The Best Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe

5 from 1165 votes

The Best Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe

The Best Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe! They are soft, chewy and don't spread! Plus an easy sugar cookie frosting that tastes great and hardens with a beautiful shine! Making these easy decorated sugar cookies has been our family's holiday baking tradition for 30 years!

Prep Time25

Cook Time10

Chilling time2

Total Time1 45

Course: cookies, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: 4" cookies

Author: Laura Sandford

Cost: $5

Equipment

Ingredients

Sugar Cookies:

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour*
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup salted butter (softened)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs (room temperature)

Sugar Cookie Frosting

4 cups powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons whole milk (room temperature)
2 ½ Tablespoons light corn syrup
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
gel food coloring (optional)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Sugar Cookie Dough

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed for 1 minute.
Then, add the vanilla and eggs and beat on high speed for an additional 1 minute, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until just combined.

Chill the Dough

Divide the dough into two equal portions.
Then shape each portion of dough into a round, flat disc and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.
Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. I prefer to chill overnight. (You can chill for up to 2 days before baking)

Roll & Cut The Sugar Cookies

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius).
Line two to four large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats, set aside.
Remove one disc of dough from the refrigerator, put it on a lightly floured surface and let it sit at room temperature for up to 5 minutes to soften slightly.
Roll the dough into to ½” or ¼” thickness (based on your preference).
Use your favorite cookie cutter shapes and cut out the dough and place them 1” apart on the prepared cookie sheets. (Note: at this point, if the cookies feel warm, put them on the baking sheet in the freezer for 5-10 minutes before baking).
Repeat until all the dough is used. You can gather and re-roll the dough scraps one time.

Decorate With Sprinkles Only (No Frosting)

Use a pastry brush and brush the cookies with a little bit of milk or cream. Then decorate with sprinkles, which will stick to the milk/cream.

Bake & Cool

Bake in the preheated oven for 9-10 minutes or until cookies are puffed and just set around the edges.
Remove and let sit on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Repeat with second disc of dough.

Make the Sugar Cookie Frosting

Once the sugar cookies have cooled completely, make the frosting. Combine all frosting ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
If using food coloring, separate frosting into smaller bowls and add 1-2 drops of gel food coloring and stir to combine.
Place each color in a disposable piping bag fitted with your tip of choice.
Once cookies are completely cooled, decorate the cookies.
Let decorated cookies sit at room temperature for at least 3 hours, or until the frosting is completely hardened. Chilling them in the refrigerator helps speed up the setting process.
Store in an airtight container or on a plate wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Video

Notes

Salted butter. unsalted butter works well.
Granulated sugar. use white sugar or organic cane sugar
Vanilla extract. Please always use pure vanilla extract (not imitation) for the best results. You could substitute 1 tsp of the vanilla extract with another extract (almond, lemon, etc.) to give the sugar cookies a different flavor.
Eggs. Make sure your eggs are fresh and at room temperature! To get them to room temperature fast, simply put them in a bowl of warm water.
All-purpose flour. If your flour is a little lumpy you may want to sift it. You can use pastry flour or bread flour with great results as well! You could also use all-purpose gluten-free flour!
Whole Milk. heavy cream and half and half are good substitutes.
Light Corn Syrup. If you want beautiful, shiny tops that harden perfectly you really cannot leave out the corn syrup in this recipe.
Gel Food Coloring. I suggest using gel food coloring! The colors are vibrant and it doesn't effect the texture of the frosting.

How to Measure the Flour Correctly

For the most accurate results, I recommend using a kitchen scale and measuring 371 grams of all-purpose flour. If you're measuring with cups, use 2 ¾ cups using my scoop-and-level method.

*NOTE: The dough should not be "sticky."

The dough should not be sticky after the ingredients are mixed together. It should be soft and pliable but not sticky. It should easily be formed into two round discs. If the dough is sticky it could be that your eggs were larger than normal and added more moisture to the dough. I recommend adding more flour 1 Tablespoon at a time until the dough is soft but not sticky.

How to Store Cut Out Sugar Cookies

Once the frosting is hardened, store the sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. If you are stacking them, I recommend separating the layers with parchment paper or wax paper. They hold up well on a cookie tray, just be sure to wrap it well in plastic wrap.

How to Freeze

Store decorated cookies in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Undecorated sugar cookies (baked but not frosted) can last even longer in the freezer. Just thaw them at room temperature before decorating.

Nutrition