How To Make Decorative Sugar Cookies

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Introducing the actual best sugar cookie recipe! My recipe makes simple, versatile vanilla carbohydrate cookies; the dough is easy to whorl and to piece of work with and doesn't spread when baking, and so your cookies volition e'er have abrupt, defined edges! Y'all can decorate these cookies with sanding sugar, or you can use my recipe below for a simple (and tasty!) pipage-able sugar cookie icing (one that'south not majestic icing!).

Plate of Christmas sugar cookies shaped and decorated as stars, candy canes, snowflakes and christmas trees

If you're looking for perfect cutting-out Christmas sugar cookies, ones that hold their shape and don't spread in the oven, come together easily with no strange ingredients, and that actually taste incredible, too, I've got you covered this twelvemonth.

If you want a foolproof (and I exercise literally mean foolproof) easy carbohydrate cookie icing that isn't royal icing, ane that dries firm merely non interruption-your-teeth hard, well I've got yous covered there besides.

I'1000 adding this flawless sugar cookie recipe to my Christmas cookie tray alongside the gingerbread men, meringues, and hot chocolate bombs (am I the only one including these on my cookie listing this year?) and would like to gently suggest you consider doing the aforementioned, I don't think you lot (or your guests or gift recipients!) will regret it.

iced christmas sugar cookies on metal cooling rack, including snowflakes, christmas trees, candy canes, and stars

My recipe yields cookies that absolutely do non spread in the oven, and so you have perfectly defined shapes and articulate cookie-cutter edges.
These sugar cookies have a soft interior texture with a classic, buttery flavor (and instructions for adding other flavors, if desired).
Recipe includes instructions to easily customize the cookies depending on whether y'all prefer thicker and softer or thinner and crispier saccharide cookies.
Includes a simple, shiny, and admittedly foolproof (you seriously tin can't mess this up!) sugar cookie icing that you are going to love. While regal icing certainly has its place (and I even have a fantastic royal icing recipe, if you're searching or would like to use that hither) I more often than not prefer this oh-so-piece of cake frosting instead.

What Y'all Need

collage of two photos showing sugar cookie ingredients on the left and icing ingredients on the right — Ingredients for cookies (left) and easy sugar cookie frosting (right)

Sugar Cookies Ingredients

Butter. I recommend using unsalted butter so that nosotros can best control the flavor. For best results, annotation that the butter should be softened, but not so soft that information technology'due south melting/oily.
Sugar. Use granulated saccharide, it gives my sugar cookie recipe that archetype Christmas cookie flavor you know and dearest and helps keep them from spreading.
Egg. A single egg helps the dough bind together.
Vanilla extract. Y'all tin can really flavour these cookies with whatsoever extract you like best (almond and lemon are popular choices), but typically I always include at least a splash of vanilla, even when using other flavors, as information technology gives the saccharide cookies a beautiful depth of flavor. (If y'all have homemade vanilla excerpt, at present is a great time to use it!).
Flour. I take only tested and but recommend this sugar cookie recipe with all-purpose flour (ofttimes simply referred to as "evidently" flour outside of the US).
Blistering pulverisation. My recipe uses simply a small amount of blistering pulverization, which helps requite the cookies the perfect soft interior texture and crisp border.
Salt. I mentioned higher up that unsalted butter is best, but if you only take salted on hand simply reduce the salt in the recipe to ¼ teaspoon.

Powdered carbohydrate. Also known as confectioners sugar or icing sugar. For all-time results (especially if you lot'll be piping the icing), sift it to remove any lumps before using.
Milk. I use whole milk, but any variety (depression-fat, skim, or even not-dairy milk similar almond) will work instead. Merely note that if yous are using a lower-fat milk you may need less than the recipe calls for, as information technology is thinner.
Vanilla excerpt. If you desire pure white icing I recommend using a clear vanilla extract.
Calorie-free corn syrup. Non to be confused with high fructose corn syrup, this ingredient gives my saccharide cookie frosting a glossy, shiny terminate and helps it to to set firmly. If you must leave it out, I've included notes in the recipe on how to do so, merely for best results I recommend using information technology. Night corn syrup could piece of work but will add a muddy color and additional season to your icing. Outside of the United states of america, you may be able to discover glucose syrup, which should work instead.
Food Coloring. Of course this is optional, but for festively decorated Christmas sugar cookies, you'll probably desire to add a flake of colour. I love and use gel food coloring for best results (and linked to the kind I use in the recipe). Liquid or pulverisation food coloring volition work, only may non exist every bit vibrant.

As e'er, this is but an overview of the ingredients used hither and why they were chosen. For the full sugar cookie recipe with amounts and detailed instructions, delight scroll down to the printable recipe.

SAM'S TIP: Don't take time to decorate? Skip the saccharide cookie frosting and but sprinkle colorful sanding sugar over the cookies before blistering!

Sugar cookie recipe dough being cut into festive shapes with cookie cutter

Tips for Making the Best Sugar Cookies

When cutting out your carbohydrate cookies, brand certain to keep your cuts as close together to get as many cookies out of your dough every bit possible. Re-roll whatever scraps so that you lot useall of your dough. Keep in mind that with each re-roll you're adding more than flour into the dough, so you want to get as much every bit possible out of that first ringlet.
Bake cookies that are nigh the same size on the same baking sheet. Otherwise the pocket-size ones will burn and the large ones won't cease baking.
For thinner, crispy saccharide cookies: Whorl cookie dough thinner (nigh ⅛″) and expect for the edges of the cookies to be beginning to turn golden brown to know that they are done.
For thicker, soft sugar cookies:Coil dough to about ¼″, and watch for cookies to bemerely outset to turn lightly gilt effectually the edges. Let them cool completely on the cookie rack as they may break if you effort to move them while they're nonetheless warm.
When making the carbohydrate cookie icing: It'southward hard to mess this one up, because if you arrive too sparse, only add more powdered carbohydrate. If information technology'due south also thick, only add more milk! Wait for a consistency where the icing that drizzles off of the whisk holds its shape for several seconds before dissolving back into the icing bowl.

plate of festively iced and decorated sugar cookies next to cooling rack of similar cookies

Frequently Asked Questions

How practice you make sugar cookies more flavorful?

Sugar cookies should always have a distinctly buttery, sugary and (unremarkably) vanilla flavor, just in social club to maintain their clean-cut shape they are never quite every bit rich as drop cookies. Much of their flavor comes from the sugariness sugar cookie icing. While my carbohydrate cookie recipe is already flavorful, to make them even more so, you can add different extracts or emulsions to the dough or top the icing off with sanding saccharide or decorative candies.

Can I make this carbohydrate cookie icing in advance?

Yes, my easy saccharide cookie icing may be colored (if desired) and stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to a calendar week before using. To assist keep the meridian from crusting, always place a piece of plastic wrap directly against the surface of the sugar cookie frosting when storing (or keep in a plastic bag and twist to keep the air from reaching the icing). About probable y'all will need to stir (or if you stored it in piping bags, massage it) before using.

Why is my sugar cookie dough crumbly?

This is often a result of accidentally mis-measuring an ingredient or over-measuring the flour. Please meet my post on how to measure flour properly, and recall to never scoop the flour straight into the measuring cup (for best results, utilize a scale!).
Add your flour gradually. Adding it all at in one case can make it difficult for the dough to properly absorb the dry ingredients, resulting in a crumbly, difficult dough. Make sure that your sugar cookie dough is thoroughly combined; if information technology withal seems crumbly subsequently you've added all the flour, only go on mixing with an electric mixer (or stand mixer) until dough is clinging together and no flour remains.

Why is my dough too soft/glutinous?

This is well-nigh frequently a event of accidentally mis-measuring or substituting an ingredient, using butter that is much also soft (it should never exist melting/oily and should not be warmed in the microwave), or non chilling the dough for long enough. Dough that is notwithstanding slightly gluey after chilling can frequently be salvaged by spooky longer or by generously dusting your countertop and the dough with additional flour.

christmas themed sugar cookies on cooling rack and white plate

Hopefully you beloved this like shooting fish in a barrel sugar cookie recipe equally much as I do, and don't forget to check out the how-to video in the recipe menu!

Savour!

Carbohydrate Cookies

▢ one cup unsalted butter softened (226g)
▢ i cup granulated saccharide (200g)
▢ 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract (come across note)
▢ 1 large egg
▢ 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (Plain flour) (315g)
▢ ¾ teaspoon blistering powder
▢ ¾ teaspoon table salt

Sugar Cookie Frosting

▢ 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted (375g) (weigh before sifting)
▢ three-4 Tablespoons milk (I apply whole milk, simply whatsoever kind will work)
▢ 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup (see note)
▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla excerpt
▢ Gel food coloring optional
▢ Additional candies and sprinkles for decorating optional

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Sugar Cookies

Combine butter and carbohydrate in the bowl of a stand up mixer (or in a large bowl and use an electrical mitt mixer) and crush until flossy and well-combined.
Add together egg and vanilla extract and beat until completely combined.
In a separate, medium-sized basin, whisk together flour, baking powder, and common salt.
Gradually stir dry ingredients into wet until dough is polish and completely combined.
Lay out a big piece of plastic wrap and transfer approximately half of the dough onto the wrap (dough will be quite sticky at this indicate, that'southward OK!).
Cover dough with clear wrap or wax newspaper and mold into a flat deejay. Wrap tightly. Repeat with remaining cookie dough in another piece of clear wrap. Transfer dough to refrigerator and chill for at least 2-3 hours and up to 5 days.
Once dough has finished chilling, preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (alternatively broil cookies directly on an ungreased baking sheet). Set aside.
Generously dust a make clean surface with flour and identify one chilled cookie dough deejay onto the surface. Lightly flour the dough and roll out to ⅛" (for thinner, crispier cookies) or ¼" (for thicker, softer cookies). Add boosted flour equally needed both on meridian of and below the dough so that it doesn't stick.

Annotation: if dough is groovy as you gyre it, let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to soften earlier attempting again.
Utilise cookie cutters to cut out shapes and use a spatula to transfer shapes to prepared blistering sail, spacing at least 1" autonomously. If you are not intending to decorate your cookies with icing, yous tin can decorate them with sanding sugar at this indicate before you bake them.
Bake on 350F (175C) for 8-10 minutes (this is for cookies that are approximately 3" [7.6cm]; note that smaller cookies will demand less time and larger cookies will demand more), or until edges merely brainstorm to turn lightly gilt brownish.
Let cookies to absurd completely on cookie canvass before decorating.

Piece of cake Sugar Cookie Icing

Combine powdered carbohydrate, 2 Tablespoons of milk, corn syrup, and vanilla extract in a medium-sized bowl and stir until combined. If frosting is too thick, add together more milk, about a teaspoon at a time, until the frosting is thick but pipeable. If you accidentally add too much milk, add powdered sugar until desired texture is reached.
If coloring the frosting, dissever into bowls and color as desired at this point.
Transfer frosting to a pipe bag with a piping tip (I used Wilton 5), or place in a Ziploc purse and snip a pocket-sized piece of the corner off (not as neat, but this volition still work, but take care that the frosting isn't so thick that it breaks open the seam of the bag when y'all are squeezing).
Pipage frosting on cookies and decorate with decorative candies, if desired.
Permit frosting to harden before enjoying, stacking, or storing (this took several hours for me and may vary for you depending on the consistency of your frosting).

Flavoring and extracts

You may also reduce the vanilla extract to ¾ teaspoon and add ¼-1/two teaspoons of either almond or lemon extract (or just most whatever other extract you'd like!).

Corn Syrup

I highly recommend using calorie-free corn syrup for the firmest, glossiest terminate on your sugar cookies. However, if you must omit it, you may, merely note that the frosting will not dry out quite as hard and y'all will probable need to add more than milk to get the icing to the proper consistency. Glucose syrup may be substituted, merely outside of that I am non certain of a substitute that would requite the same event.

Making Frosting in Advance

To make icing in advance, store in an airtight container with a piece of plastic wrap pressed direct against the surface of the icing. It will continue for several days and may be stored either at room temperature or in the fridge. Icing volition need to be stirred again before using. It may be colored with food coloring before or later storing.

Storing

Keep uneaten cookies sealed in an airtight container at room temperature for upwards to ten days. Cookies may also exist frozen for several months.

Nutritional information is based on third-political party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

More Classic Christmas Cookies to Attempt:

Gingerbread Men Cookies
Thumbprint Cookies
Like shooting fish in a barrel Imperial Icing Recipe
Whipped Shortbread Cookies

Source: https://sugarspunrun.com/easy-sugar-cookie-recipe/

Posted by: pettyjohnsuan1961.blogspot.com

How To Make Decorative Sugar Cookies