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Who doesn’t love sugar cookies? So light and sweet, they practically melt in our mouths every time we taste them.
Sugar cookies have been around for many years and have a long history and distinguished pedigree. They were likely to have first been made by a Middle Eastern baker and then quickly spread through parts of Europe as a popular teatime treat.
Through the years, there have been many variations on the popular recipe, but for the cookie purist, nothing is more refined than the buttery blend of sugar and cake that gives the treat its terrific taste.
Sugar Cookie Frosting
Of course, adding frosting to the cookie can be a great way to enhance the taste and it can also give the cookie a cute design that makes it perfect for certain events and holidays.
When thinking of sugar cookie frosting, there are several kinds you can choose from. Here are some popular choices.
Buttercream: Buttercream is the most popular choice when it comes to sugar cookie frosting. Many would argue that it is the best tasting of all choices of frosting and it is versatile so it can be made in a variety of colors and flavors.
Royal icing: This is another popular frosting choice and it holds up well if cookies need to be stacked or mailed. It has a sweet flavor, makes for a nice glaze and dries quickly.
Glaze icing: Glaze Icing is another good option for cookies that need to be stacked or mailed. It provides a quick drying glaze that is a bit softer than royal icing.
Color Flow Icing: This type of icing is perfect for making detailed icing decorations. You must let it dry before putting it on your cookies. The icing has a very sweet flavor and dries shiny giving cookies a festive look.
Rolled Out Sugar Cookies
If you are making sugar cookies, it is typical for the recipe to include a step where you roll the dough.
The rolling of the dough is usually done on a floured surface to keep it from sticking. Placing it between pieces of wax or parchment paper will be effective as well.
To ensure success when rolling your dough, don’t chill it beforehand. Softer dough will be more malleable and easier to work with. Then roll the dough as you normally would making sure to flip it at regular intervals, so it rolls out evenly. If you are using wax or parchment paper, you can roll the paper too.
Once this step is completed, you will have to chill the dough. If you don’t chill it, the cookies will be too soft when you try to stamp them out. They should be chilled in the fridge for 30 minutes or they can also be placed in the freezer for 15.
Chilled cookies will also hold up better in the oven and make for less clean up once you are done.
Now you are ready to cut out your cookies. You can preheat your oven while you do this to save time.
Cut out cookies on a floured surface to avoid sticking. As you are cutting, reuse your scraps by rolling them out again and making new cuts.
When you have very little left to work with, you will be ready to put them in the oven to bake.
For our purposes, we are presenting you with a very basic recipe for the delicious cookies. Although we do go on to provide an option for adding icing, these treats can be served with or without the tasty topping.
This is a tried and true old-fashioned sugar cookie recipe from a wonderful old neighbor who gave them out every Christmas. This is now our family recipe, Judy’s Sugar Cookies (or Mom’s sugar cookies to the kids).
Judy’s recipe makes the heavenly sugar cookies, filled with flavor that melts in your mouth. They’re the ones you can’t stop eating and are perfect for any occasion. It’s a great recipe, especially if you don’t want to roll them out and use cookie cutters. While they roll out beautifully they bake wonderfully as easy drop sugar cookies.
For perfect rolled sugar cookies, try Karen’s sugar cookie recipe right below this one. They also taste amazing, with the added bonus of not leaving half the dough stuck to the counter and the rolling pin. For anyone that has struggled with getting dough to roll out and having the cookies come off the cutters easily (and looking like the shape you want it to look like)…you can’t go wrong with Karen’s Rolled Sugar Cookie Recipe.
Be sure to read the tips for perfect sugar cookies right after the recipes!
If you enjoyed this recipe, make sure to check out our Chocolate Pinwheels Recipe and our Kolachky Recipe
Judy’s Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies Recipe
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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- Prep Time: 25 Minutes
- Cook Time: 8 Minutes
- Total Time: 31 Minutes
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
This is a tried and true old-fashioned sugar cookie recipe from a wonderful old neighbor who gave them out every Christmas.
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup butter (softened at room temperature)
- 1 egg, lightly beaten (egg should be at room temperature)
- 3 Tablespoons half-and-half
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Icing:
- 2 teaspoons milk
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- assorted food coloring colors
Instructions
Cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat butter and sugars until smooth.
- Slowly add vegetable oil.
- Add eggs, one at a time; then vanilla.
- Add flour, 1 cup at a time until blended.
- Add baking soda, salt and cream of tartar.
- Chill in refrigerator for at least one hour.
- Roll chilled dough out on a generously sugared surface (to about a 1/4″ thickness).
- Using cookie cutters or a clean round drinking glass, cut out into desired shapes.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are lightly golden brown.
Icing:
- In a small bowl, stir together the milk and confectioners sugar until smooth.
- Beat in corn syrup and the vanilla extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If the icing is too thick, add additinal corn syrup to thin slightly.
- Divide the icing into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to the preferred color intensity. Paint the icing onto the cookies or pipe with decorator icing tubes and tips.
- Top with candy decorator balls, holiday sprinkles or any other festive design. Enjoy, these are as much fun to decorate as they are to eat!
Notes
- If you are rolling the dough to use cookie cutters, remember to keep the dough chilled. As it warms it sticks to the rolling pin and the surface you’re rolling on.
- The thinner you roll your dough, the crispier the cookie will be. This recipe calls for rolling the dough 1/4 inch thick, which makes them soft with just the right amount of crispness around the outside of the cookie.
- Soften the butter at room temperature for about an hour or two before mixing. Butter that isn’t softened won’t mix properly and your cookies will be flat. Do not microwave butter to soften, it will soften unevenly.
- The eggs should also be room temperature. Cold eggs can cause the batter to curdle.
- Halfway through the baking process, take a minute to rotate the baking sheets from back to front for even baking. This step is worth it to prevent unevenly baked batches of cookies.
- If you are making more than one batch, do not put the dough on hot cookie sheets. It will spread as you’re placing the dough on the sheet, and baking will be uneven.
- The brand of flour makes a difference. Gold Medal or Pillsbury flours are lower-protein. King Arthur flour is higher protein which produces slightly drier, cakier cookies.
- If you want extra dough, this sugar cookie recipe freezes well. You can freeze the dough for about four weeks as long as it is tightly wrapped.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: sugar cookie frosting, rolled out sugar cookies
Karen’s Recipe for Perfect Rolled Sugar Cookies
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- Prep Time: 30 Minutes
- Cook Time: 8 Minutes
- Total Time: 38 Minutes
Description
For perfect rolled sugar cookies, try Karen’s sugar cookie recipe.
Ingredients
- 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup butter (softened at room temperature)
- 1 egg, lightly beaten (egg should be at room temperature)
- 3 Tablespoons half-and-half
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) .
- Sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
- Cut in butter and blend with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly.
- With a fork, stir in lightly beaten egg, vanilla and half-and-half. Blend well with fork, then your hands to ensure thorough blending. Chill dough for one hour for easier rolling.
- If you are not rolling the dough, chill for 15 minutes then skip to step 6 for baking.
- On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into shapes.
- Using a medium cookie scoop or two rounded Tablespoons for each cookie, drop dough onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sugar or leave plain for decorating with icing.
- Bake for 7 – 8 minutes, or until lightly brown.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: sugar cookie frosting, rolled out sugar cookies
Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
