Sugar Cookies Recipe

by Charlotte Barrett
(United States)

Makes approximately 2 dozen 4 inch sized cookies.
4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter softened (unsalted), if you use salted omit salt with the flour
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. stir together flour, baking powder and salt together, set aside
2. Cream together sugar and butter, add eggs and vanilla and mix until fluffy.
Gradually add flour mixture a little at a time. Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour.
3. Heat oven to 350F. Roll out dough between two sheets of parchment or waxed paper and cut out into shapes or pinch off portion of dough and form into desired shape (about 1/4" thick)
4. Place cutouts on a parchment or silicone mat covered cookie sheet (or grease cookie sheet) using a spatula. Refrigerate cutouts for 15 minutes prior to baking if desired (I didn't and the cookies didn't spread much).
Bake at 350F until edges are golden brown about 10-15 minutes depending on your cookie sheet. I recommend you set a kitchen time for 8 minutes and take a peek then. If you are putting more than one cookie sheet at a time in the oven rotate their positions at the halfway mark.

Note from Cookinginspirations-youtube:

This is a wonderful sugar cookie dough! I did find it a bit too dry after all ingredients were mixed together as directed, so I added a little bit more butter to mine. If dough seems too dry to you too, add 1/2 cup of softened butter in the mix of this recipe and stir well. Dough should be a nice stiff dough and not sticky to the touch. If dough isn't holding together well, add a little bit more butter. View my tips below:

Tip 1: Let your dough chill for at least 1 hour or over night, dough will be very cold, let it get warm slightly enough to roll easily, but don't let it get too warm. Your cookies will cut out better if dough is still cool or cold and try not to roll your dough out too thin.

Tip 2: If using the cookie cutters that you stamp on the dough have the print, dip your cutters into granulated sugar first, this will help keep the print on the dough during baking.

Tip 3: If using the stamp cookie cutters, during baking, ever so often, peep in and see if the dough is rising too thick, if it is, carefully with a pot holder, pick up the pan and just drop it on the oven rack, this will make the cookies go back down in size and help keep the print of the cutters. Thin cookies won't take as long to bake. If oven has been pre-heated, check thinner cookies after about 4 mins. If you bake too long the cookies will be crispy, instead of chewy. Recipe says 10-15 mins, but my cut out cookies did not take that long, but for round cookies that will bake regular or puffy, it may take 10-15 mins. Just keep an eye on them.

Tip 4: Use powdered sugar or flour on your table or wax paper to help keep the cookies from sticky to the surface.

Recipe By: "Martha Stewart" cookbook
Tips by: Cookinginspirations
My YouTube Channel