The BEST Sugar Cookies

Cookies
May 9, 2021
Cookies
May 9, 2021

The BEST Sugar Cookies

  • Prep time: 1 hr
  • Cook time: 30 min
  • Total time: 1 hr 30 min

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The BEST Sugar Cookies

Get back to basics with these perfect cut out sugar cookies. Dense, and chewy, with a crispy edge and a gooey center, you won’t be disappointed with this cut out sugar cookie recipe! Cut them out with whatever shape and size cookie cutter fits your occasion and then decorate them for a fun activity or just eat them plain!

perfect cut out sugar cookies recipe rolled out on a floured surface

How to Make the Best Cut Out Sugar Cookies

Good morning and happy Monday sweet thangs! Sofi here with my absolute FAVORITE cut out sugar cookie recipe. I think we can all agree that a tender, chewy sugar cookie recipe is a baking staple everyone should have in their back pocket. Sugar cookies are a versatile, easily transported, crowd pleasing cookie that can work for any occasion. Frost them with a fluffy buttercream, decorate them to a “T” with royal icing for a fun activity or just sprinkle them with some colored sugar and call it a day.

Without further ado, let’s get to the best cut out sugar cookies of all time.

This sugar cookie recipe has been in my family for ages (though I’ve tweaked it over the years to get it just right) and it’s the perfect chewy, flavorful, buttery sugar cookie recipe…need I go on?

cut out sugar cookies in a statck

The best part about these cookies is how easy they are. If you’re feeling lazy you can just sprinkle your shapes with colored sugar and call it a day or if you’re making these sugar cookies for a special occasion frost them homemade icing. The actual dough comes together in minutes, which means you can spend more time decorating these cut out sugar cookies.

Or eating them 🙂

Get back to basics with these perfect cut out sugar cookie. Dense, chewy, and melt in your mouth buttery, we promise you won't be disappointed!

How to make the best cut out sugar cookies:

Let’s break it down with a few tips and tricks before we get started:

  • Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature: If there’s one thing that can throw off a recipe, it’s ingredients being at different temperatures. You’ll want your butter and egg at room temperature to ensure everything incorporates seamlessly!
  • Use a combination of vanilla and almond extract: This is a trick I learned when I worked for a bakery and I don’t know why it’s not more common knowledge. These sugar cookies have 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla and a 1/4 teaspoon of almond. You won’t really taste the almond, it just helps to deepen the vanilla flavor profile!
  • Refrigerate your dough before rolling out: I’m impatient too, so I get it, but that time in the fridge that your sugar cookie dough rests will help the cookies to keep their shape and also allow all the flavors to settle in. We recommend refrigerating for at least an hour, but you could always make the dough the day before or freeze it far in advance!

Step One: Beat the butter and sugar together until just mixed.

Get back to basics with these perfect cut out sugar cookie. Dense, chewy, and melt in your mouth buttery, we promise you won't be disappointed!  Get back to basics with these perfect cut out sugar cookie. Dense, chewy, and melt in your mouth buttery, we promise you won't be disappointed!

Something weird about this recipe is that you do NOT beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. You want everything to be fully combined, but not aerated. This will create that dense, chewy cookies that’s the perfect base for frosting, sprinkles, or sandwiching together.

Step Two: Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract.

Get back to basics with these perfect cut out sugar cookie. Dense, chewy, and melt in your mouth buttery, we promise you won't be disappointed!  Get back to basics with these perfect cut out sugar cookie. Dense, chewy, and melt in your mouth buttery, we promise you won't be disappointed!

Make sure your egg is at room temperature to ensure it incorporates into the butter and sugar mixture seamlessly. The combination of vanilla and almond is actually a little trick a bunch of bakeries use in their vanilla flavored baked goods! A vanilla and almond combo creates a more complex flavor profile that’ll take your sugar cookies from homemade to bakery style.

Step Three: Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour and salt.

Get back to basics with these perfect cut out sugar cookie. Dense, chewy, and melt in your mouth buttery, we promise you won't be disappointed!

Using a rubber spatula scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything gets incorporated fully. Add the flour and salt and beat for about 1 minute. You don’t want to over beat your dough, but working it just enough will help the cookies to keep their shape when you’re rolling them out!

Step Four: Form a flat oval disk and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or place in a sealed bag and form in a flat oval disk. The dough will still be soft, but should hold it’s shape. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour, or up to 24 hours. If you do refrigerate your dough longer, take the dough out about a half hour before you’re rolling it out so soften up a little.

Step Five: Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

You probably know this already, but we can’t live without parchment paper. It will give your cookies a crunchy edge, but allow an easy release to ensure any delicate shapes don’t break!

Step Six: On a floured surface roll the cookie dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut out cookies.

Get back to basics wtih these perfect cut out sugar cookie. Dense, and chewy, with a crispy edge and a gooey center, you won't be disappointed! Get back to basics wtih these perfect cut out sugar cookie. Dense, and chewy, with a crispy edge and a gooey center, you won't be disappointed!

On a very well floured surface (you want to make sure nothing sticks!) roll out your dough disk to about a 1/4 thickness. I usually just eye ball this, but if you want to be really precise this awesome rolling pin helps you roll dough out to the perfect thickness. Use whatever size or shape cookie cutter you’d like!

If you’re using an especially detailed cookie cutter, you might want to stick your cut out sugar cookies in the freezer for ten minutes before baking to ensure they keep their shape!

P.S If you want to sprinkle your cookies with sugar do it now! Transfer the cookies to the parchment paper, sprinkle with sprinkles, sanding sugar, or a colored sugar and you’ll have pretty cookies that don’t require any frosting.

Step Seven: Bake for about 8 to 12 minutes (depending on the size of the cookies) or until the edges are just golden brown. Allow to cool and frost!

Get back to basics wtih these perfect cut out sugar cookie. Dense, chewy, and melt in your mouth buttery, we promise you won't be disappointed!

How to know when these cut out sugar cookies are done baking?

An over baked sugar cookie can be dry, and hard, so make sure you pay close attention to find that beautiful sweet spot of crunchy edges and gooey, chewy centers. Keep an eye on your first batch of cookies to figure out what the perfect time is for the size and shape of your cookies.

You want to take them out when they are just starting to go golden brown on the edges, but still gooey in the middles.

We hope you like these sugar cookies as much as we do! Be back Wednesday with some fun recipes for Easter!

XX

Sofi

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Back to Basics: Sugar Cookies

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 22 reviews

This homemade sugar cookie recipes is chewy, dense, with a crispy edge and gooey center AKA the best cut out sugar cookies of all time. Bake these up for a buttery frosted sugar cookie or an afternoon of homemade sugar cookie baking with the family!

This homemade sugar cookie recipes is chewy, dense, with a crispy edge and gooey center AKA the best cut out sugar cookies of all time. Bake these up for a buttery frosted sugar cookie or an afternoon of homemade sugar cookie baking with the family!

  • Author: Sofi | Broma Bakery
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 20 medium sized cookies
  • Category: cookies
  • Method: baked
  • Cuisine: american
  • Author: Sofi | Broma Bakery
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 20 medium sized cookies
  • Category: cookies
  • Method: baked
  • Cuisine: american
Units:

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

Instructions

    1. Using a stand mixer fixed with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until just combined. Add in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract and beat well.
    2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the salt and flour, beating for about 1 minute. Form a flat, oval disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
    3. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. On a floured surface, roll out the cookie dough  with a rolling pin to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out shapes and carefully transfer to the prepared baking sheets. If you want to sprinkle the cookies with sanding sugar do so now! Depending on the size of your cookies, bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until the edges are just golden brown. It totally depends on the size of your cookies–for mini cookies usually about 8 minutes, for medium size about 10 and for larger cookies about 12.
    4. Allow cookies to cool before transferring to a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before frosting or enjoy plain. They’re good that way too 🙂
watch the video

Notes

Tips for making the dough

  • Use room temperature butter
  • Don’t over mix the dough! Simply beat the dough together until it’s just combined or your cookies will end up dry and tough.

Tips for rolling out the dough

  • Don’t skip out on chilling the dough or your cookies will spread too much. We recommend chilling for at least an hour or overnight. If you do chill the dough overnight, set it out on the counter for a half hour so that it’s easier to roll out!
  • Heavily flour your surface or roll out the dough on a piece of plastic wrap to make sure that the dough doesn’t stick!
  • Dip your cookie cutter in flour between cutting out cookies to make sure the dough doesn’t stick to the cutter.
  • If you’re making intricate shapes, pop the cookie sheet in the freezer for 20 minutes before baking to help the sugar cookies to retain their shape.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cookie
  • Calories: 122 calories
  • Sugar: 10.1 grams
  • Fat: 4.9 grams
  • Saturated Fat: 3 grams
  • Unsaturated Fat: 2.9 g
  • Protein: 1.5 grams

Looking for other staple recipes from Broma?

The Best Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Buttercream

Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies

Bakery Style Fudge Brownies

Anything but Basic Muffin Recipe 

Get back to basics wtih these perfect cut out sugar cookie. Dense, and chewy, with a crispy edge and a gooey center, you won't be disappointed!

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  1. Made these for a party with the perfect buttercream on top and they were a hit!! Perfectly chewy and buttery and not too sweet. Super easy recipe to follow too

  2. This has been my go-to recipe this year, first time making sugar cookies! I have tried several ways and recently had to veganize it. I used one flaxseed egg and vegan butter. I don’t have almond extract so I sub lemon extract which works just fine for me. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!






  3. This is the BEST sugar cookie dough recipe out there. So easy to make! I underbake just slightly and then keep them in the fridge serve them cold and they just taste the best!






  4. I was so excited for this recipe because it didn’t have so much sugar. However after I made them I had to throw them in the garbage, yes all of them. They were so hard and so sugary that you couldn’t even bite into them. I followed the directions to the letter and even kept the dough in the fridge overnight. Such a waist of ingredients. Hopefully this helps someone else not to waist food and look elsewhere for recipes.

    • Hi Tiana I’m so sorry to hear these didn’t turn out for you. We’ve made these cookies hundreds of times and have never heard of someone having this issue! Were they super over baked?