Baking Goodness! / Cookies / Desserts / For the Holidays! / Sweet Treats!

The Best Sugar Cookies

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It’s time to start thinking about baking holiday baking!  If you are like me, you will have a few events to bring cookies to.  Whether it be a cookie exchange, a yummy treat to offer to friends or neighbors as a gift, or a work or family Christmas get-together make sure to add these sugar cookies to your baking list.  Let me know how you like them.  Enjoy! -Shelley

The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe


  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  • Bake time: 8-10 minutes (8 minutes for a softer cookie)
  • Dough can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use

Ingredients

  • 1 c unsalted butter (or 2/3 c butter+ 1/3 shortening), soften butter at room temperature
  • 3 c flour
  • 1/2 t baking soda
  • 1 t salt
  • 1 c sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 T vanilla
  • can add cinnamon if you want cinnamon sugar cookies

Directions

  1. Soften butter at room temperature.
  2. Measure flour, baking soda and salt together in a bowl. Whisk together and set aside.
  3. Place butter in a large bowl and begin beating at low speed. Take several seconds to move up to highest speed and beat about 1 minute.
  4. Add sugar and beat at medium speed for about 3 minutes.
  5. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat at medium speed for 30 seconds.
  6. Add flour mixture 1/3 at a time.
  7. Roll rounded teaspoonful’s (about the size of a tablespoon, or for uniformity a cookie scoop) of dough into balls and place on ungreased or parchment lined cookie sheets.
  8. Bake 8-10 minutes or until the cookies start to turn golden brown. (If you want a soft cookie, take them out at the 8 minute mark when the cookies are set, but aren’t golden yet. If it seems like they aren’t quite set up at 8 minutes, they will firm up more once they are out of the oven. The longer they cook, the more golden they will become, but crunchier they will be when cooled.)
  9. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool 2 minutes on pan before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
  10. Cool cookies completely before frosting.

Decorator Icing

Icing Ingredients

  • 4 c sifted powdered sugar
  • 1 c shortening
  • 1/4 c + 1/8 c milk
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 1/2 t almond extract (or other extract flavor)
  • Food coloring or sprinkles- optional

Icing Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
  2. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer until blended.
  3. Continue to beat at high speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy (beating it this long makes the icing awesome!)

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