Sugar cookies

Making chewy, buttery sugar cookies and decorating them to the nines is the perfect quarantine activity.

Top tips from me:
1) Meghan’s number one tip is to not let the cookies brown in the oven. A few of mine were too thin so they did, as you can tell by the photo, but otherwise: heed her warning so they stay chewy!
2) Preheat your oven for at least a half-hour so that the temperature is even through-out, Meghan says.
3) Sift all your flour and baking soda to make sure they are no clumps!
4) My dough did not clump up in the bowl, so I poured the crumbs over some laid out plastic wrap then kneaded it a little with my hands into a disc.
5) Make sure to chill your dough for at least an hour. You can leave it in the fridge overnight as well. This will help it keep its shape.
6) Don’t roll the dough too thin! Make sure it’s about a quarter of an inch or so, otherwise some cookies with rip or break or brown just too much.
7) Feel free to cut out a stencil to make a shape you’d like, similar to what I did with wax paper to make a shamrock, but a cookie cutter will absolutely make neater lines.

Time:
Assembling the dough will take about 20 minutes, then the cookies will bake for 8-12 minutes. They will also need at least 15 minutes to cool before icing. This recipe yields 2-3 dozen cookies, depending on the size cutter you use.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour — 1/2 tsp salt — 1/2 tsp baking powder — 1/2 cup unsalted butter  — 1 cup sugar — 1 large egg — 1 tbsp high-quality vanilla extract

Instructions: 

– In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until pale and fluffy.

– Sift dry ingredients into the bowl, and mix until incorporated. 

– Shape dough into discs, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

– Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with baking mats or parchment paper.

– On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough, cut into desired shapes, and transfer to prepared baking sheets, leaving an inch in between. Leftover dough can be rolled and cut once or twice more.

– Bake until lightly golden, about 8-12 minutes depending on the size and your oven. Do not allow to brown.

– Transfer to wire racks to cool for 15 minutes.

– Decorate to your heart’s desire.

Did you make this recipe and have any suggestions? Make sure to leave a comment!