Ultimate Sugar Cookies

Name: Ultimate Sugar Cookies
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 24
Cuisine: Global
Ingredients: 1 teaspoons baking powder; 1 large egg; 1 large egg yolk; 710 milliliters all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling; 1 teaspoons kosher salt; 237 milliliters sugar; 355 milliliters (2 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 pieces; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ultimate Sugar Cookies is a vegetarian dessert. This recipe serves 24. One portion of this dish contains around 2g of protein, 12g of fat, and a total of 196 calories. This recipe covers 3% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. It can be enjoyed any time, but it is especially good for Christmas. Head to the store and pick up kosher salt, egg, sugar, and a few other things to make it today. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes around 45 minutes.

Instructions

Place racks in lower and upper thirds of oven;preheat to 325°F.

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Oven

Whisk salt, baking powder, and 3 cups flour in a small bowl. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and sugar until well combined (butter does not need to be fluffy), about 3 minutes.

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Baking Powder

Butter

All Purpose Flour

Sugar

Salt

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Hand Mixer

Whisk

Bowl

Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla; beat just to combine. Reduce speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients; mix just to combine. Form dough into two 3/4"-thick disks; wrap in plastic. Chill at least 2 hours.

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Egg Yolk

Vanilla

Dough

Wrap

Egg

Let 1 disk of dough sit at room temperature until softened slightly, about 5 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Dough

Roll out on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper until about 1/4" thick, dusting with flour as needed (if dough gets soft or sticky, chill on parchment until firm).

Ingredients you will need

Dough

All Purpose Flour

Roll

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Baking Paper

Cut out shapes with floured cookie cutters; transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets.

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Equipment you will use

Cookie Cutter

Baking Sheet

Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets halfway through, until edges are golden, 12–16 minutes, depending on size.

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Equipment you will use

Baking Sheet

Oven

Transfer to wire racks and let cool. Repeat with scraps and remaining dough.

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Dough

Decorate cooled cookies as desired.

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MAKE AHEAD: Cookie dough can be made 1 month ahead; freeze instead of chilling. Cookies can be baked (left undecorated) 2 weeks ahead; wrap tightly and freeze.

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Cookie Dough

Wrap

find your inner picasso

Painting sugar cookies is easier than it looks—once you master the icing.

Ingredients you will need

Sugar Cookies

Icing

Using a pastry bag with a small plain tip, pipe a thin border ofroyal icing just inside the cookie's edge.

Ingredients you will need

Icing

Equipment you will use

Pastry Bag

Fill in with icing, working in concentric circles for rounds, topto bottom for squares. Use an offset spatula to smooth and fill ingaps.

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Icing

Equipment you will use

Offset Spatula

Let icing set until firm and dry, at least 2 hours.

Ingredients you will need

Icing

In a small bowl, combine about 1 teaspoon colored luster dust with a few drops of lemon extract, adding more extractas needed until the mixture is the consistency of thin paint.Use a small brush to paint designs onto the icing, blotting brushon paper towel as needed.

Ingredients you will need

Lemon Extract