BEST ROLLED SUGAR COOKIES WITH BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

After years of trying handfuls of recipes that were decent, but not amazing, I was determined to come up with one that anyone could call perfect, despite their differing sugar-cookie preferences. I did quite a bit of research and found six recipes that I was intrigued by—all claiming to be the best, but all completely different. After a few hours of discussion on FaceTime with Lauren, I was pretty sure I had come up with my own recipe that checked off everything on my list.

When I tried the cookies I literally jumped up and down with joy! What I ended up with is a cookie that is slightly sweet on its own, holds its shape as it bakes, isn’t cakey, is perfectly chewy without being undercooked, doesn’t fall apart when you frost it, and can have a delicious crunch if you leave it in the oven for just a couple minutes longer! The three secrets to my success were as follows: a tiny bit of cream cheese to add to the chewiness (not enough to taste it at all), a little cornstarch to help thicken the cookie, and no leavening agents to avoid a cakey texture (the flour and cornstarch help the cookie rise just enough). I would say it’s quite lucky I got it right the first time, but this is honestly years in the making…and I did a lot of research, so luck was only part of it! I did make the recipe twice this week, just to be sure it really was as amazing as I thought it was, and I am pleased to report that my seemingly endless search for the perfect sugar cookie recipe is finally over!

I promise my rant is almost over too, just a couple things you need to know before you start! First, because there are no leavening agents in the recipe, you need to roll your dough out thick! Your cookies will pretty much bake as thick as you roll them out, so keep the dough at least 1/3-1/2 inch thick! Trust me. Secondly, unless you prefer a crispy bottom, use a light colored pan. This will help the cookies bake more evenly and stay chewy! Lastly, these cookies won’t appear browned or golden when they are done (unless you’re going the crispy route)…just set your timer and trust it…they will fluff up slightly as they cook, but it’s hard to tell when they are done. Experiment with your first pan and see how long you like to bake yours for! Mine were done in about 10.5 minutes, but obviously this will differ depending on the thickness of your dough and your sugar cookie preferences! Let them rest on your pan for about 2 minutes after you take them out, then let them finish cooling on a cooling rack.

Best Rolled Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting
yields roughly 2 dozen cookies (this will obviously depend on the thickness of your dough and what shapes you use)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups butter

• 2 oz. cream cheese

• 1 1/2 cups sugar

• 2 eggs

• 2 t vanilla extract

• 1 t almond extract (optional)

• 1/2 t salt

• 4 cups + 2 T flour

• 1 T cornstarch

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

2. In a stand mixture with the paddle attachment, whip the butter on high until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). With the mixer still on, add in the cream cheese and continue to mix on high for 1 more minute until there are no clumps and the butter/cream cheese are fully combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom.

3. Add sugar to the mixing bowl and mix again. If needed, scrape the sides again before continuing to the next step.

4. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing at a medium speed in between each addition.

5. Next, add the vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt. Mix on high for 2-3 minutes, or until the mixture is smooth and has no large clumps.

6. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add in the flour and cornstarch. Mix until just barely combined. The dough will be slightly sticky (this is so it doesn’t get too dry when you roll it out in the flour later).

7. Form the dough into a ball and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or throw it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes if you’re in a time crunch).

8. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/3-1/2 inch thickness* and use cooke cutters to form desired shapes. Transfer cookies to a light-colored baking sheet. *Note: Due to the lack of baking soda/baking powder in the recipe, the cookies won’t get much bigger than you roll/cut them out, so don’t make them too thin!

9. Bake for 10-12 minutes (use less time if you rolled your dough out thinner or more time if you want a crispier cookie). Let cookies cool on the pan for 2 minutes after removing them from the oven before transferring them to a cooling rack. They will be soft and slightly delicate while they are warm, but they will cool to the perfect texture!

10. Make the buttercream frosting below, frost your cookies, and enjoy!!! We like to keep ours in the freezer to keep them fresh! They taste great room temp and cold!

Sugar Cookie Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

• 2 cups butter

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tsp almond extract (optional, but recommended)

• dash of salt

• 2 lbs powdered sugar (roughly 7.5 cups)

• 3 T milk

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip butter on high until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.

2. Add extracts and salt and mix again, then scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

3. Slowly add powdered sugar with the mixer on low. Once all the sugar is slightly incorporated into the butter, turn the mixer up to a medium speed and add in the milk.

4. Turn mixer to high for 2-3 minutes.

5. Transfer frosting to multiple bowls and dye with food coloring. Decorate cookies as desired! I used piping bags for the cookies pictured in this post, but you can totally just use a butter knife!

6. Let frosting “set” before piling cookies on top of one another or before individually packaging them. A couple hours on the counter or about 10 minutes in the freezer will do the trick!