Amazing sugar cookies and icing: EASY Recipe!
These wonderfully chewy, easy peasy sugar cookies are all about big flavour and soft centres! No dough chilling required, so you can go from craving to cookie in practically no time. Perfect for a simple glaze or fluffy buttercream.
Equipment
- 2 Baking sheets Parchment paper or Silicone mats For lining baking sheets
- 1 Medium-sized bowl For dry ingredients
- 1 Large mixer bowl
- 1 Electric mixer Stand mixer or hand mixer
- 1 Rubber Spatula
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- 1 Wire rack For cooling cookies
- (Optional) Kitchen Scale For accurately measuring flour
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups All-purpose flour 358g
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- ½ tsp Baking powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 cup Unsalted butter (224g), at room temperature (not melty!)
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp Granulated sugar 233g
- 2 tbsp Light brown sugar 28g, packed
- 1 large Egg
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract Good quality makes a difference!
- ¼ cup Granulated sugar Additional, for rolling
Instructions
- Get Ready! First things first, crank your oven up to 350°F (180°C). Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper or those nifty silicone mats. Set 'em aside.
- Dry Mix Magic: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Just a quick mingle to make sure they're all friends. Pop this aside too.
- Creamy Goodness: In a large mixer bowl (stand mixer or hand mixer, your call!), beat the room temperature butter and both sugars (granulated and brown) together on medium speed. Keep going for about 2-3 minutes until it’s noticeably lighter in colour and looks wonderfully fluffy. You'll see it happen!
- Egg Time: Add the egg and mix it in until it's just well combined. Don't go wild here.
- Vanilla Splash: Pour in that lovely vanilla extract and give it another quick mix until combined. Smell that? Heavenly!
- Bring it Together: Now, add your dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until the dough is just combined. It's going to be quite thick, and it shouldn't be sticky. Super important: do not over mix! Once it’s looking mostly together, use a rubber spatula to fold it a few times and help it form a more cohesive ball.
- Roll 'Em Up: Scoop out dough to create balls about 1 ½ tablespoons in size. Gently roll each one between your palms to make a smooth ball, then roll it in that extra ¼ cup of granulated sugar until it's nicely coated. Place the sugar-coated balls on your prepared baking sheets, leaving a bit of space between them as they will spread.
- Bake to Perfection! Pop those beauties into the preheated oven and bake for 7-8 minutes. The cookies will spread out, and the centres will look soft but should appear "set" (not wet or doughy). You want to pull them out just before the edges start to turn golden. Seriously, don't over bake! They might look a bit puffy when they first come out, but they'll settle a bit as they cool.
- Cool Down Crew: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for about 4-5 minutes – this helps them firm up. Then, carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before you even think about icing them (if you're using any!).
Notes
Recipe Notes:
- Sugar Balance is Key: That little bit of brown sugar is my secret weapon for chewiness and keeping them soft! If you decide to use all white sugar, expect them to spread a tad less and be a little less on the chewy side. Still good, but different!
- Flour Power (Measured Right!): Pretty please, measure your flour correctly! The best way is by weight with a kitchen scale. If you don't have one, fluff up your flour with a fork, then gently spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off with a straight edge. Don't scoop directly from the bag and definitely don't pack it in! Too much flour = dry, sad cookies.
-
Icing Ideas:
- Simple Glaze: A quick mix of powdered sugar, a tiny splash of milk or lemon juice, and a drop of vanilla makes a lovely, easy glaze.
- Buttercream Bliss: A classic vanilla buttercream is always a winner for sugar cookies and icing.
- Royal Icing: If you want that smooth, hard finish perfect for detailed decorating, royal icing is your go-to.
- Storage Smarts: Once completely cool, store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They'll stay soft and chewy for up to 4 days (if they last that long – they never do here!). You can also freeze the baked, cooled cookies in a ziplock bag for up to 3 months.