A sugar cookie is a Christmas staple and we have the perfect recipe for you to dress up and down this holiday season. You can’t beat a sugar cookie around the holidays. You will get started with your cookie dough and you can make it in a food processor because it is really fast and easy. If you don’t have one you can always do it by hand and that will work really well. Into your food processor, add in flour, sugar, baking powder and a little bit of salt. With a spatula, give it a mix around to make sure everything is well combined.
Into the dry ingredients, add cold butter then pop the lid and pulse it until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. You want to make sure that all the butter is nice small pieces and even throughout, this just takes a few seconds. Once your butter is all blended nicely all the way through the flour. If you are dough this method by hand it is harder to get such fine pieces of butter but doesn’t worry because something that resembles breadcrumbs is spot on.
For the wet ingredients, you will beat eggs and vanilla extract then pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and poop on the lid then pulse it until it forms one big ball. If your dough is not coming together because it is a little dry, you can add a little bit more eggs or milk just to bring it together. This cookies dough is so fast to make, its just really simple. Once it has come together in a nice big ball, get it out of the food processor and place it on some cling wrap. You can always tell a good cookie dough when it comes together in one big ball.
Wrap the cookie dough in a nice and tight cling wrap. You can make this dough a day before you need it so it’s really nice and cold, the dough needs at least 2 to 3 hours minimum to chill in teh fridge before you can actually roll it. Another good thing about this dough is that it freezes really well, so pop it into your freezer and then you can take it out whenever you need it around the holiday season.
Once your dough is chilled, flour your working surface then roll it to around a quarter-inch thick the using little Christmas cutter or any shape that you have, cut the dough into your desired shapes. These are the crisp kind of cookies that you decorate with royal icing for the holidays. Do work as quick as you can with this dough because it gets easily soft and if it dies, you can always pop it into the fridge the roll it out again.
Line them on a baking tray then bake for 18 to 20 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit until they are golden brown. These sugar cookies make fantastic gifts around the holiday season, you can decorate them, box them up and give then m to the ones you love. You can have it with a mug of hot chocolate and you will be good to go. Enjoy.
Ingredients;
- 3/4 cups (6oz/170g) butter, cubed and cold
- 1 cups (8oz/225g) sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups (12oz/340g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions;
- In a food processor add in the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Stir a little with a spatula
- Add in the cold butter and blitz for seconds just until the mix looks like big bread crumbs
- Whisk together the eggs and vanilla extract. Pour into the food processor and pulse for a few seconds until the dough comes together.
- Take care not to over mix. If your mix seems dry you can add a tiny bit more egg or milk.
- Chill the dough for a minimum of 2-3 hours. Preferably chill overnight. Also, it can be frozen at this stage for up to 8 weeks.
- Once chilled, roll out some of the dough on a well-floured surface to about 1/4-1/8 inch thick.
- Cut out your desired shapes and transfer them to a baking tray lined with parchment.
- Bake at 325°F (160°C) for 18-20 minutes or until a light golden brown. Set aside to cool.
- Decorate with royal icing if you wish and store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
