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Before your break out the rolling pin, here are our tips to ensure you will have a batch of perfect dough every time……..
Measure Twice: Our #1 baking rule – make sure you have all you ingredients on hand, read the recipe, and double check your measurements before you start mixing. Sugar cookies have very few ingredients, but having the wrong amount of one ingredient can throw the whole recipe off.
Keep It Simple: Sugar cookies have just a few ingredients, so buy the best of these ingredients you can afford. The taste of these sugar cookies with quality butter is amazing.
Mind the Butter: Room temperature butter is best for mixing up the cookie batter, but for rolling, cutting and baking – chilled butter is best. Mix the dough, chill it. Roll the dough out, chill it. Cut the dough, and then – you guessed it: chill it.
Roll On: A lot of sugar cookies recipes suggest rolling your cookies out on a floured or powdered sugar covered surface. We suggest rolling your dough out between two pieces of parchment paper instead. This makes transferring the dough back and forth from the fridge easier and tidier! It also prevents tough cookies (a sign of adding too much flour or over working the dough)!
Cute Cookie Cutters: are fun to find! We prefer metal cookie cutters for their sharper edges. Keep a plate of flour handy while cutting the cookies and dip your cookie cutter in the flour as you go. A round cookie can be decorated a million ways, so you can’t lose investing in a set of nesting circle pastry cutters.
PARTY PERFECT SUGAR COOKIES
Yield: approximately 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Whisk together the flour, soda, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside. Cream together the butter and sugar until lighten in color and increased in volume.
- Add the egg and beat well.
- Add the vanilla bean and extract and stir to combine.
- Add the flour and beat until well combined.
- Divide the dough into two disks, cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate for at least an hour before rolling.
- Roll the dough to 1/8 inch thickness between two pieces of parchment paper. Cut into desired shapes.
- Arrange the cookies on parchment lined half sheet pans and chill for at least 10 minutes before baking.
- Repeat rolling and cutting with the remaining dough.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until just lightly browned. Cool completely on a cooling rack.
Join us next week for icing tips & tricks, as well as ideas for making different cookies from the same dough recipe (who doesn’t love a good time saver)!
Meghan Splawn is a professional recipe developer, food stylist, and mama. Her personalblog, Stir& Scribble, is full of clever cooking, classic cocktails, and useful kitchen tips. Her favorite cookie is oatmeal chocolate chip, but she’s never met a cookie she didn’t like!
Recipe, photography & styling: Meghan Splawn of Stir & Scribble
Red striped scalloped small plate, red striped scalloped cocktail napkin, mini pink bakery boxes: available at Shop Sweet Lulu