These are my favorite sugar cookies! They are buttery, soft and have great vanilla flavor. Grandma Appolonia always added a little white icing to the top of them.
1cup (2 sticks)unsalted buttersoftened (plus extra for greasing pan and glass)
1 1/2cupsgranulated sugar(plus extra for flattening cookies)
2largeeggs
1tablespoonvanilla extract
Icing:
1tablespoonunsalted buttersoftened
1/2teaspoonvanilla extract
6cupsconfectioners’ sugar
1/2cup + 1 tablespoonmilk
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt.
In large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. This will take several minutes - it should be fluffy and lighter in color. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture until just combined.
Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough and roll into balls.
Place the balls 2-inches apart on greased baking sheets. (I use the shiny half-sheet pans)
Butter the bottom of a flat-bottomed drinking glass. Spread some sugar on a small plate.
Dip the buttered glass in the sugar and use to press down on the cookie balls.
Hold the glass level and press until the cookie is a little thicker than a 1/4-inch. Repeat until all the balls are flattened.
Bake the cookies for 7-10 minutes or until just golden around the edges. Time may vary depending on oven. (I usually go for about 8-9 minutes or until theres's just a hint of golden brown at the edges.)
Let cool on baking sheet 1-minute before removing to cooling rack.
Icing:
In large bowl, beat together butter, vanilla, 3 cups of confectioner's sugar and 1/4 cup milk.
Gradually add more sugar and milk until you reach desired consistency.
If you want to ice the cookies by hand, make a little thicker like peanut butter.
If you want to pipe the icing on the cookies, make a little thinner like ketchup. (I used the exact measurements for the icing I piped on my cookies.)
Notes
Cookie Baking Tips:
I use shiny metal cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.
If you use darker colored cookie sheets you may want to drop your oven temperature by 25 degrees. Darker baking pans get hotter.
Cookie scoops are handy for portioning the cookie dough for even cookies. You can even weigh the cookie dough balls with a kitchen scale. F
or 3 1/2-inch diameter cookies, I made each dough ball 1 1/2 ounces and flattened them to about a 3-inch diameter. (1 batch made 2 1/2 dozen cookies.)
I bake my cookies 1 tray at a time and make sure the cookie sheet is cool each time. It's helpful to have several cookie sheets you can rotate.
To Make Cut-Out Sugar Cookies:
After mixing the dough, divide into 3-4 portions, form each into a disc shape, wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4" thickness or a little less, cut with cookie cutters and place on parchment lined baking sheets.
If dough has gotten very warm - refrigerate to firm-up before baking - this helps the cookies keep their shape better.
Nutrition (approx. data estimated via online nutritional calculator.)