The Best Sugar Cookies Recipe - With the Perfect Icing Sugar

Baking sugar cookies have become a tradition. Before Covid - we use to give out cookie boxes to our neighbours and friends. Holiday bakes always put people in a happier mood. I love this sugar cookie recipe because it's simple, you don't have to chill it, the dough holds its shape and the cookies always turn out perfect. It's great for get-togethers, the whole family can decorate their own cookie. Use holiday sprinkles and fun cookie cutter shapes for snowflakes and Santa cookies. Give this quick and easy recipe a try!

The Best Sugar Cookies

yield: 24 larger cookies prep time: 30 mins bake time:8 mins

instructions

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 egg
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour

ingredients for cookie icing

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 tsp heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• a pinch of salt (optional)
• sprinkles for decorating

directions for cookies

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. in your mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth, about 3 mins
3. beat in extracts and egg
4. in a separate bowl, combine baking powder, salt, and flour
5. add slowly into the wet ingredients
6. the dough may seem dry, but keep  mixing until its pulls away from the side of the mixer
7. if the dough still looks too dry or stiff for the mixer, lightly dust clean countertop, place dough on surface, wet your hands, and finish kneading dough 
8. Do Not Chill The Dough - divide into workable batches, 2-3 chunks, roll out onto a floured surface, and cut with cookie cutters, you want the cookies to be thicker about 1/4 inches
9. bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes
10. let cook on a cookie sheet until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack
11. decorate with icing sugar and sprinkles

directions for icing sugar

1. in a bowl combine icing ingredients, stir until smooth
2. add more cream as needed to thin out the consistency, you want it to be smooth and slightly thicker so that it doesn't run off the baked goods
3. taste and add more vanilla or a pinch of salt
4. place in a zip lock bag and snip the end or use a spoon to drizzle over cookies
5. finish with sprinkles

Troubleshooting Cookie Dough: 

If the cookie dough is too dry or crumbly, add a little bit of water, you want the dough to be thicker to hold the cookie shape. Reintegrate any dough after cutting to make more cookies by simply kneading it together again.

Happy Holidays && Happy Baking!

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the original cookie recipe is from Katrina's Kitchen - thanks for sharing.