The best sugar cookie has understated flavor and delicate texture. It should also take you straight back to your childhood, and this Gourmet classic hits all the right marks. It’s a roll-and-cut-out sugar cookie recipe that results in crisp, buttery cookies with the straightforward flavor of vanilla extract. Of course, these are your cookies, so if you want to add a ¼ tsp. peppermint or almond extract, ½ tsp. of cardamom or cinnamon, or 1 tsp. citrus zest, go for it. (Looking for chewy sugar cookies or gluten-free sugar cookies? We’ve got you covered.)
The lack of baking soda and baking powder in this recipe means the cookies won’t spread. That’s ideal for turning out picture-perfect snowflakes, reindeer, stars, or whatever cookie cutters you want to use—even a Halloween pumpkin. For double the insurance, refrigerate the sugar cookie dough any time it starts to feel too soft. And always use a cool pan to bake off the next batch. Baking your cutouts on a cookie sheet lined with silicone or parchment paper ensures that the bottoms of the cookies won’t get too dark and makes it easier to transfer them from refrigerator to sheet pan to wire rack.
The icing used to decorate these easy sugar cookies is no plain powdered sugar glaze. Adding powdered egg whites (a pasteurized product) turns it into royal icing, which means it has body and will harden with a nice matte finish. You could also opt to frost the cookies with buttercream. Another option: Decorate with sanding sugar or sprinkles before your perfect sugar cookies hit the oven. Want to skip decorating? Fold in some mix-ins and call it a holiday.
