Even though baking isn't my favorite (which you can tell from my lack of cookie decorating skills), I do still have a favorite sugar cookie recipe. This is it!
Yield: varies depending on cookie cutter sizes and shapes
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Directions
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. On low speed, add the eggs and yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix until incorporated.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually stir this into the butter mixture. Gather the dough into two balls, wrap them in plastic, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line some baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough out onto a floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness, sprinkling the top of the dough with flour to avoid sticking. Cut shapes of your choice, then transfer the shapes to the baking sheets, 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake in the preheated oven until the edges just start to barely turn golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
To decorate, use your favorite sugar cookie icing recipe after the cookies have completely cooled. You can also sprinkle some colored sugar onto the cookies before baking.
Comments