Best Sugar Cookies Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flower, plus more for rolling
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • assorted candies, sprinkles, or colored sugars, for decorating
  • 1 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 3-4 tablespoons milk, water, or lemon juice

Directions:

  1. In a large bowl, whisk flower, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; beat until combined. Divide dough in half; flatten into disks. wrap each in plastic; freeze until firm, at least 20 minutes, or place into resealable plastic bag, and freeze up to 3 months (thaw in refrigerator overnight).
  2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment. Remove one dough disk; let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Roll out 1/8 inch thick between two sheets of floured parchment, dusting dough with flour as needed. Cut shapes with cookie cutters. Using a spatula, transfer to preferred baking sheets. (If dough gets soft, chill 10 minutes). Reroll scraps; cut shapes. Repeat with remaining dough.
  3. Bake, rotating halfway through, until edges are golden. 10 to 18 minutes depending on size. Cool completely on wire racks. To ice cookies, spread with the back of a spoon. Let the icing harden, about 20 minutes. Decorate as desired.
  4. For the icing, sift confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl. Whisk in milk, water, or lemon juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, until smooth and thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. If too thin, whisk in more sugar; if too thick add more liquid. Spread over cookies with back of a spoon. Add other decorations if desired. Let icing harden, about 20 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart Cooking