Sugar cookies are a Christmas classic – usually the first thing you spot when you walk into a store and often sitting prettily under a tree with a red ribbon tied around them. But these aren’t just any cookies; they’re edible ornaments that everyone can enjoy.
When I was younger, my grandmother made sugar cookies every year for our family Christmas party. She’d always say it was her favorite part of the holidays -it meant making memories with us grandkids in the kitchen. And honestly, that’s the magic of sugar cookies—it’s not just about eating them, it’s about the memories you bake while making them.
- Sift the flour, corn starch, and salt in a large bowl. Give it a whisk.
- In your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment [If you don’t a standing mixer, then pull out your mixer with double paddles], cream the butter and sugar together. On a side note, why not put a standing mixer on your Christmas Wish List -Just an Idea.
- Add the eggs while mixing. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add 1 tsp. vanilla extract and mix to combine.
- Pour in the flour mixture and mix until everything is well blended, making sure to scrape down the bowl with the spatula.
- Put the dough in a plastic bag, flatten it together, then chill it in the refrigerator so it firms up. Once the dough is chilled, place it on a rolling mat, sprinkle with flour and roll out with a rolling pin. Move the dough around to prevent it from sticking. Use circular cookie cutters to cut out your cookies. Take away extra scraps to re-roll for more cookies. Place them on non-stick cookie sheets and bake at 375 F for 12 minutes. Once they are done allow them to cool on the cookie sheets before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Sugar Cookie Recipe
Equipment
- 4 cups flour Sifted
- 1/3 cup corn starch
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Sift your the flour, corn starch and salt in a large bowl. Give it a whisk.
- In your standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together.
- Add the eggs while mixing. Scrape down sides of the bowl.
- Add 1 tsp vanilla extract.
- Pour in the flour mixture and mix until everything is well blended.
- Put the dough in a plastic bag, flatten it together, then chill it in the refrigerator so it firms up.
- Once the dough is chilled, place it on a rolling mat, sprinkle with flour and roll out with a rolling pin. Move the dough around so to prevent it from sticking.
- Use a circular cookie cutter to cut out your cookies. Take away extra scraps to re-roll for more cookies.
- Place them on a non-stick baking sheet and bake at 375 F for 12 minutes.
Notes
Using corn starch helps to keep cookies from sticking. Ultimately, the best way to prevent dough from sticking is to roll out the dough between two layers of plastic wrap. This way there’s no fuss and ZERO chance of sticking. It’s always a good idea to flour your work surface well and move the dough often. I like to work on a pastry mat which can be lifted up and even transferred into the refrigerator.
Don’t Have Unsalted Butter – Don’t fret!
Various brands of butter add different amounts of salt to their product. Using unsalted butter helps to control the amount of salt in a recipe. This is also why you’ll see recipes call for kosher salt. Different types of salt have smaller and larger grains; the smaller the grain, the more salt each teaspoon will hold. Specifying kosher salt just calls for a standard grain size. You can usually use salted butter and just reduce or eliminate the added salt in a recipe.
