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decorated sugar cookies on a grey countertop
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4.43 from 7 votes

Soft Sugar Cookies

The softest sugar cookies with light and buttery vanilla flavor. There is no need to chill the dough. Roll out the room-temperature dough, cut it into shapes, freeze for a few minutes, and then bake. The cookies will not spread out and are great for decorating.
This includes 4 cups of royal icing. If you prefer to use a different type of frosting for the cookies, just skip the royal icing and use your favorite.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time8 minutes
Total Time1 hour 8 minutes
Course: Dessert
Keyword: baking, cookie recipe, cookies, easy baking, freezer friendly, Holiday recipe, make ahead, make with kids, spring, sugar cookies
Servings: 35 cookies
Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef
Cost: $4.00

Equipment

  • Stand or Handheld Mixer
  • Rolling Pin
  • Cookie Cutters
  • Half Sheet Pans
  • Cooling Rack

Ingredients

  • 4 cups All-Purpose Flour, plus more for dusting (4 cups = 500g)
  • 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
  • 1 1/3 cup Unsalted Butter, softened to room temperature (1 1/3 cup = 21 Tbsp)
  • 1 1/2 cup White Sugar (1 1/2 cups = 300g)
  • 2 large Eggs
  • 2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  • Using a stand mixer or handheld mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  • Add eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition. Add vanilla extract and beat until evenly combined.
  • Add dry ingredients in three increments, mixing on low between each addition. Continue mixing on low until no dry spots remain (do not over mix).
  • Lightly dust a work surface with flour.
  • Working with about 1/3 of the dough at a time, roll it out to about 1/4-inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut the dough into shapes and transfer them to a lightly greased sheet pan (you can also line it with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat), leaving space between each cookie.
  • Transfer the sheet pan(s) with cookies to the freezer for 15 minutes. (This will minimize spreading as the cookies bake.)
  • While the cookies chill, preheat oven to 350°F.
  • When the oven is heated and the cookies are done chilling, transfer sheet pans with cookies directly to the oven and bake until the cookies are just set and show a hint of golden brown around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes (if cookies are frozen solid, they may take 3 to 5 minutes longer).
  • Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely before adding frosting.

Notes

Cookie recipe adapted from Red, White and Blue Pinwheel Cookies.
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 152kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 39mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 232IU | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg