Straightforward Sugar Cookies (No Chill + Step-by-Step Video)

This sugar cookies recipe is the one one I take advantage of – particularly for holidays like Christmas! The recipe is easy and the dough is ideal for cut-out cookie adorning with no chill time wanted! When you’re searching for a foolproof, buttery sugar cookie recipe that is it.

Probably the most widespread questions I get from readers is: “Do you could have an ideal sugar cookie recipe?”

And the reply is YES! This cut-out sugar cookie recipe is the one I’ve been utilizing for 14 years. I haven’t deviated from this recipe since I began making it so a few years in the past as a result of its perfection. I’m CRAZY enthusiastic about in the present day! I exhibiting you make sugar cookies from scratch!

Why You’ll Love This Sugar Cookies Recipe

• Straightforward. You don’t must be an knowledgeable cookie maker to bake up these cookies.
• Tasty. The flavour is buttery and scrumptious! The perimeters are crisp and candy, and the facilities are gentle with a young texture.
• No Chill. The dough doesn’t must be chilled earlier than rolling and reducing out shapes.
• Excellent for Adorning. These cookies maintain crisp edges when baked. They’re excellent for all shapes of cookie cutters and adorning.

Ingredient Notes

You’ll solely want a number of components to make these basic sugar cookies. Right here’s a fast record with my notes to be sure to have every part. (See the recipe card on the backside of this publish for particular quantities.)

• Butter. I take advantage of salted butter, however that’s a private choice. When you want unsalted, or that’s all you could have completely use that.
• Vanilla. I all the time suggest utilizing pure vanilla extract.
• Granulated Sugar
• Eggs
• Dry Elements: Baking Powder, All Goal Flour, and Kosher Salt. When you don’t have kosher you should utilize desk salt, however I’d suggest reducing again on the quantity by half so that you don’t over-salt your cookies. Desk salt is a finer grain than kosher, so you’ll find yourself with extra.
• Powdered Sugar. The bottom of the icing.
• Water
• Mild Corn Syrup. Sweetens the icing and provides the shiny texture.

Variation Concepts

• Attempt a unique taste profile. You should use almond extract…or coconut, or rum, or perhaps a citrus like lemon or orange extract. All these would style nice! Begin through the use of 1/2 teaspoon and enhance the quantity to style. Almond extract is a stronger taste than vanilla and I discover you should utilize rather less. 
• Add some mini chocolate chips. Minis will nonetheless work with cookie cutters and can bake up superbly on this recipe. 
• Combine in some nuts. Add chopped nuts like pecans, walnuts, and even pistachios. Make sure that they’re finely chopped in order that they don’t intervene together with your cookie cutters.
• Use brown sugar rather than granulated. This may trigger the cookies to unfold barely greater than granulated as a result of moisture content material, however not in an enormous method. You may solely discover that is you’re utilizing an intricate cutter.

Ideas for the Greatest Sugar Cookies

• Don’t substitute margarine or butter flavored shortening. I generally even splurge on a flowery European butter when making these sugar cookies, as a result of there’s a increased fats content material, and whereas it’s not nice in your thighs, it does assist produce a extra scrumptious, wealthy cookie!
• Use high quality components. While you’re making sugar cookies, you need them to style good, proper? So be sure to’re top quality butter and vanilla particularly. These are the 2 flavors that actually shine by means of, so use contemporary butter and good vanilla!
• Use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. You should use a hand mixer should you want, however making these cookies with out a mixer is tough since you need to cream your butter and sugar collectively for two minutes. AND there’s a whole lot of flour in these, and the dough can get laborious to combine by hand.
• Work with sections of dough at a time. Divide the dough into sections when rolling it out to deal with the dough much less. The extra you deal with it, the hotter it will get, and the much less the cookies will maintain their form. You possibly can refrigerate the opposite sections of dough when you work with one.
• Bake roughly the identical sized cookies. Whereas it’s enjoyable to get out all of your completely different vacation cookie cutters, attempt your greatest to make use of uniformly sized shapes that method every batch will bake evenly. Because you’re diving the dough into 3 sections this can be a smart way to make use of 3 cutters for every batch. That method you could have selection, but in addition will guarantee even baking!
• Don’t fear about spreading. After all you don’t need to overcrowd the cookie sheet since you want air circulation, however you don’t have to go away a whole lot of house in between the cookies, as they don’t unfold a lot!

Do You Must Chill Sugar Cookie Dough?

Okay, let’s discuss. Chilling cookie dough is annoying. I get it. SO, this reduce out sugar cookie recipe requires ZERO chilling. Are you excited? Let’s speak about what which means…

• Use chilly butter: To make the cookie dough barely chilled proper when it’s made. Simply dice the chilly butter if you combine it together with your sugar and will probably be high quality! You combine the butter and sugar collectively for two minutes, so every part will probably be combined. Simply make certain to scrape the edges of the blending bowl as vital so every part is mixed evenly.
• Can I chill the dough if I need to? If you’re prepping your vacation baking prematurely and would favor to sit back the dough so you could have issues made forward you ABSOLUTELY can. It isn’t going to harm the dough.
• What about advanced cookie shapes? Does chilling assist? What in case you are utilizing a VERY intricate cookie cutter and need to be sure to have exact edges? If I’m utilizing a really detailed cutter what I’ll do is make the dough, roll it out, reduce out my cookie and pop it within the fridge to sit back for 30 or so minutes. This isn’t vital, however should you’re involved, it’s a step that may’t harm.

Why Are My Lower Out Sugar Cookies Too Darkish?

This can be a quite common concern I get from readers, whether or not or not it’s this sugar cookie recipe recipe or another cookie recipe. Cookie will both get too darkish, or not darkish sufficient. After all bake time issues – overbaking and underbaking can lead to too darkish or not darkish sufficient cookies.

However the most typical offender? Utilizing the incorrect cookie sheet! Listed here are some issues to bear in mind when selecting the perfect cookie sheet in your reduce out sugar cookies:

• My favourite cookie sheet: THIS COOKIE SHEET has been my tried and true for years and years. I personal 2 and they’re my favourite. They’re thought of a “nonstick cookie sheet” however I take advantage of parchment paper to line the pan. My cookies bake evenly with the right quantity of golden brown. 
• Lighter-colored baking sheets: These are likely to make your cookies unfold a bit extra and so they don’t give a golden edge as simply, particularly with cut-out cookies.
• Darker-colored baking sheets: Darker, skinny baking sheet gives you a golden edge, and your cookies gained’t unfold almost as a lot, providing you with exact edges. 
• Parchment paper or silicone mats: These assist with even baking and forestall the cookies from browning too quick.

Can I Make These Cookies Forward?

If you wish to make all of the dough and reduce out all of the shapes earlier than baking you may place the cup out dough onto your prepped baking sheets and pop these within the fridge till you’re able to bake. This can be a nice choice when you could have a busy cookie baking day across the holidays. After all having additional cookie sheets helps!

The right way to Retailer Sugar Cookies

Retailer your cookies in an hermetic container on the counter at room temperature. They may hold for as much as 5 days, although I believe you’ll eat all of them effectively earlier than then. Notice that when you have iced them be sure to give the icing time to totally set and harden earlier than you stack the cookies in a container.

Can I Freeze Sugar Cookies?

YES!! You possibly can completely freeze sugar cookies (or the dough)! Right here’s how…

• Baked sugar cookies. Enable the sugar cookies to chill utterly, then switch to a freezer-safe container or ziploc bag, with parchment paper separating the layers. Notice that it is best to freeze your Christmas sugar cookies earlier than adorning.
• Sugar cookie dough. Alternatively, you may freeze the dough for later. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap then place in a ziploc bag.
• How lengthy do frozen sugar cookies final? Both the frozen dough or frozen baked cookies will probably be good for 30 days in your freezer.

Extra Christmas Cookie Recipes

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