Try this Best Sugar Cookie Recipe recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 172.392354808724 g
- Cholesterol 164.861111244217 mg
- Fat 63.0713380681484 g
- Fiber 3.35498031082671 g
- Protein 15.282443700138 g
- Saturated Fat 39.3596196392871 g
- Serving Size 1 1 dozen cookie (331g)
- Sodium 495.680837475845 mg
- Sugar 169.037374497897 g
- Trans Fat 4.72544955238298 g
- Calories 1312 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- In the bowl of your mixer cream butter and sugar until smooth.
- Beat in extracts and egg.
- In a separate bowl combine baking powder with flour and add a little at a time to the wet ingredients.
- The dough will be very stiff.
- If it becomes too stiff for your mixer turn out the dough onto a countertop surface.
- Wet your hands and finish off kneading the dough by hand.
- DO NOT CHILL THE DOUGH.
- Divide into workable batches, roll out onto a floured surface and cut.
- You want these cookies to be on the thicker side (closer to 1/4 inch rather than 1/8).
- Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes.
- Let cool on the cookie sheet until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack.
The Mechanics of Creaming Butter and Sugar
Start by creaming the softened butter and granulated sugar together until the mixture is visibly pale and fluffy. This mechanical action incorporates tiny air pockets into the fat, which the chemical leavening agents will later expand. Use butter that registers between 65 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal emulsion. If the butter is too warm, the emulsion breaks and the structural integrity fails. Pure vanilla extract and almond extract must be beaten in thoroughly at this stage to distribute the volatile aromatic compounds evenly throughout the lipid network.
Flour Integration and Dough Stiffness
Combine the all-purpose flour and baking powder in a separate vessel before introducing them to the wet ingredients. Add this dry mixture gradually to prevent flour clouds and localized overhydration. This recipe deliberately avoids chilling the dough, meaning the butter retains its plasticity right up until it enters the heat of the oven. If the dough surpasses the capacity of your mixer motor, turn it out onto a clean work surface and finish kneading by hand with dampened palms to prevent sticking.
Rolling Thickness and Heat Application
Roll the dough out on a floured surface to a precise thickness of one quarter of an inch. Thinner dough yields brittle rounds that overbake rapidly. Preheat the oven strictly to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the cutouts for six to eight minutes, watching for edges that barely set without acquiring deep color. Leave the hot cookies on the metal sheet for two minutes after pulling them from the oven so the interior structure finishes setting before transfer.
