Description
Homemade Sugar Cookie Recipe for tender, chewy cookies with simple icing. Share these delightful treats from your kitchen with loved ones.
Ingredients
Scale
- Cookie Base Essentials:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- Flavor & Leavening:
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Icing & Decoration:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons milk (or cream)
- Food coloring (optional)
- Optional Sparkle:
- Sprinkles
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Creaming the Butter and Sugar:: First things first, get that butter and granulated sugar into your mixer. Beat them together until they’re light and fluffy, almost pale yellow. This usually takes about 2-3 minutes, but honestly, don’t rush it. This step incorporates air, which is crucial for a tender cookie. I always get distracted here and then realize I’ve over-creamed, but for this homemade sugar cookie recipe, aiming for light and fluffy is important.
- Adding the Egg and Vanilla:: Next, crack in that large egg and pour in the vanilla extract. Mix them until just combined. You don’t want to overmix here; we’re just bringing the liquids into the party. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated. I’ve definitely had times where a blob of unmixed butter-sugar hung out on the bottom, only to be discovered later. Oops!
- Mixing Dry Ingredients:: In a separate bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, and salt. Give it a good whisk to distribute everything evenly. Then, gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Stop as soon as there are no visible streaks of flour; overmixing develops gluten, making for tough cookies. My grandma would always say, “Mix it ’til it’s married, not divorced!”
- Chilling the Dough for the Best Homemade Sugar Cookie Recipe:: Now, this is a step you absolutely cannot skip for a truly great homemade sugar cookie recipe. Divide your dough in half, flatten each half into a disc, wrap them tightly in plastic, and pop them in the fridge for at least an hour, or even overnight. This helps prevent spreading and makes the dough much easier to roll. I’ve tried to skip this, thinking I could cheat, and ended up with misshapen blobs. Lesson learned!
- Rolling and Cutting:: Once chilled, dust your work surface and rolling pin with a little flour. Roll out one disc of dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Place them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Re-roll any scraps, but try not to overwork the dough. I always get flour everywhere during this step, it’s just part of the fun!
- Baking and Cooling:: Bake your cookies in a preheated oven at 375°F (190°C) for 7-9 minutes. They should be lightly golden at the edges but still soft in the center. Don’t overbake, or they’ll lose that lovely chewiness. Let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. The smell at this point? Honestly, it’s pure bliss.