Fun fact: Sugar cookies are my ABSOLUTE favorite thing to make!
Second fun fact: Anything pink or heart shaped is my second favorite thing to make.
So you can only guess what that means? Lots and lots and lots of photos came out of this shoot because, well, who doesn’t love pretty pink heart cookie photos?
Now if you know me personally or if you’ve basically ever read any of my blog posts or follow me on instagram you would know that I don’t go a single day without chocolate.
You know what they say, it’s good for the heart and I’m all about anything healthy;)
But really, chocolate is my life! Give me a warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie out of the oven and you’re officially my new best friend. Bonus points if it’s got walnuts or pecans in it.
So when it comes to sugar cookies, I usually turn my head at the thought of eating one. Why waste the calories on eating cardboard? I’m harsh with my sweets, I know.
But these sugar cookies are not your average flavorless sugar cookie that come out looking like a deflated cut out of whatever shape you were hoping to achieve.
However these sugar cookies are my only exception and for good reason. I mean look at those perfectly shaped cut outs.
AMAZING, right?
They’re just asking to be coated in the best royal icing ever!
Third fun fact: (don’t worry this is my last fun fact) I used to make sugar cookies in college for every occasion. Super bowl – made foot ball jerseys (no idea what teams were playing but Steve would tell me the colors so I could make the cookies;)), 21st birthday – made everyone a martini shaped sugar cookie as party favors, Steve’s away hockey trips – made jersey and hockey stick cookies, Steve’s 21s birthday – made beer mug cookies, etc. Sugar cookies were my JAM and are my favorite way to make a themed dessert!
Side note: after typing that all out and thinking about how late I stayed up to do a simple icing on heart shaped cookies for this shoot, makes me miss college and all the free time I had. Come back three 1 hour classes a day lifestyle. I miss you and all my time I had to bake cookies and go to the gym to work off all the cookies I was eating. <-true story
So after years of trial and error and multiple rounds of taste testing, I’m sharing the only sugar cookie and royal icing recipe you will ever need again in your life.
I found this sugar cookie recipe on Martha Stewart.com back when I was 18 and have never used a different one since. I even have people call me from college still asking for me to send it to them (it’s that EPIC)!
And when it comes to icing, I have been around the block, down the alley, through the tunnel and back with trial and error. Some tasted gross, some didn’t set right, some were too soupy, I’ve seen it all until I discovered this recipe by The Decorated Cookie.
But before I get to the good stuff, I have to give you a few tips to making the best sugar cookies of all time. Each oven and taste tester is different but after making this recipe, oh just a few hundred times or so, I’ve gathered some good tips to share.
How to Achieve the Perfect Sugar Cookie
1. MUST CHILL DOUGH OVERNIGHT! This is a must do to get those perfectly cut out shapes and when not using dough (in between baking), put it in the freezer to refirm up before rolling out again.
2. No substitutions on the meringue powder for the icing. It’s a must to get that perfectly soft but hardened icing with good flavor.
3. Over flour your working surface and the dough before rolling. There is nothing worse than rolling out your dough then going to lift the shape and finding it to be stuck to your surface creating a dis-formed shape. I heavily flour my surface and both sides of the dough disk before rolling.
4. Be careful not to over bake cookies. Sugar cookies are the trickiest cookie to tell when done. Flour browns easily in the oven so sometimes they look more cooked then they are but you always want to pull them out when almost done and then allow to finish cooking on the pan to prevent a crunchy cookie. I do exactly 10 mins for mid sized cookie shapes and then typically 7 for smaller and 12-14 for bigger.
5. Go the extra mile and make piping and flooding icing. I know it’s more dishes and more work but it makes such a difference when decorating the cookies by giving it that pretty clean edge of icing that is perfectly flooded in with more delish icing.
Ok, enough with the chit chat. Let’s bake some cookies!
Best Ever Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp. brandy or milk (I typically use almond milk)
- 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar; mix until light and fluffy. With mixer running, add egg, brandy (or milk), and vanilla; mix until well combined. With the mixer on low, slowly add reserved flour mixture. Mix until just combined.
- Transfer dough to a clean surface. Shape into 2 disks, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight or if in a rush, in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with nonstick baking mats or parchment paper; set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes and transfer to prepared sheets, spaced 1 inch apart. Place baking sheet with cut out shapes in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes. Leftover dough can be rolled and cut once more. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 minutes; do not allow to brown. Transfer sheets to wire racks; let cool completely.
Royal Icing Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tblsp meringue powder (available in most craft stores)
- 1/2 cup water
- 7-8 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp Crisco
- 2 Tbsp light corn syrup
Instructions
- Whip the meringue powder and water on high speed for a long time, several minutes, until it’s fluffy and peaks form (use an electric hand beater or the wire whisk of your standing mixer).
- Gradually add the rest of the ingredients to desired consistency. Store at room temperature in a sealed container for up to a month.
What’s your favorite type of cookie? Do you like sugar cookies with icing or rolled in sugar? Any recipe you swear by?
Seriously, where the hell is the recipe?
haha got to love when plugins go out of date. Just updated!
Where is the icing recipe?
Apologies was having some recipe plugin issues but just added it back:) Happy baking!
Where is the frosting recipe?
Apologies was having some recipe plugin issues but just added it back:) Happy baking!
Any substitute for Crisco in icing?
You bet! You can substitute butter with a 1:1 ratio. The only thing to note is butter will give more of an off white color to the final icing but you can add white gel food coloring to correct that. Happy baking!
How long does it take for the royal icing to set? I’m having a teenage Friendsmas party for my son and his friends and they want to decorate cookies.
What a great idea! I typically ice them and lay them in a container in a single layer overnight for the icing to completely set but if you leave them out on the counter, they should set for the most part within 2-3 hours. They do not however completely harden so you still get that soft bite when you eat them so just be careful if stacking them, I recommend waiting overnight if stacking and putting a piece of parchment paper in between each layer. Hope you have a fun Friendmas party with your son!