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Sugar cookies may seem like a holiday food, but they can actually be perfect for any time of year. You can add icing, sprinkles, or other mix-ins and suit them to any season or holiday.
This recipe is super simple. I whipped up a batch of this dough in less than 10 minutes last night. They have a bit of crispiness around the edges and are soft the whole way through, which is how I prefer all of my cookies!
Easy Sugar Cookies
You likely have all the ingredients necessary to make these. The only somewhat less-than-common ingredient is cream of tartar, so if you don’t have some, buy some and hang onto it (because it’s also used in snickerdoodle cookies).
You’ll just need flour, sugar, an egg, butter, vanilla, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar.
First mix together the butter and the sugar.
Then add the egg and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.
Then stir them together.
This dough really needs to chill, so plop the dough on some wax paper and let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour, but as long as overnight. You can also chill it in the freezer for 20 minutes if you’re in a rush!
When it comes out, the dough will be much easier for the next step!
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mats like these.
Roll into balls, then roll in white sugar.
Bake for about 8 minutes, and be careful not to overbake! The cookies will flatten out and be perfect for decorating, if you want to.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar, plus more for rolling
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
- In a medium sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt until well combined.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla and stir until well mixed. Slowly add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and stir until everything just comes together.
- Wrap the dough up in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for about an hour (or if you're in a pinch, stick it in the freezer for about 20 minutes until the dough is well chilled).
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Add a little sugar to a bowl. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and coat each ball with sugar. Arrange them evenly on the baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes or until the dough is set and the bottom is very lightly browned.
- This recipe makes about 24 cookies.
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