Classic Buttery Sugar Cookies (Printer-Friendly)

Tender, buttery sugar treats ideal for festive cutouts and decorating.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Dough

01 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
02 - 1 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1 large egg
04 - 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
05 - 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
06 - ½ teaspoon baking powder
07 - ½ teaspoon salt

→ Rolling and Decorating

08 - Additional all-purpose flour for rolling
09 - Royal icing, colored sugars, or sprinkles (optional)

# How to Make It:

01 - In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
02 - Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture and beat until fully combined.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly blended.
04 - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring gently until a soft dough forms; avoid overmixing.
05 - Divide the dough in half, shape each portion into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
06 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
07 - On a lightly floured surface, roll one disk of dough to a thickness of ¼ inch. Cut shapes using cookie cutters.
08 - Place shaped cookies on prepared baking sheets spaced 1 inch apart.
09 - Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges just begin to turn golden.
10 - Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
11 - If desired, decorate with royal icing, colored sugars, or sprinkles once cookies are fully cooled.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The dough stays tender and doesn't spread everywhere, which means your cutouts actually look like what you intended.
  • Unlike fussy recipes, these cookies forgive a little overbaking and still taste buttery soft.
  • One batch decorates beautifully for gifts or parties without requiring fancy techniques.
02 -
  • Don't skip the chilling step—it's the difference between cookies that hold their shape and ones that blur into each other on the pan.
  • Room temperature butter is non-negotiable; it creams into clouds while cold butter just clumps around the mixer.
  • Pulling them from the oven when they look slightly underdone actually gives you the tender center everyone craves.
03 -
  • If your dough feels sticky, an extra tablespoon of flour mixed in while chilling often fixes it without starting over.
  • Rolling between two sheets of parchment paper eliminates the mess and keeps the dough from picking up too much flour.
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