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! In the event you’re in search of a foolproof, buttery sugar cookie recipe that is it.

One of the frequent questions I get from readers is: “Do you’ve gotten 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 as we speak! I exhibiting you find out how to make sugar cookies from scratch!

Why You’ll Love This Sugar Cookies Recipe

• Straightforward. You don’t should be an skilled cookie maker to bake up these cookies.
• Tasty. The flavour is buttery and scrumptious! The sides are crisp and candy, and the facilities are gentle with a young texture.
• No Chill. The dough doesn’t should be chilled earlier than rolling and slicing out shapes.
• Good 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 just a few elements to make these basic sugar cookies. Right here’s a fast listing with my notes to be sure to have all the pieces. (See the recipe card on the backside of this put up for particular quantities.)

• Butter. I take advantage of salted butter, however that’s a private desire. In the event you favor unsalted, or that’s all you’ve gotten completely use that.
• Vanilla. I at all times suggest utilizing pure vanilla extract.
• Granulated Sugar
• Eggs
• Dry Components: Baking Powder, All Objective Flour, and Kosher Salt. In the event you don’t have kosher you need to use desk salt, however I might suggest slicing 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
• Gentle Corn Syrup. Sweetens the icing and provides the shiny texture.

Variation Concepts

• Attempt a special 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 need to use 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 certain 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 because of the moisture content material, however not in an enormous manner. 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 greater fats content material, and whereas it’s not nice on your thighs, it does assist produce a extra scrumptious, wealthy cookie!
• Use high quality elements. While you’re making sugar cookies, you need them to style good, proper? So be sure to’re prime quality butter and vanilla particularly. These are the 2 flavors that basically shine by means of, so use recent butter and good vanilla!
• Use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. You should use a hand mixer in case you favor, however making these cookies with out a mixer is troublesome since you need to cream your butter and sugar collectively for two minutes. AND there may be lots 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 may refrigerate the opposite sections of dough whilst you work with one.
• Bake roughly the identical sized cookies. Whereas it’s enjoyable to get out all of your totally different vacation cookie cutters, strive your greatest to make use of uniformly sized shapes that manner every batch will bake evenly. Because you’re diving the dough into 3 sections it is a wonderful means to make use of 3 cutters for every batch. That manner you’ve gotten selection, but in addition will guarantee even baking!
• Don’t fear about spreading. In fact you don’t need to overcrowd the cookie sheet since you want air circulation, however you don’t have to go away lots of area in between the cookies, as they don’t unfold a lot!

Do You Have to Chill Sugar Cookie Dough?

Okay, let’s speak. 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 meaning…

• Use chilly butter: To make the cookie dough barely chilled proper when it’s made. Simply dice the chilly butter whenever you combine it together with your sugar and it will likely be tremendous! You combine the butter and sugar collectively for two minutes, so all the pieces might be blended. Simply make sure that to scrape the perimeters of the blending bowl as crucial so all the pieces is mixed evenly.
• Can I chill the dough if I need to? In case you are prepping your vacation baking upfront and would like to relax the dough so you’ve gotten 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 relax for 30 or so minutes. This isn’t crucial, however in case you’re involved, it’s a step that may’t damage.

Why Are My Minimize Out Sugar Cookies Too Darkish?

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

However the commonest wrongdoer? Utilizing the fallacious cookie sheet! Listed here are some issues to remember when selecting the perfect cookie sheet on 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 inclined to make your cookies unfold a bit extra they usually don’t give a golden edge as simply, particularly with cut-out cookies.
• Darker-colored baking sheets: Darker, skinny baking sheet provides you with a golden edge, and your cookies gained’t unfold almost as a lot, supplying 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. It is a nice choice when you’ve gotten a busy cookie baking day across the holidays. In fact having further cookie sheets helps!

Learn how to Retailer Sugar Cookies

Retailer your cookies in an hermetic container on the counter at room temperature. They are going to preserve for as much as 5 days, although I feel you’ll eat all of them effectively earlier than then. Be aware 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 may completely freeze sugar cookies (or the dough)! Right here’s how…

• Baked sugar cookies. Enable the sugar cookies to chill fully, then switch to a freezer-safe container or ziploc bag, with parchment paper separating the layers. Be aware that you need 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 might be good for 30 days in your freezer.

Extra Christmas Cookie Recipes

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