*A Good Thing* Vol.9
THE sugar cookie. Finally.
When I was little, besides a chocolate chip pound cake from A Piece of Cake and the sugared pecans my mom would make, the most exciting holiday delivery was a cookie bouquet from Cookies By Design.
Thick sugar cookies, the perfect firmness, soft but not too soft. Icing that is hardened but not teeth-breakingly so. I have spent my life on a quest for a recipe that rivals these. Finally, in 2021, I found it.
This is from our friend Sally of Sally’s Baking Addiction. Truly one of my favorite and most trusted sites for sweets recipes. Here’s the trick. Make a couple batches of dough because if you want these cookies to be thick like I do, you’re not gonna roll them out as thinly as she suggests.
I still feel in a bit of a quandary over icing. While I’ve landed on one I like, I do not love it. It’s still a bit too powdered sugary for me. When I find the perfect one, I will let you know. If you have one PLEASE HELP ME OUT!
Enjoy these! Honestly, they’re my favorite for Valentine’s Day but obviously they’re perfect for the holidays.
The Best Sugar Cookies
by Sally’s Baking Addiction
*As always, my notes will be in bolded italics but please visit her website for videos and better instruction!
Ingredients
2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed for rolling and work surface
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (Folks, THIS is why these cookies are the best. It’s the almond. Bless the almond. Almond extract FOREVER.)
Instructions
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl using a handheld or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract (bless the almond extract!!!) and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Dough will be a bit soft. If the dough seems too soft and sticky for rolling, add 1 more Tablespoon of flour.
Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Place each portion onto a piece of lightly floured parchment paper or a lightly floured silicone baking mat. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use more flour if the dough seems too sticky. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly 1/4-inch thick. (Sally knows we like a thick cookie but seriously, let this be thicker than you think, in my opinion, we want these thiccccc)
Lightly dust one of the rolled-out doughs with flour. Place a piece of parchment on top. (This prevents sticking.) Place the 2nd rolled-out dough on top. (Don’t store them on top of each other they will stick.) Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours and up to 2 days.
Once chilled, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Carefully remove the top dough piece from the refrigerator. If it’s sticking to the bottom, run your hand under it to help remove it—see me do this in the video below. (Okay, so definitely go watch her video but also, if they’re sticking to the parchment, let them warm up on the counter a little bit.) Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Repeat with 2nd piece of dough. (Note: It doesn’t seem like a lot of dough, but you get a lot of cookies from the dough scraps you re-roll.) (Okay, see, this is why I said, maybe make an extra batch of dough.)
Arrange cookies on baking sheets 3 inches apart. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. If your oven has hot spots, rotate the baking sheet halfway through bake time. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating. (They need to cool completely all the way, like, forget about them for a few hours before you ice them.)
Decorate the cooled cookies with royal icing or easy cookie icing. Feel free to tint either icing with gel food coloring. See post above for recommended decorating tools. No need to cover the decorated cookies as you wait for the icing to set. If it’s helpful, decorate the cookies directly on a baking sheet so you can stick the entire baking sheet in the refrigerator to help speed up the icing setting. (Would love to know what you think about these icings. I’m still on a quest.)
Happy Cookies! Happy Holidays!!! See you right before the New Year with one last Good Thing before we wrap up 2023!
xoxo.
PLEASE bring some of this scrumptiousness on 12/24. Tell that boy to keep his hand out of the cookie jar till then! :^D