Sugar Cookies 20 Recipes

Steps:

• Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl and set aside.
• Place butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Start the mixer on low, then gradually increase the speed to medium and continue to beat, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the temperature of the butter.
• Slow the mixer to low and add the egg, followed by the milk, then return to medium speed and beat until smooth, about 30 seconds. Then, slow the mixer yet again, gradually add the flour, and mix until dough comes together, about 30 more seconds.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and split into two equal portions. Form these into balls, wrap each piece in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F with the oven racks in the upper middle and lower middle positions. Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper.
• Use a small strainer or sifter to sprinkle your rolling surface with confectioners' sugar. Remove 1 dough from the refrigerator, place on the sugar-dusted counter, and dust with a little additional sugar. Working quickly (so the butter doesn't have time to melt), roll the dough to a quarter-inch thickness. (I use pastry guides for this.)
• Cut dough into desired shapes and place at least 1 inch apart on the prepared sheet pans. Re-roll the scraps one time and cut into additional cookies. Discard any remaining dough; do not re-roll a second time. (Okay, I admit I eat it raw, but that's me.) Bake both pans of cookies, rotating halfway through baking time, until the cookies are just brown around the edges, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on the pans for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• While the first batch is baking, roll and cut the second half of the dough. Bake and cool the second batch, then decorate as desired...or don't. Frankly, they're plenty good with no icing at all.

Steps:

• In large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; beat until combined. Divide dough in half; flatten into disks. Wrap each in plastic; freeze until firm, at least 20 minutes, or place in a resealable plastic bag, and freeze up to 3 months (thaw in refrigerator overnight).
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment. Remove one dough disk; let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Roll out 1/8 inch thick between two sheets of floured parchment, dusting dough with flour as needed. Cut shapes with cookie cutters. Using a spatula, transfer to prepared baking sheets. (If dough gets soft, chill 10 minutes.) Reroll scraps; cut shapes. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Bake, rotating halfway through, until edges are golden, 10 to 18 minutes (depending on size). Cool completely on wire racks. To ice cookies, spread with the back of a spoon. Let the icing harden, about 20 minutes. Decorate as desired.
• For the icing, sift confectioners' sugar into a small bowl. Whisk in milk, water, or lemon juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, until smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If too thin, whisk in more sugar; if too thick, add more liquid. Spread over cookies with back of a spoon. Add other decorations, if desired. Let the icing harden, about 20 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cream butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and baking soda; gradually beat into creamed mixture., Shape into 1-in. balls. Roll in additional sugar. Place on greased baking sheets; flatten with a glass. Bake until set, 10-12 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, pudding mix, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl; set aside.
• Combine white sugar, brown sugar, and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed to release oils of lemon zest into sugar, and until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add melted butter and mix on medium speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla and mix until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and mix on medium-low speed until just combined (be sure not to overmix), about 20 seconds. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl and mix for 2 more seconds.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours, up to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) with racks on upper and lower third of oven. Place remaining 1/2 cup sugar on a shallow plate and set aside. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Remove cookie dough from refrigerator and scoop with a spoon or ice-cream scoop into 2 1/2 ounce balls. Roll with hands to form an even ball and roll in sugar. Place about 1 1/2-inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
• Place baking sheets on upper and lower racks and bake until cookies have spread, are starting to crackle on top, and are golden brown around the edges, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating pans and switching racks halfway through. Remove and let cool slightly on baking sheets, about 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Steps:

• Beat the butter and sugar with an electric whisk for 4 mins until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla. Whisk in the cornflour and plain flour until the mixture comes together into a dough. Put the dough between two pieces of baking parchment, and roll out to a 6mm thickness using a rolling pin. Chill for 30 mins.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Peel the top layer of parchment off the dough and stamp out circles using a 6cm round cutter (or the shape of your choice). Re-roll any offcuts and continue stamping out rounds until all the dough is used. Transfer the cookies to a second large baking sheet lined with baking parchment, spacing them 2cm apart (you may need two sheets). Bake for 7-10 mins. Leave to cool on the sheet for 15 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Will keep in an airtight container for one week.

Steps:

• Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Combine cake mix, butter, egg, vanilla, and almond extract in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the mixture comes together into a sticky ball, 30 to 45 seconds.
• Roll the dough to 1/4- to 1/2-inch thickness on a lightly floured board with a lightly floured rolling pin. Use cookie cutters to stamp out shapes and place them 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. (You can reroll the dough scraps once and cut out more cookies.) Brush the cookies with egg white and decorate with sprinkles.
• Place one pan in the oven at a time. Bake until the edges of the cookies are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes for smaller cookies and 10 to 12 minutes for larger. Let the cookies rest on the cookie sheet for 1 minute, then remove to wire racks with a metal spatula to cool completely, about 20 minutes.