The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe
UPDATED APRIL 21, 2020.
As someone who bakes sugar cookies for a living, it’s important to me that cookies first and foremost taste good. They are meant to be eaten after all! But I think that it’s also important that the cookies keep their shape when they are baked. Cookies that completely spread out when baked are much harder to decorate and are often less sturdy (thus could crumble or break easily).
That is why I have developed a recipe that is delicious and keeps a nice crisp edge when the dough it baked!
You can download a printable version of my recipe here.
Recipe
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: approx. 24 cookies
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly chilled (cool to the touch, but not rock hard)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
pinch of salt
Instructions
Place the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer. With the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until soft and fluffy, about 1 minute.
Mix in the egg, vanilla, and almond extracts until just combined.
Mix in the flour 1 cup at a time until all flour is combined.
Turn dough out on to a sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap up and place in the fridge until ready to use. Dough can be rolled out right away if your in a pinch.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Place a piece of parchment paper down on the counter top. Roll dough out on the parchment paper, using minimal flour to keep the rolling pin from sticking.
Cut dough out to the desired shapes. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until just barely brown around the edge.
Notes
If you don't have powdered sugar, replace with 1/2 cup of granulated sugar.
Tips
If you find that your cookie dough is spreading too much after being baked, you may need to add a bit more flour to your dough (the next time you make cookies). My rule of thumb is that the dough should be pulling away from the bowl and doesn’t stick to your finger when you press into it (see second photo below).
I also highly recommend using rolling pin bands, which are specifically designed bands that fit on the end of a rolling pin to ensure that the dough is rolled to an even thickness. I prefer using a big rolling pin with no handles (like this one) and the 1/4” band.
To keep the mess at bay roll your dough between a sheet of parchment and plastic wrap.
