When I was younger, I used to love the preparation of Christmas cookies almost as much as Christmas itself. It was a day which my parents, grandparents, brother, and I spend mixing dough, rolling it, cutting it out in festive shapes, and baking it to perfection. I find it impossible not to cherish the memories created each year.
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Recipe
My family’s sugar cookie recipe comes from a side of a Domino’s powdered sugar box dating back to who-knows-when. I have yet to find a sugar cookie that compares with the one that my family makes. They’re not flakey as some cookies are while at the same time are not hard as others. They’re the perfect combination of soft and firm, and have the perfect balance of sugar and flour, giving it the perfect sweet taste. Combined with the sugar crystals that used on top of the cookies for decoration, they create the perfect cookie.
Overall, baking them is fairly simple. Combine the ingredients, chill, roll the dough out, and bake. The exhausting and time consuming part is rolling out the dough. After countless years, we’ve developed a system for the entire process that makes it somewhat easier. I usually roll out the dough and Mom mans the oven. And whichever one of us has a moment will sprinkle red and/or green sugar crystals over the cookies.
Recommended Tools
To bake sugar cookies, here are some tools I recommend using. (Even if you don’t make this recipe, these are great tools for all baking projects.)
- Sugar crystals for decorating (green, red, mix)
- KitchenAid or Other Stand-Mixer
- Cookie Cutters
- Rolling Pin
- Rolling Mat
- Storage Containers
Memories
One of my favorite things about baking sugar cookies is eating the cookie dough. When I was younger, this was something that my Mom introduced me to, and allowed me to do in small amounts. Now that I am older, each year I still look forward to that first taste of dough that hits my tongue.
When the cookies come out of the oven, they look pristine. In the past, it was o.k. because any and all burnt cookies officially become property of my grandfather, or Poppy, as we kids call him. And he was more than content to sit quietly on the couch and munching away and watching FOX news. Unfortunately, he passed away a few years ago, and the burnt cookies aren’t immediately eaten. I do still eat one or twenty burnt ones each year for him. (It’s quite the sacrifice, but someone’s got to eat them! ☺️ )
For more general baking tips and more details about chilling cookie dough, visit my post with my gingerbread cookie recipe. You can also go here to see all of my Blogmas 2021 posts to catch up on all of them!
Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup butter (softened)
- 1 egg
- granulated sugar or sugar chrystals for decorating
Instructions
- In large bowl, stir flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together
- Add butter, vanilla, and egg
- Mix thoroughly until well blended
- Shape into 4 balls and chill 2 hours
- Roll dough on lightly floured surface to ¾ in thickness
- Cut using desired cookie cutters
- Place on lightly greased cookie sheet
- Sprinkle with granulated sugar or sugar crystals as desired
- Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are slightly golden brown in oven that is 375 degrees
- Transfer to wire cooling rack to cool
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