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!

  • Giant and Soft Ginger Spice Cookies
  • 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 secret to a good cookie? ›

The key is to always use top-quality ingredients as they'll result in a better cookie; it really is that simple.
  • Always use butter.
  • Choose the right sugar.
  • Choose the right flour.
  • Check your flour is in date.
  • Choose the right kind of chocolate.
  • Cream the butter and sugar.
  • Beat in the eggs.
  • Fold in the flour.

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 jazz up sugar cookies? ›

Take plain sugar cookies up a notch with exciting mix-ins like chocolate chips, rainbow sprinkles, toasted chopped nuts, chopped dried fruit or M&M's. Add these after blending your butter and egg into the sugar cookie mix.

Are sugar cookies better with butter or shortening? ›

Which One Should I Use in Cookies? Basically, cookies made with butter spread more and are flatter and crisper if baked long enough. However, they are more flavorful than cookies made with shortening. Cookies made with shortening bake up taller and are more tender, but aren't as flavorful.

What is the secret to moist cookies? ›

Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.

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? ›

Cookie temperatures fluctuate, with some recipes as low as 300 degrees Fahrenheit, and a few as high as 425 degrees Fahrenheit, but most recipes land on 375 or 350 to evenly bake the entirety of the cookie.

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? ›

1 Chocolate Chip Cookie (No Further Description Necessary)

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

What is the best thickness for sugar cookies? ›

Place each portion onto a piece of lightly floured parchment paper or a lightly floured silicone baking mat. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use more flour if the dough seems too sticky. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly 1/4-inch thick.

What happens if I use powdered sugar instead of regular sugar in cookies? ›

You'll end up with a grainy, unappealing texture. Lastly, store-bought powdered sugar generally includes corn starch, which prevents it from caking together. This can lead to unpredictable outcomes when you interchange the two.

What can I add to cookie mix to make it better? ›

Substitute Ingredients
  1. Butter Instead of Margarine.
  2. Substitute margarine or shortening for butter using a 1:1 ratio.
  3. Coconut Oil Instead Of Other Fats.
  4. Substitute any fat or oil for coconut oil using a 1:1 ratio.
  5. Maple Syrup Instead Of Granulated Sugar.
  6. Vanilla Extract.
  7. Vanilla Essence Vs. Vanilla Extract.
  8. Almond Extract.

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.

Can you add flavor to sugar cookie dough? ›

Adding mix-ins

This sugar cookie dough can be used as a perfect base recipe for sugar cookies, and you can flavour it any way that you like. Feel free to add in some lemon zest, or almond extract.

What brings out the flavor in cookies? ›

Add more complex proteins, like malted milk powder and brown butter. Caramelizing the sugar beforehand brings bright notes to your cookies, but you can further expand your dessert's flavor profile by playing with proteins.

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