Soft and buttery, this classic sugar cookie recipe is a traditional, tried and true, family favorite recipe. Sugar cookies are a fun family activity and in this post I’m sharing three tips to make your next sugar cookie making party a success.
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I love sugar cookies. There’s something about eating them that sends me back to my childhood. Every time.
Maybe it’s the colorful frosting.
Maybe it’s the playful shapes.
But most likely it’s the classic, soft and buttery taste that melts in your mouth.
Our favorite sugar cookie
Today I’m sharing our family’s favorite sugar cookie recipe that we have been making for over 30 years. My mom would make these every Christmastime. Us kids would help cut them out and decorate them with all varieties of bright colored frosting. And the sprinkles. Don’t forget the sprinkles! That was always the best part.We always loved bringing them to our neighbors and friends, sometimes singing Christmas carols when we dropped them off.
The nice thing about this recipe is that it makes TONS! So there was always plenty left over for us to snack on when we got home.
The funny thing about these cookies is that every year a bag of them would end up in our stocking. I guess Santa was always very generous with the cookies we left for him. None of us complained. And we always loved eating Christmas cookies for breakfast on Christmas morning.
I love family traditions. The holidays are such a perfect time to create those traditions.
And making sugar cookies with kids is such a fun one.
Now granted, it can get messy. There was a time as a young mom that that drove me nuts. But I’ve learned a few tips along the way to help the mess go a little better and I don’t stress about it as much.
Tips for making sugar cookies with kids
First tip–with little kids I line the table with these rolls of freezer paper (aff. link) to make clean up a cinch! It has a glossy side that is easy to work on. You can even put butcher paper (aff. link) on the floor so it cleans up quick too.
Second tip–I like to put the cookies on a cookie cooling rack with a large sheet pan under it when we add the sprinkles. That way the extra sprinkles (which is inevitable with kids) will fall through the cracks onto the sheet pan.
Third tip–These are the fun cookie cutters I have (aff. link) with shapes for every holiday season imaginable.
Hopefully those three tips will help you in your next cookie-making party.
Aren’t family traditions fun? What are some of your favorite family traditions around the holidays?
Earlier this week I shared on my Instagram account about going see the Christmas lights in Salt Lake City with our family. The bright glow in my 2-year-old daughter’s eyes as she watched the nativity story unfold was priceless. It warmed my heart, despite the frigid weather all around us. And that glow still burns bright inside even as I sit here thinking about it.
What a beautiful time of year. I hope you are enjoying this season with those you love the most.
Sugar Cookies
Soft and buttery, this classic sugar cookie recipe is a traditional, tried and true, family favorite recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (15 ounces) granulated sugar
- 2 cups (4 sticks) butter softened
- 6 large eggs
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 7 cups (35 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
Instructions
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In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together for about 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract and mix.
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In a medium bowl combine the flour and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients slowly to the wet ingredients, mixing well until completely mixed in.
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Cover cookie dough completely with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours or up to a week in advance.
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Flour the counter and rolling pin well. Working with about 1/6th of the dough, roll dough out to a 1/4-inch thickness (or maybe slightly less). You want these cookies nice and thick. That is what makes them so good. Cut the dough into shapes.
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Place on parchment-lined cookie sheets and bake 7 to 8 minutes. The exact baking time will depend on your oven. The cookies will not be brown on top or the bottom at all when they are done, but they will be cooked fully through. If they are brown at all, that means they are overcooked and you will not have nice and soft cookies that melt in your mouth. So pull them out just as soon as they are cooked but not brown. That’s the secret to the perfect sugar cookie.
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Eat them plain warm. Or cool them on a cookie rack completely before decorating.
Recipe Notes
1. Sometimes with little kids I line the table with these rolls of freezer paper for a really easy clean up. It has a glossy side that is easy to work on. You can even put butcher paper on the floor so it cleans up easily too.
2. I like to put the cookies on a cookie cooling rack with a large sheet pan under it when we add the sprinkles. That way the extra sprinkles (which are inevitable with kids) will fall through the cracks onto the sheet pan.
Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat, slightly adapted from a recipe from my Mom’s family cookbook.
All images and text © The Cook’s Treat
Disclaimer: post contains affiliate links for items on Amazon.
We have a wonderful sugar cookie recipe that has been in our family for years. These are better!!