She Strengthens

Sweet Success: A Classic Sugar Cookie Recipe for Any Occasion

Whether you’re looking to create festive treats for the holidays or custom cookies for a special celebration, this timeless sugar cookie recipe is the perfect solution. Made with basic pantry staples, this easy-to-follow guide yields soft, chewy cookies that stay fresh for up to four days.

Get Ahead of the Game: Make-Ahead Dough

One of the best things about this recipe is that you can prepare the dough ahead of time and store it in the fridge or freezer until you’re ready to bake. This makes it ideal for busy schedules or last-minute gatherings.

A Recipe for Success

Yield: 24-36 cookies (depending on cookie cutter size)
Difficulty: Easy
Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Active Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks), at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Royal Icing, for decorating (optional)

Step-by-Step Instructions:

Prepare the Dough

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to aerate and break up any lumps. Set aside.

Creamy Butter and Sugar

Place the butter in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Gradually add the sugar and mix until the butter is lighter in color, about 1 minute total. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and paddle with a rubber spatula.

Add Egg and Vanilla

Whisk together the egg and vanilla in a small bowl. Return the mixer to medium speed, add the egg mixture, and mix until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and paddle.

Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients

Turn the mixer to low speed, gradually add the reserved flour mixture, and mix until just incorporated, about 1 minute total. Scrape the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and pat it into a 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.

Roll, Cut, and Bake

When you’re ready to bake, heat the oven to 375°F and arrange the racks to divide the oven into thirds. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Flour a work surface and a rolling pin. Unwrap the dough and set the plastic wrap aside. Place the dough disk on the work surface and lightly dust both sides with flour. Roll out the dough to a 3/16- to 1/4-inch thickness, frequently dusting the work surface and using an offset or flat spatula to gently slide under and release any dough that sticks to the counter.

Cut Out Cookies and Bake

Make one final pass under the dough with the spatula, then use the desired cookie cutters to cut out the cookies (no need to flour the cookie cutters). Remove the dough scraps from around the cookies and set them aside. Using a flat spatula, transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least a 1/2 inch of space between them. Form the scraps into a flat disk, wrap it in the reserved plastic, and refrigerate.

Place both sheets in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets from front to back and top to bottom and bake until the edges of the cookies are just starting to brown, about 5 to 6 minutes more. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies sit on the sheets for about 1 minute. Using the flat spatula, remove the cookies to a wire rack and let them cool completely. Let the baking sheets cool, reserving the parchment, then repeat rolling, cutting, and baking the dough scraps. Decorate as desired.