Sugar cookies are an easy christmas cookie recipe, even I can make these holiday cookies, maybe. Watch here and learn how to make sugar cookies for Christmas and the holidays.
Universal Sugar Cookie Recipe
This sugar cookie recipe is based on one Chris Kimball wrote about, saying its the universal recipe used by almost every baker.
1/2 cup white sugar
1 stick butter ( 1/2 cup ) slightly softened, but not mushy.
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
dash of vanilla
optionals:
chopped walnut, espresso powder, cocoa powder, almonds, etc.
Preheat oven to 375F
Put the stick of butter and the sugar in your food processor. You can also use an electric mixer, but I don’t have one right now, so the food processor works well for me.
Turn the food processor on to medium speed to mix the sugar and butter together, then add the 1 egg and vanilla, mix it in. The mixture should be lumpy, not super smooth.
Mix together all the dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, salt, – and then add these to the food processor butter mixture.
Run the food processor until the mixture starts to form into a ball.
Turn our the dough onto a floured board and divide the dough into two equal pieces.
Roll each piece of dough into a log shape about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
Wrap these dough logs in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for one hour.
Using knife or pastry blade, slice off 1/4″ thick circles from the dough logs, place on cookies sheets with parchment paper.
Bake at 375F for about 8 minutes. you want the edges to be starting to brown, but not dark.
Cool on a wire rack and eat as soon as possible. They taste great when warm.
What is your sugar cookie recipe, your favorite addition to sugar cookies? Let us know below
Sarah
Both the hat and vanilla sugar are nice touches! We’re making sugar cookies with my nieces and nephews this weekend – this definitely made me hungry for it.
Amy Fiore
My go to Christmas cookie is basic sugar cookie dough formed into small balls then rolled in cinnamon sugar, slightly pressed with a glass dipped in cinnamon sugar, and then baked 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees. These are known as Snicker doodles and everyone loves these!
Sandra
I just love watching your videos, with all the good things and the mistakes as well.
You done good!
Keep up the interesting videos.
We’ll be trying these sugar cookies today with the grandkids.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!
Tonia Moxley
I made three kinds of cookies from the America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook — Chris Kimball’s other endeavor, and my go-to cookbook for nearly everything. My electric hand mixer broke in a thick chocolate cookie dough, and I went to the food processor to cream sugar and butter. What I learned is all butter should be softened, no matter what mixing device you use, otherwise the butter and sugar clump instead of cream.
The best thing is to leave the butter out on the counter for 24 or 48 hours. You *can* soften cold butter in the microwave, but you have to be very careful, checking it every 10 seconds. Otherwise, it will melt all over your microwave.
I’ve decided not to replace the hand mixer. Instead, Eric, I’m going to follow your lead and use my power drill with a beater clamped in its jaws!
Tonia
Tonia Moxley
I meant to say I made three kinds of cookies for Christmas gifts….I don’t bake cookies any other time of the year.
Lillian
For those of us who need precise directions, I’d suggest moving the “preheat oven to 375” step a little further down in the directions, unless you really want your oven preheating for more than an hour.