Easy Soft Sugar Cookies Recipe
Easy, tried and tested recipe to make delicious soft sugar cookies that are great on their own but also perfect for frosting!
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (no substitutes), softened
- 1½ cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 3½ cups flour
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
ROYAL ICING OR GLAZE for SUGAR COOKIES
- 2 egg whites,
- 2 lbs icing or confectioner's sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- food coloring of your choice
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs; beat. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts and add all dry ingredients. Chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.
- On a floured surface, roll out cookie dough and cut into desired shapes. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 375 F for 6-8 minutes.
- Makes approximately 5 dozen large cookies.
EASY ROYAL ICING OR GLAZE for SUGAR COOKIES
- Mix all the ingredients with a whisk. Add about 4-6 tablespoons of water (or as needed) to achieve a smooth consistency. The resulting mixture should be smooth and not lumpy, and neither runny nor too thick. Divide the icing or glaze into small bowls and add your chosen food color. Put each glaze into a piping bag with a 2-3 mm nozzle and decorate the cookies as desired.
Notes
TIPS & TRICKS
Lightly spray cookie sheets (if not using non-stick) with vegetable oil before baking the first batch or use a parchment-lined baking sheet or Silpat.
If you don't have almond extract, this can be made with just all vanilla extract (1 tsp).
If you're not icing all the cookies, the royal icing or glaze recipe can be halved. Use the same amount of egg whites and lemon juice but use half the amount of powdered sugar and add about 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons water to achieve desired consistency.
If you don't want to frost and decorate all the cookies, sprinkle the last batches with decorative sugars, sprinkles, etc before baking. Or, make them plain as they are so tasty on their own - not super sweet but just perfect!
You can also use store-bought canned frosting for convenience.
These cookies freeze great too. Simply unthaw and decorate later.
Nutrition
Calories: 77kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 1gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 67mgPotassium: 30mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 106IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 3mgIron: 0.4mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!