Description
This easy sugar cookie recipe delivers soft, tender cookies perfect for any occasion, paired with a smooth and glossy sugar cookie frosting that hardens beautifully for decorating. Featuring a simple dough that chills for optimal rollability and festive frosting that can be colored and piped, these cookies are perfect for holidays, parties, or everyday treats.
Ingredients
Scale
Sugar Cookies
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 2 ½ cups (315 g) all-purpose flour (Plain flour)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon table salt
Sugar Cookie Frosting
- 3 cups (375 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 3-4 Tablespoons milk (whole milk preferred)
- 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Gel food coloring (optional)
- Additional candies and sprinkles for decorating (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: In a stand mixer or large bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream together 1 cup unsalted butter and 1 cup granulated sugar until creamy and well combined.
- Add egg and vanilla: Beat in 1 large egg and 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, and ¾ teaspoon salt.
- Combine wet and dry: Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until a smooth dough forms.
- Chill the dough: Divide dough in half onto plastic wrap, shape each into a flat disk, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours or up to 5 days.
- Preheat oven and prepare baking sheet: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use an ungreased baking sheet.
- Roll out dough: Lightly flour a clean surface and roll one chilled dough disk to ⅛” for thinner cookies or ¼” for softer cookies, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking. Let dough sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes if it cracks.
- Cut cookies: Use cookie cutters to cut shapes and transfer them to the baking sheet using a spatula, spacing cookies about 1 inch apart. Optionally, decorate with sanding sugar before baking.
- Bake: Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes or until edges just begin to turn lightly golden brown. Adjust time for smaller or larger cookies as needed.
- Cool cookies: Allow cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet before decorating.
- Prepare frosting: In a medium bowl, combine 3 cups sifted powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir until smooth. Add additional milk as needed to reach a thick but pipeable consistency.
- Color frosting (optional): Divide frosting into bowls and mix in gel food coloring if desired.
- Decorate cookies: Transfer frosting to a piping bag or a Ziploc bag with a small corner cut off, pipe onto cooled cookies, and decorate with candies or sprinkles if desired.
- Allow frosting to set: Let the decorated cookies sit until the frosting hardens, which can take several hours depending on consistency.
Notes
- You can reduce vanilla extract to ¾ teaspoon and add ¼-½ teaspoon almond or lemon extract for varied flavor.
- Light corn syrup helps achieve a firm, glossy frosting finish; glucose syrup is an acceptable substitute. Omitting corn syrup results in less hard frosting needing extra milk to adjust consistency.
- Store leftover frosting in an airtight container with plastic wrap pressed onto its surface. It can be kept at room temperature or refrigerated and stirred again before use.
- Cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days or can be frozen for several months for longer storage.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 95 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
