She and her mom would decorate them beautifully, but icing and cookie bling do not win this girl's heart. The perfect cookie consistency does, and hers was pretty perfect.
It was soft and chewy, with the perfect brownness on the bottom. Not crispy around the edges, and not too thin.When I was tapped to provide the dough for our sugar cookie decorating party last week, the pressure was on.
Will it puff just enough?
Will they be too crispy?
If these don't go well, I'm going to have 90-some-odd cookies that no one eats. No bueno.
I rolled the dice on this recipe, and I must say, it was pretty close to the perfect tea cake that Erin Dukes used to make back in Oconee County.
the perfect sugar cookie
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c. white sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
- Cream the butter and add the sugar gradually. Beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cover and chill dough overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll dough out on a floured surface to 1/4- to 1/8-inch thickness and cut into your favorite shapes.
- Bake 6 - 8 minutes or until cookie is golden around the edges.
*The more flour on the rolling surface, and the colder the dough, the better. If it gets to a room temperature, your figures will end up, well, disfigured.
*This dough was a breeze to mix, and it took no time, because of the little gem I like to call a stand mixer. If you have a stand mixer, or a friend with one, use it without hesitation.
*The recipe "serves 3-5 dozen," which I think is a ridiculous statement. There's a big difference between 36 and 60 cookies, no? I made two batches, used a variety of cookie cutter sizes, and ended up with probably 75-80 cookies. Maybe a little more.
Do you have sugar cookie standards? Happy holiday baking, folks!
I have major sugar cookie standards, and even more so, Brett does. Sugar cookies are his favorite, and he likes a nice soft cookie, but you can't cut out cute shapes and decorate them when they are that soft. But I can't stand a hard or crunchy cookie. The balance is tough. I'm so glad you posted this with your findings. I'm going to give it a try soon!
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