‘Tis the season….for baking! I love to bake, especially Christmas Cookies! Each year, I spend 3 days baking several different types of cookies, bars, and candies. I line my counter with all the ingredients including sprinkles and sugar candy toppings of every shape & color. It’s a tradition I’ve carried on from my childhood. My mom always made plates of cookies to take to friends and neighbors, and there were always one or two that I’d wait all year to eat!
One of my favorite cookies to bake are Sugar Cookies. Every year, I set up a decorating station for my boys and their friends. I made dozens of Sugar Cookies in many different Christmas shapes, set out bowls of icing in a rainbow of colors, and pour sugars, candies, and nuts into a cupcake pan so they can easily see and reach for just the right cookie embellishment. Their artistic creations are my favorite cookies every year.
But as for the cookie itself, I’ve tried several different Sugar Cookie recipes over the years. The flavors were always pretty good, but there was something that wasn’t quite right. Either the texture would be off, or they wouldn’t hold their shape when baked. Sometimes, Frosty came out looking more like the Marshmallow Man rather than a Snowman. I hunted and searched for a good recipe until I found THIS one by Katrina’s Kitchen!
Her Sugar Cookie recipe simply titled the “Best Sugar Cookie Recipe EVER”, is exactly that! Her original recipe calls for unsalted butter, but I only use salted butter. And no, I did not decrease the amount of salt in the recipe. The cookies tasted fantastic! It’s a very simple recipe that’s fool proof. You can’t over knead it, or over roll it. The cookies don’t get tough if you work with them too much, and they keep their shape perfectly when baked, and they taste DELICIOUS. If you’ve been looking for a great Sugar Cookie recipe, then look no further, because this is it!
So what about the icing you ask? The Wilton Royal Icing recipe is the best, and most versatile recipe I’ve found. Once decorated, just let the cookie sit overnight, and the icing will form a delicious candy crust that looks as good as it tastes!
Having these two easy, delicious recipes in your holiday baking bundle will sweeten your holiday as you spread Christmas cheer!
Best Sugar Cookie Recipe EVER by Katrina’s Kitchen
Soft, delicious, easy to make Sugar Cookies that keep their shape when baked.
Ingredients
- 1 C Butter
- 1 C Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
- 1 Egg
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 3 C All Purpose Flour
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350° F.
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In the bowl of your mixer, cream butter and sugar until smooth, at least 3 minutes.
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Beat in extracts and egg.
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In a separate bowl, combine baking powder and salt with flour and stir together to incorporate. Add a little of the flour mixture at a time to the wet ingredients. The dough will be very stiff. If it becomes too stiff for your mixer turn out the dough onto a countertop surface and finish off kneading the dough by hand. You can wet your hands if the dough is too dry and crumbly.
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DO NOT CHILL THE DOUGH. Divide into workable batches, roll out onto a floured surface and cut. You want these cookies to be on the thicker side (closer to 1/4 inch rather than 1/8).
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Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes
- If you must chill the dough just leave it on the counter top for 10 minutes before rolling or work the dough with your hands for a few minutes.
- Bake for 6 minutes to test. They should be soft. Leave them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to cool completely. If you reach 7-8 minutes and the edges turn brown your cookie will be crisper.
Wilton Royal Icing Recipe
Delicious icing perfect for cookie decorating!
Ingredients
- 3 Tbs Meringue Powder
- 4 C Powdered Sugar, sifted
- 5-8 Tbs Warm Water
Instructions
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Beat all ingredients together for 7-10 minutes at low speed with a heavy-duty mixer, or 10-12 minutes at high speed with a hand-held mixer. Finished Icing should be smooth, glossy, and the consistency of melted ice cream.
Recipe Notes
- Keep all utensils completely grease-free for proper icing consistency.
- To store: Store royal icing in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks. Before reusing, re-whip using a paddle attachment on low speed until it’s back to the correct consistency.