Sugar Cookie Recipe
I love this recipe. These are simple sugar cookies that are perfect to cut into shapes and decorate with your children.
Why This Recipe Works
- Basic pantry ingredients
- A no spread cookie dough that will keep its shape
- Fun to make and yummy to eat.
Ingredients you will need
To make my sugar cookie recipe you will need salted butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, and an egg. You will also need vanilla extract and lemon juice.
How to Make Sugar Cookies
Below are illustrated step-by-step instructions to make simple sugar cookies, if you prefer just the written instructions then head straight to the printable recipe card below
Step one: Heat your oven to 160 degrees celsius.
Step two: Cream the salted butter and sugar until as white as possible. I use a stand mixer for this.
Step three: Add the egg, vanilla extract, and lemon juice, and beat well.
Step four: In a separate bowl whisk the dry ingredients (flour and baking powder) so that it is well combined
Step five: Add half the flour to the creamed ingredients, mix at low speed until combined, add the second half of the flour, and mix at low speed until combined.
Step six: Cover the dough in the mixing bowl with cling wrap or beeswax paper/wrap, chill the dough for 30 mins.
Step seven: Place a ball of dough between 2 sheets of baking powder, or on a floured board. Roll the dough to approximately 6mm thick.
Step eight: Use cookie cutters to cut the sugar cookie dough into whatever shapes you want. Place the cut-out shapes on a baking paper-lined cookie sheet.
Step nine: If you've got the time, pop the trays of cut cookies back into the fridge on the cookie sheet for 10-20 minutes.
Step ten: Bake your cookies at 160 degrees celsius for 10 minutes, they should be lightly golden on the underside when they are ready.
Step eleven: Cool completely the cookies completely on wire racks before icing, or enjoy them plain.
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Sugar cookie decorating ideas
These are some fun ideas for decorating sugar cookies
- Galaxy cookies are a fun icing method your kids will love to do, especially for celebrating Matariki.
- You can also make fun reindeer cookies at Christmas time.
- If you need a gluten free recipe I also have gluten-free sugar cookies
Top Tips
Here is how you can make this sugar cookie recipe perfectly every time!
- If you are having any issues rolling out the dough or moving the cut cookies, it may mean your dough has become too warm, chill it in the fridge and it will be easier to deal with.
- The lemon juice in the recipe doesn't add flavour to the cookies, but the acid helps stop the cookies from spreading while baking.
FAQs
Yes, you can, wrap a ball of dough well in cling film and freeze for up to 6 months. When you are ready to make cookies bring the dough up to room temperature by sitting out on the bench.
Sugar cookie dough will last up to 7 days in the refrigerator, or it can be frozen for up to 6 months.
Store your sugar cookies in an air-tight container in your pantry for up to 7 days, or freeze the cookies for up to 6 months.
If your sugar cookie is hard it means it has been overcooked. Be sure to check your cookies often and remove them from the oven as soon as the edges are lightly golden.
Simple Sugar Cookies
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Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Base
- 225 g butter
- 225 g caster sugar 1 cup
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 450 g flour 3 cups
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 160 degrees celsius.
- Take your butter out of the fridge so it can soften and come to room temperature
- Cream the butter and sugar until as white as possible.
- Add vanilla, lemon juice and egg, beat.
- In a separate bowl whisk the flour and baking powder so that it is well combined
- Add half the flour to the creamed ingredients, mix on low speed until combined, add the second half of the flour and mix on low speed until combined.
- Cover the dough in the mixing bowl with cling wrap or beeswax paper/wrap, chill for 30 mins.
- Place a ball of dough between 2 sheets of baking powder, or on a floured board. Roll the dough to approximately 5-6mm thick.
- Use cookie cutters to cut the sugar cookie dough into whatever shapes you want. Place the cut-out shapes on a baking paper-lined cookie sheet.
- If you've got the time, pop the trays of cut cookies back into the fridge on the cookie sheet for 10-20 minutes.
- Bake your cookies at 160 degrees celsius for 10 minutes, they should be lightly golden on the underside when they are ready.
- Cool completely the cookies completely on wire racks before icing, or enjoy them plain.
Notes
Tips
- If you are having any issues rolling out the dough or moving the cut cookies, it may mean your dough has become too warm, chill it in the fridge and it will be easier to deal with.
- The lemon juice in the recipe doesn't add flavour to the cookies, but the acid helps stop the cookies from spreading while baking.
- Store your sugar cookies in an air-tight container in your pantry for up to 7 days, or freeze the cookies for up to 6 months.
- If you have unbaked sugar cookie dough it will last up to 7 days in the refrigerator, or it can be frozen for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
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You should change the instructions - oven shouldn’t be turned on at the start
Hi, There is no cream cheese in the recipe, but the cookie instructions say to take out cream cheese, do I have to also add cream cheese?
Oh, I'm sorry this was a typo, it should say butter. I have updated the website and fixed the error