Every single time I make these, they get rave reviews. Folks love how soft and buttery the cookie is, and the cutout shape always stays pleasantly intact — no spreading, no burnt edges. This one is simply a crowd pleaser.
Original Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (222g) butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (230g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 3 cups (456g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 batch sugar cookie frosting (see the original recipe for the frosting)
Directions
- Get the oven preheating to 350°F.
- In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together for a full 2 minutes until well blended.
- Scrape down the bowl, then add the egg and vanilla, mixing until fully incorporated.
- Add the flour and baking powder, mixing on low at first and increasing speed as the dough comes together — it should end up with a soft, Play-Doh-like texture. Work in a touch more flour or water if it needs adjusting.
- On a floured surface, roll the dough out to somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick, depending on your cutter size — these cookies hold their shape and thickness in the oven, so roll to the final thickness you actually want.
- Cut into shapes with your cookie cutters and move them to an ungreased baking sheet.
- Bake for 7 to 11 minutes, until the centers puff up and lose their glossy look. Pull them out before any browning starts — over-baked ones turn dry and crackly instead of staying soft.
- Top with sugar cookie frosting and serve.
My Notes
The recipe doesn't call for chilling the dough, but I do it anyway — even if it's only a few hours, whenever I have the time. I'm convinced it's part of why I've never once had an issue with these cookies losing their shape.
My favorite trick is rolling the dough out between two sheets of parchment paper. It keeps the rolling pin clean and keeps the dough from sticking to it. You can use the dough right away, or slide the whole rolled-out sheet into the freezer between the parchment and pull it out when you're ready — frozen like that, it holds up beautifully even for detailed, intricate cutters.
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