Mary's Classic Sugar Cookies
Charming and familiar, sugar cookies are perfect for sharing.
They’re simple, sweet, and ready to decorate for any situation, any time of the year! Whether you plan to top them with flavorful frostings or get a little fancy with your favorite royal icing, this all-purpose sugar cookie recipe will get you ready to go. Baking them is easy, so you can get on with the fun part: decorating!
Want to learn how to make royal icing for Decorating your Sugar Cookies?
I’ve got some tips and a great recipe for a simple royal icing that you can make in a small or large batch.
Now, back to the sugar cookies!
Here’s a tip before you start:
The yield from this holiday sugar cookie recipe will vary depending on the size and shape of your cookie cutters. Be careful not to over-bake them — the centers of your sugar cookies should be springy when you take them out of the oven. Not to worry, they’ll firm up as they cool.
Yield: Makes approximately 24 cookies, depending on size
Sugar Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Recipe
- 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg and the two extracts. Beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. With your mixer on medium-low, add flour mixture to butter mixture. Process until combined. Chill dough for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out into a ¼-inch thickness. Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out shapes.
- Place cookies on parchment-lined baking sheet pans. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, depending on cookie size.
- Remove baking pans from the oven. The cookies should still be slightly soft in the middle. Let your cookies cool on the pans for 10 minutes—they will harden as they cool.
- Using a flat spatula, transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before finishing with frosting or royal icing.