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White parchment line baking pan filled with holiday shaped unbaked cookies.

Best Ever Sugar Cookies

Course: cookies
Cuisine: American
Keyword: sugar cookies, cutout cookies, Christmas cookies
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 9 minutes
Total Time: 39 minutes
Servings: 36
Calories: 151kcal
Author: Laureen King
After years of making sugar cookies this is my Best Ever Sugar Cookies recipe. Very tasty and perfect for decorating!
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups butter room temperature soft
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean opened and seeds scraped out or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs + extra yolk
  • 3 ¾ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Whisk together flour and salt.
  • Using electric mixer with paddle attachment beat butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 5 mins.
  • Add vanilla bean and mix well.
  • Add eggs and egg yolk. Combine well.
  • Add the flour mix a bit at a time. Combine until mixed, but avoid over mixing.
  • Divide dough into 2 separate pieces. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
  • When ready to bake preheat oven to 350º F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  • On well floured work surface roll disk out to ¼ inch thickness.
  • Cut out with cookie cutter shape of your choice and transfer to baking sheet. To avoid dough sticking to cookie cutters dip them in bowl of flour, shaking off any excess.
  • Place cookie sheet in freezer for about 5 minutes or refrigerator for 10 mins. This helps the cookies hold their shape and not spread.
  • Bake 8-10 minutes (just until edges start to brown).
  • Allow to cool a bit on cookie sheet, then transfer to cooling rack. Decorate with Royal Icing.

Notes

Optional Ingredients- add a different flavor to the sugar cookies by adding 2 teaspoons of pumpkin spice, or a zesty orange flavor by adding 1 ½ teaspoons of cardamom and 1 tablespoon of orange zest.
Recipe for Royal Icing and step by step instructions for decorating sugar cookies, 

Nutrition

Calories: 151kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 136mg | Potassium: 20mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 250IU | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg