After years of making sugar cookies this is my Best Ever Sugar Cookies recipe. Very tasty and perfect for decorating!
Its that time of year again to get baking. My Christmas baking starts with sugar cookies that I use for decorating with Royal Icing. I have tried many sugar cookie recipes and have been disappointed by them tasting flavourless. So after many trial and errors I’ve finally come up with the BEST EVER Sugar Cookies recipe. I make two flavours, Pumpkin Spice and Cardamom Orange.
These sugar cookies cut out beautifully and bake with nice sharp edges.
I have a large collection of cookie cutters. Vintage ones from my Mom and beautiful copper cookie cutters in all my favorite holiday shapes.
Best Ever Sugar Cookies
After years of making sugar cookies this is my Best Ever Sugar Cookies recipe. Very tasty and perfect for decorating!
Print
Rate
Cook Time: 9 minutes
Total Time: 9 minutes
Servings: 3 dozen
Calories: 1821kcal
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups softened butter
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 vanilla bean opened and seeds scraped out
- 2 eggs + extra yolk
- 2 tsp Pumpkin spice OR 1 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp orange zest if using cardamom spice
Instructions
- Sift together flour, salt and pumpkin spice. (see notes for Cardamom orange flavour)
- Using electric mixer beat butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 5 mins.
- Add vanilla bean and mix well.
- Add eggs and combine well.
- Slowly add the flour mix a bit at a time.
- Separate dough into 2 separate pieces. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- When ready to bake preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- On floured work surface roll disk out to 1/4 inch thickness.
- Cut out with cookie cutter shape of your choice and transfer to baking sheet.
- Place cookie sheet in freezer for about 5 minutes or refrigerator for 10 mins. (this helps cookies hold their shape and not spread out).
- Bake 8-10 minutes (just until edges start to brown).
- Cool completely and decorate with Royal Icing.
Notes
*For Cardamom Orange flavour add cardamom spice to flour mixture and orange zest after combining butter and sugar.
*you can substitute 1 tsp vanilla for vanilla bean
Nutrition
Calories: 1821kcal | Carbohydrates: 221g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 96g | Saturated Fat: 59g | Cholesterol: 353mg | Sodium: 1631mg | Potassium: 234mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 100g | Vitamin A: 59.9% | Vitamin C: 3.3% | Calcium: 7.5% | Iron: 44.4%
Another great sugar cookie recipe to try Candy Cane Sugar Cookies
Enjoy these other great cookies recipes! Mom’s Shortbread Cookies and my favourite recipe for Gingerbread Cookies
Teresita Caraccioli says
April 14, 2015 at 11:55 amHi Laureen! first, thanks for sharing all your amazing recipes, and for those incredible pictures!
Im cooking your cardamom orange sugar cookies recipe this week and I was wondering.. If I cook it today, will the cookies be fine till sunday?
Thanks again!!
Laureen King says
April 14, 2015 at 12:16 pmThank you kindly Teresita, the cookies should be fine until Sunday, but I would cool them, then put them in an airtight container or ziplock bag and refrigerate. These cookies also freeze very well.
Tiffany Gosse says
November 22, 2015 at 9:53 amdo you need to add the pumpkin spice ? Will it effect the cookies shape or just flavour?!
Laureen King says
November 22, 2015 at 9:56 amthe pumpkin spice will only affect the cookies flavour Tiffany
Sharon M says
November 1, 2016 at 7:41 pmThese sound amazing! Those detailed cookie shapes is a sure sign you’re a genius, right?! ?
I have been baking & making custom cakes for a while but cookies are pretty new to me. I am really excited about trying this recipe as well as your Candy Cane Cookies (brilliant by the way)! I’ve been searching for a pumpkin cookie recipe (cut-out that is) and I kept obsessing over how I could get actual pumpkin in my cookies, sadly, I never dreamed of such a ‘simple’ fix lol.
I was considering using freeze-dried pumpkin, which I had no idea was even a thing until I saw it on Amazon while pricing freeze-dried fruit/powders (for macarons and flavoring fondant). Anyway, curious about your thoughts on adding those to cookies?
Another question I had was concerning this recipe. I have immense respect for people, like yourself, who develop recipes or tweak them! There’s so much work and knowledge required when it comes to understanding the Science behind each ingredient and how they react with each other. I know for some people it comes naturally & like anything, a great deal of practice is required as well.
You talked about freezing, is that the dough or cooked cookies? Or both? Also, how long would they be good for approximately?
Forgive my babbling, I’m trying to learn the science behind ingredients and I was wondering what the extra egg yolk does? Whites are good for airration right? Making something more light/fluffy? So does the yolk do the opposite and make it more dense/help avoid spreading? That’s also the reason to work with cold dough right, the butter firms & reduces spreading?
Thanks for sharing your recipes! I apologize in advance for all my mind numbing questions ?
Laureen King says
November 2, 2016 at 9:39 amHey Sharon, I’ll try to answer your questions as best as I can.
I’ve never used freeze-dried pumpkin so have no idea about that, but looks interesting and worth a try.
I certainly am no expert on the science behind baking lol, you can freeze either the dough or the baked cookies, and should freeze well for 3 months, if sealed tightly (vacuum seal), in a container about a month. I like to bake up a bunch of cutout cookies, ready to decorate any time. Great fun with kids.
I have no idea what the extra egg really does, just the way my Mom used to make her recipe. And yes chilled dough reduces spreading.
Hope you enjoy the recipe, it is one of my favourite sugar cookie recipes.
Charlotte says
November 3, 2016 at 12:49 pmCan I substitute. The Vanelka bean for pure vanilla extract? Thanks
Laureen King says
November 3, 2016 at 1:34 pmHey Charlotte, are you meaning Vanilla Bean? If so, yes I do all the time. Tastes great!
Jeannie says
August 5, 2018 at 3:38 pmThe extra yolk is for tenderness and added moisture. Increases shelf life of cookie. I am an amateur cookie maker but have read many blogs by cookie bakers and this is what I’ve learned. I too am interested in the science behind each ingredient. Hope this helps.
MJ says
March 22, 2019 at 6:42 pmYes! These sugar cookies are exactly the ines my dear Mother used to make. The cardamom and orange were what she used and they are lovely. Thank you for the recipe and always smile when I meet a fellow cookie cutter hoarder!
Laureen King says
March 23, 2019 at 6:28 pmThanks MJ, I wish I could find some old cookie stamps and moulds.