A Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe (2024)

Christmas Cookies | Christmas Recipes and Ideas | Cookies | RECIPES

ByStephanie Wilson

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It’s the baking season, and this Sugar Cookie Recipe is a favorite. It’s simple, delicious, and a go-to recipe with dough that delivers beautifully shaped cookies. Every time.

A Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe (1)

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Regardless of which season or shape you’re baking for, this sugar cookie recipe is simply the best I’ve ever made.

And when the holiday season comes around, there isn’t a more quintessential Christmas cookie than cutout sugar cookies.

I use this same recipe for all the cutouts seasons: fall pumpkin cookie cutouts, turkey cutouts, snowflakes, Santas, and trees… and all things Christmas. Only to make it again for Valentine’s Day in the shape of hearts, and St. Patrick’s Day shamrocks, and Easter bunnies.

Well, you get the idea. I make them all year long.

There’s always a season for shaped sugar cookies!

And this recipe is the one I come back to every season. It just works. And it tastes really good.

Sugar Cookie Ingredients

For the exact measurements, see the recipe card below, but here’s all you need to make these simple cookies:

  • Butter, softened to room temperature
  • Granulated sugar: see note below on using brown sugar
  • Large egg
  • Vanilla extract
  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking powder
  • Salt: I prefer fine sea salt, but use what you have.

Sugar in these Sugar Cookie Cutouts

I’ve written the recipe using granulated sugar. However… I love to substitute brown sugar for granulated sugar when I can. The flavor is rich and a little unexpected. But, it does yield a darker-hued dough… which doesn’t work with all shapes and seasons.

The dough doubles easily, which I do often.

Happy baking!

More Cookie Recipes You Would Love!

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  • Most Requested Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Peppermint Mocha Blossom Cookies
  • Simple Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
  • A Sweet Iconic Snickerdoodle Recipe
  • Vanilla Tea Cookies

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A Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe (2)

A Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe (3)

Favorite Sugar Cookie Cutouts Recipe

It’s the season for Sugar Cookie Cutouts! Beginning with pumpkin cutouts, followed by turkey cutouts, followed by snowflakes and Santas and trees… and all things Christmas. Then comes Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and Easter.

4.8 from 6 votes

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 24 cookies

Author: Stephanie Wilson

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter softened (2 sticks)
  • 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla; beat to combine.

  • In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and combine. Continue to beat until the dough comes together, pulling away from the sides of the bowl.

  • Divide the dough in half and roll out on a floured surface to about 1/4-inch thick. Cut into shapes and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate cut-out cookies on the baking sheet for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cold.

  • Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350° F.

  • Bake cookies for 9 to 10 minutes, or until set and light brown around the edges. Let sit on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

Notes

Icebox Variation: This dough works great as an icebox cookie. Instead of forming the dough into a disk, form into a log, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until ready to bake. Then simply slice and bake. Or… roll the log in sprinkles or chopped nuts and then slice and bake. As you can see, there are endless variations!

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Tried this recipe? Pin it Today!Follow me on Pinterest for more and use the "Pin" button at the top of the recipe card.

Course: Cookies

Keyword: christmas cookies, christmas cutout cookies, easy sugar cookies, sugar cookies

A Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the most loved cookie? ›

Chocolate chip cookies

What is the most popular type of cookie? It might just be this one.

What is the most preferred sugar used in cookies? ›

Because of this caster sugar is generally the most versatile and preferred of the two when baking – its small granules mixes more easily and dissolve more readily when combined with other ingredients giving biscuits, cakes, pastries etc. a more even, less coarse texture.

How to fancy up sugar cookies? ›

5 Ways to Get Fancy with Your Sugar Cookies
  1. Make a fancy thumbprint cookie. ...
  2. Turn them into sandwich cookies. ...
  3. Decorate with melted chocolate. ...
  4. Try different flavorings in the sugar cookie dough. ...
  5. Roll cookie dough logs in sparkly sugar.
May 1, 2019

How to doctor up sugar cookie mix? ›

Easy Add-In: After creating the dough according to the sugar cookie mix instructions, Add 2 tablespoons of sour cream to create a tangier, cakier and all-around more flavorful cookie. Flavor Twist: For a punchier twist, swap the water in the sugar cookie mix instructions for rum, bourbon or coffee liqueur.

Do you flatten cookie dough before baking? ›

Flattening the cookie dough provides more surface area that comes into contact with the ice bath, shortening the time it takes to chill. Then submerge the dough in the ice water and let it chill. After 20 minutes the dough will be completely chilled and ready for baking.

What is the best oven setting for baking cookies? ›

Try using convection bake mode on your oven. The airflow that accompanies the convection setting means that heat circulates evenly around cookie sheets.) Dark (well-seasoned) pans may burn or over brown the bottoms of your cookies by absorbing heat; adjust your temp or use a lighter color pan.

What makes cookies chewy and not hard? ›

The science is simple: According to the flour authorities over at Bob's Red Mill, cornstarch can help “soften the rigid proteins of the flour, resulting in a light and chewy dessert.” “The cornstarch complements the flour in absorbing the liquids, but won't develop gluten structure like the flour will,” stresses ...

What is the #1 cookie in the world? ›

Oreo is the best-selling cookie in the world. It is now sold in over 100 countries. Oreo was first produced in 1912 by the National Biscuit Company, now known as Na-Bis-Co.

What is the #1 cookie in the US? ›

Nearly 93% of all American households serve and enjoy cookies as treats or after meals. However, it's the chocolate chip cookie that's the most popular in the U.S. and around the world. How much do youknow about chocolate chip cookies?

What is the #1 cookie in the United States? ›

America's favorite cookie and the one dubbed “the American cookie” is the Chocolate chip cookie.

Should sugar cookies be thick or thin? ›

Don't roll out the cookies too thin. Most sugar cookies bake great when rolled out to 1/4-inch thick. Don't overbake! Cookies should just barely be turning a golden color around the edges.

What happens if you forget to add brown sugar to cookies? ›

What happens when you bake without brown sugar? To be succinct, the resulting baked good could be slightly drier or more crisp. Without the excess moisture from the molasses in the brown sugar, the final cookie won't be as chewy and the final bread might be drier.

Should I use granulated sugar or caster sugar in cookies? ›

Though they can generally be used interchangeably, granulated sugar does not incorporate into batters as quickly. Cakes and other desserts baked with granulated sugar instead of caster sugar sometimes have a speckled appearance due to the undissolved granules.

Can you add Flavour to sugar cookies? ›

Can I flavour these cookies? Yes! Instead of vanilla, you can add another extract like almond, rose water or orange. You can also add some fresh lemon, lime or orange zest to the cookie dough.

How do you enhance store bought sugar cookie dough? ›

No one will even suspect they're store-bought (and we won't tell anyone!).
  1. Add brown sugar. ...
  2. Experiment with extracts. ...
  3. Mix in different candies and snacks. ...
  4. Add espresso or coffee grounds. ...
  5. Deepen the flavors by refrigerating the dough. ...
  6. Salt before baking the cookies. ...
  7. Reduce baking time for extra soft cookies.

Why do my sugar cookies taste so bland? ›

If the baked cookies taste a bit bland (and if the dough is fairly soft and receptive to additions), add salt and/or spices to the remaining dough before baking. If, on the other hand, they're a bit salty for your taste, try rolling the dough balls in sugar before baking.

What brings out the flavor in cookies? ›

If you brown your butter (cook the butter until the milk solids brown and it gives off a rich, nutty aroma), this causes the water content of the butter to evaporate, lending no extra moisture to the dough, yielding a very dense, but richly flavoured cookie.

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