Many times sugar cookies have style and not substance. Who wants to eat a pretty, but bland in flavor cookie? Not me. A good cookie is one that you just can not have one. The icing should not be the driving flavor. If you are looking for a great tasting cookie that holds up well for cutting out into shapes and decorates with ease, this is your recipe.

Difference between Sugar cookie and Shortbread cookie

The difference between sugar and shortbread cookies are just a couple of ingredients and the about use of some ingredients.

• Sugar cookies have eggs and short bread cookies do not.

• Shortbread cookies contain a good amount of butter where sugar cookies contain less butter.

• Sugar cookies can have melted butter or even oil in the recipe.
• Shortbread cookies do not contain baking soda or baking powder to make them rise

What causes cookies to be flat or spread out when baked?

• High sugar content
• Too much liquid in the dough ( wet dough)
• Dough not being cold before baking
• The butter used is too soft
• The oven temperature is off…to high
• The baking sheet was greased
• The baking sheet is warm
• Not using parchment paper

How to prevent flat cookies:

• Do not use over softened butter. Butter that has been microwaved to soften it or left out over 45 minutes before using can be to soft.
• Check your temperature for accuracy
• Do not reuse the baking sheet right out of the oven from the first batch. The baking sheet will be too warm.

How to get Pluffy Cookies:

• Replace all purpose flour with cake flour
• Add one additional egg yolk
• Reduce butter
• Reduce sugar
• Do not use baking soda
• Use baking powder
• Refrigerate cut out cookies on baking sheet before baking 

How to make chewy cookies:

• Use melted butter
• Use brown sugar 
• Add a little honey to the mixture… about a tablespoon
• Use just egg yolks…not the egg whites
• Slightly under bake the cookies. Remove the cookies when the edges are browned but the center appears slightly moist. 

Flavorful Sugar Cookies

Print Recipe

Is it a sugar cookie or is it a shortbread cookie? These cookies are a match made in heaven!!They are best of both worlds.

These cookies are when a sugar cookie meets a shortbread cookie. It is a cookie with a great structure for cutting into shapes and decorating, yet a melt in your mouth texture and taste.

Equipment

• electric mixer, 2 mixing bowls, spacula, measuring spoons, measuring cups, samll bowl to whisk an egg,cookie sheets, parcment paper

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar important to sift…See note
• 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
• 3 cups Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg at room temperature
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 Teaspoon Almond extract
• 1/2 Teaspoon Lemon extract

Instructions

Making the Sugar Cookie Dough:

• Start off with sifting the flour into a large bowl along with the baking powder and the salt. Set the bowl aside.
• Cream the room temperture butter with the sifted powder sugar. Scrape the bowl down as needed. Cream the sugar and butter for at least 5 minutes or until the color of the butter becomes pale and the consistancy is very creamy.
• In a small bowl whisk together the egg and the 3 extracts until well blended. Slowly add the egg mixture to the butter/sugar. Ensure that the egg mixture is mixed well into the butter/sugar mixture.
• Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mix.Scrape the bowl down as needed.
• Turn the cookie dough out onto plastic wrap. Form the dough into a disk and refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Shaping the Cookie Dough:

• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and quarter the dough disk into 4 pieces. You will find the dough to be hard and stiff.
• Pinch off a piece of dough…about 1/2 from one of the quarters. Work the dough in your hands until it soft and to be rolled out. The dough can be rolled between 2 pieces of parchment paper or directly on a silicone matt.
  
• Using your preference, roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thick and cut out your cookie shapes.
  
• Gather scraps and add more dough to form another dough ball. Continue rolling out the dough and cutting the cookies.
• Place the cookies on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. About 12 cookies will fit on a cookie sheet.
  
• Place the cookie baking sheet into the refrigerator for about 10 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator when the dough feels firm and cold to the touch.

Baking:

• Place cookie sheet directly from the refrigerator into a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for about 10 minutes. The cookies should be slightly browned on the edges and appear set.
• Turn the cookie sheet half way through the baking process to ensure even baking
• Cool cookies on a wire rack. Decorate the cookies when they are completely cooled.

Notes

*Sifting the powdered sugar will help with preventing small clumps of sugar in the dough 

*Sugar cookies can be made in advance of decorating. Cookies that have not been decorated  can be stored in an airtight container lined with parchment paper for up to 2 weeks. Make sure to place parchment paper between the layers of cookies.

*Sugar cookie can be frozen for up to 3 months before thawing and decorating.

 

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Author: Beverly

I hope your enjoy making these Flavorful Sugar Cookies. Please share your beautiful cookie designs and let me know how the recipe worked for you. I am sure this will become your go to sugar cookie recipe.

Cheers…Happy Baking

Beve