Sugar Cookies

I've played around with a bunch of different sugar cookie recipes ever since I started decorating cookies. I like the artistic aspect of decorating with royal icing, but I've always thought it's more important for a cookie to taste good than look good. I mean, royal icing it basically just sugar, so a decorated cookie could end up being sickeningly sweet if the cookie is too sweet by itself.

The sugar cookie recipe I finally settled with is a slightly modified version of one I got off of a Wilton cookie cutter. I like it because it's not overwhelmingly sweet, so the royal icing balances it out nicely. It's sturdy enough for icing without being rock hard, it holds it's shape relatively well, and, most importantly, it tastes good.

I start by setting my oven to 400 degrees.

(My cute little chicken timer is only a pointless decoration. I thought it was cute, so I got it, but it doesn't work well at all, we use the microwave timer instead.)

I gather all my ingredients because I've had the oh so fun experience of getting half way through a recipe before realizing I was out of eggs.

For this recipe I use:

1 cup unsalted butter, cut up

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1-2 tsp vanilla extract (I use more if I leave out almond or want a more subtle almond flavor)

1/4-1/2 tsp almond extract

3 cups all-purpose flour (with the last cup, I add it slowly until the dough is the right consistency. If it's a humid day, I usually use the whole thing, if not I use less.)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

I sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together - biting into a chunk of baking powder in a cookie is gross. Mixing it with a fork would do the trick, too.

I cut the butter into pieces and throw it in the mixing bowl. It works as well for me as using softened butter and takes less planning ahead.

I begin mixing the butter, then add sugar, egg, and extracts, beating until combined after each ingredient.

I then add the flour mixture slowly and beat until combined.

I form the dough into a couple disks and roll it out on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch think.

I cut out the cookies and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (you don't need the parchment paper, but it makes clean up easier and helps you move the cookies to the cooling rack). I then stick the cookie sheet with the cookies in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. That helps them hold their shape as they bake.

To use the scraps from cutting out the cookies, I knead them together thoroughly, then roll them out again. The extra four that is added when you use the scraps can make the cookies tough, so I only do this once or twice and I try to cut the cookies as close together as possible.

Then I bake them in a 400 degree oven for 6-10 minutes. The time varies a lot depending on the size and thickness of the cookie, so I check them and rotate the cookie sheet at four minutes to see how much time I think they need and I check every couple minutes after that.

They need to cool on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes until they are set, then they can be moved to a cooling rack. They must cool completely before they can be decorated, or the royal icing will be melty and messy.

These cookies are buttery, flavorful, and just sweet enough, perfect for royal icing decorations.