Easy Sugar Cookie Recipes

Easy Sugar Cookie Recipes

Sugar cookies are very popular with cookie fans and bakers alike. Cookie fans love them because sugar cookies are soft, sweet, and have a nice tender crumb. Bakers love them because one basic recipe can be turned into a multitude of easy sugar cookie recipes. I like to make my sugar cookie dough in ten-pound batches at the bakery because the dough freezes well and can be used for everything from almond cookies to a quick fix tartlet crust.

Basic Sugar Cookie Recipe

This is a great sugar cookie recipe. Save the butter wrapper to grease the bottom of the glass that you are using to flatten the cookies.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon of baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• 2 sticks of butter at room temperature
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• Colored sugar or sanding sugar (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl until they are well combined.
3. Using your stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until they are light and fluffy.
4. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
5. Add the vanilla and egg and mix until completely incorporated.
6. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
7. Roll the dough into tablespoon sized balls, about an inch and a half across.
8. Place the dough balls on a cookies sheet that has a sheet of parchment paper on it. You may want to spray the paper with non-stick spray.
9. Roll the cookies in sugar. The easiest way to do this is by pouring some sugar onto a plate and rolling the dough balls in the sugar.
10. Place the cookie dough balls two inches apart.
11. Flatten the dough balls with the bottom of a water glass. Rubbing the glass bottom with the butter wrappers will keep the cookies from sticking to the glass.
12. The cookies should be about a ¼ of an inch thick.
13. Top with colored sugar or sanding sugar if you want.
14. Bake the cookies for 15 to 18 minutes.

Variations

For a quick almond cookie just add a teaspoon of almond extract to the dough. Follow the directions as above. Then add some slivered, blanched almonds to the tops of the cookies before baking. For a quick Snickerdoodle type cookie sprinkle the tops of the cookies with a mixture of equal parts sugar, confectioners sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. I keep a shaker of this mixture handy at all times. I call it “magic pixie dust” and add it to anything that needs a mild dose of spice or chocolate flavor. You can vary the recipe for magic pixie dust in any way that you like. Try adding nutmeg or ginger if those spices suit your tastes.