In this article: Get the best sugar cookie recipe ever- perfect for rolling out and using cookie cutters!

One of my family’s holiday traditions is making rolled sugar cookies.

In fact we love making them so much that we don’t just do Christmas cookies, but Halloween cookies, fall cookies, Valentine’s Day cookies…..basically any excuse to make and decorate cookies.

It’s just fun! Plus the final product (decorated with royal icing!) is always beautiful and makes a great gift for family, friends, and even your mail carrier!

Here’s the best sugar cookie recipe around. It holds its shape really well when baked so your cookie cutter shapes don’t just become big old blobs on the pan!

 

 

The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe for Cookie Cutters

 

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 cup butter (I use salted butter)
• 1 cups sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or almond extract
• 3 cups white flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder

 

 

Instructions:

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. You want a nice hot oven!

Place your butter and sugar into a large mixer bowl fixed with the paddle attachment. Cream on medium speed until the butter and sugar are nice and fluffy.

Add in the egg and the vanilla/almond extract and mix well.

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add a to the butter and sugar 1/2 cup at a time.

Continue to mix on low until the flour is completely incorporated.

At this point you may need to chill your dough for 30 minutes to an hour. If you are working in a cold kitchen you won’t need as much chilling time.

Be careful not to over chill because this make it harder to roll out.

 

 

Roll your cookies to the desired thickness-I like about 1/4 inch- and cut out with cookie cutters.

Place the sugar cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet or on a cookie sheet covered with a silicone mat.

Bake them at 350 for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are just browning. 8 minutes will produce a softer cookie (my favorite!) and 10 minutes will produce a crunchier cookie.

When they sugar cookies are done baking, transfer them to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before decorating.

Note: How many cookies you get will depend on the thickness and size of cookie cutters you use. This recipe doubles really well if you need more!

 

 

Decorating Your Sugar Cookies

 

Sugar cookies can be great plain, but they will be….well, plain. Here are a couple of ideas on how to decorate your homemade sugar cookies:

My favorite way to decorate rolled and cut sugar cookies is with royal icing. It’s get pretty crunchy on the outside with a bit of softness on the inside and it’s easy to make really fun and great looking cookies. All of the pictures on this page are of sugar cookies decorated with royal icing.

Even kids can make GREAT looking cookies with royal icing! Try my recipe for the best royal icing.

Another option is to use a simple sugar glaze. This is simple to mix with milk, powdered sugar, and a little vanilla. Just mix until you reach the consistency you want and divide out into bowls and then add in some food coloring.

You can either brush the glaze on the sugar cookies using a clean brush or dip them face down into the bowl.

Here are some other great recipes to try:

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies

Swedish Spice Rolled Cookies

Homemade Soft Serve Ice Cream

The BEST Sugar Cookie Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

The best sugar cookies that are perfect for rolling and cutting out with cookie cutters

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Ingredients

• 1 cup butter (I use salted butter)
• 1 cups sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or almond extract
• 3 cups white flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder

Instructions

1. Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. You want a nice hot oven!
2. Place your butter and sugar into a large mixer bowl fixed with the paddle attachment. Cream on medium speed until the butter and sugar are nice and fluffy. 
3. Add in the egg and the vanilla/almond extract and mix well. 
4. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add a to the butter and sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Continue to mix on low until the flour is completely incorporated. 
5. At this point you may need to chill your dough for 30 minutes to an hour. If you are working in a cold kitchen you won’t need as much chilling time. Be careful not to over chill because this make it harder to roll out. 
6. Roll your cookies to the desired thickness. I like about 1/4 inch and cut out with cookie cutters. 
7. Place the sugar cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet or on a cookie sheet covered with a silicone mat.
8. Bake them at 350 for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are just browning.
9. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow the cookies completely before decorating. 

Notes

Note: How many cookies you get will depend on the thickness and size of cookie cutters you use. This recipe doubles really well if you need more!

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