorporated into the mixture.
  6. Divide into baggies for food coloring.
  7. Using food coloring, dip into the icing and mix color until desired shade.
  8. Clip a small notch in the corner of the baggie to allow icing to exit.
  9. Decorate!

RECIPE NOTES: During the mixing process, scrape the downsides of the bowl (as needed). Go slower when adding the dry ingredients to the mix. It will keep you from getting it everywhere!

Final product

Delicious! A buttery, sugary cookie that was yummy with the icing or on its own with some coffee. It will become my staple, I do believe!

What are your favorite items to bake? Who taught you to cook?

I have all kinds of recipes on this site. Did you see this burrito bowl?

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