Be honest here: in a lineup of a classic chocolate chip cookie, an oatmeal cookie, a double chocolate cookie, a peanut butter cookie or a sugar cookie, which cookie, if you could only pick one, would you choose to eat every day for the rest of your life?
Seriously, I want to know. Because, as much as I have droned on and on about my favorite cookies, I would choose a sugar cookie hands down to win out against any other kind of cookie. Every day. Every time. I cannot resist a good sugar cookie. I simply can’t resist. And I have the thighs to prove it.
Because I am a self-professed sugar cookie lover, and I mean LOVER, I am particular about my sugar cookies, baby. I like them soft and really thick while still holding their shape while baking. They need exceptional flavor; something different to set them apart from the rest of the sugar cookie pack. And don’t even get me started on the frosting. The frosting will make or break even the best sugar cookie. Let’s be real: sugar cookies are a lot of work. I want to know after all the mess and rolling and vying for Mother of the Year award for letting my kids help in the first place that the finished sugar cookie is going to blow my mind in deliciousness.
I have tried more sugar cookie recipes than I care to count and I will honestly say there are only two recipes that I ever make – and I’ve been making both for years now. The first recipe I posted a while ago (a phenomenal, creamy, unique sugar cookie). I adore them. But I like to have options and the recipe I am posting today is undeniably one of the best sugar cookie recipes on the planet. The powdered sugar in the buttery dough creates a light, melt-in-your-mouth quality as the subtle lemon and almond flavors tickle your palate. These cookies take sugar cookie devotion to new levels. They are unbelievably delicious.
The keys to sugar cookie success: the right recipe (I’ve got your back on this one), don’t overbake (we’re talking eight minutes max here, probably more like seven), roll them thick (at least 1/4-inch if not slightly thicker), and fantastic frosting.
I refuse to top my beloved sugar cookies with anything but my favorite frosting, which I included below the recipe. Light, decadent, creamy and beyond compare, this frosting is the icing on the cake. Or the cookie, so to speak.
So as you contemplate the land of sugar cookies and my apparent snobbery when it comes to them, don’t forget to enlighten me on which lineup cookie you would choose.
One Year Ago: Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Two Years Ago: Creamy Chicken Fettuccine
Note: the baking temperature for this recipe may seem high but I believe it is one of the keys to success. The cookies still remain soft and light because they bake for such a short time (and they keep their shape really well!).
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened to cool room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 1 lemon)
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla extract, almond extract and lemon zest; mix. Add two cups flour, baking powder and salt. Mix. Add remaining flour and mix just until flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth and soft.
- The dough can be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept in the refrigerator for up to a week or it can be rolled out right away. Dust a counter with powdered sugar or flour and roll the dough to desired thickness (I prefer my cookies on the thick side so I roll my dough out to about 1/4-inch, maybe even slightly thicker than that). Cut the dough into shapes. Place the cookies on a lined or lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes. The cookies won’t appear browned on top (or on bottom) when they are done baking so don’t let them overbake! I find 7 1/2 minutes is about perfect but if they are even lightly browned on bottom, I decrease the time by 30 seconds. I like them super soft with not even a hint of browned edges or bottom. This way they literally melt in my mouth.
- Cool the cookies completely on a wire rack before frosting. The baked cookies (unfrosted) can be stored in a tupperware or ziploc bag in the freezer for up to a month. I also often freeze 1/2 of the sugar cookie dough when I don’t have time or don’t want to roll it out and cut shapes. I wrap the dough in plastic wrap and then stick it in a freezer-safe ziploc bag and freeze it for up to a month. I take it out the night before I want to roll it out and store it in the refrigerator to thaw (for about 12-15 hours). About 30 minutes before I want to use it, I let it sit on the counter to soften a bit and then I roll it out and cut out the cookies.
Recipe Source: method adapted slightly from Good Things Catered
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
*Note: the key to success here is using really soft cream cheese and beating it with the powdered sugar until no lumps remain.
*Makes about 4 cups of frosting
1 (8 oz.) block cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
In a large bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla. Mix until very smooth and light and no lumps remain. In a separate bowl, beat the cream to stiff peaks. Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture. Mix until well combined and smooth. Store in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Recipe Source: My Kitchen Cafe
So I will be honest – I have a sugar cookie recipe I adore (which I’d be happy to share if you’d like), but I had to try these to see how they compared…. the verdict – I liked the cookie -they were soft and moist but I’m not sure what I thought about having a lemon taste in my sugar cookie. Overall I did enjoy it… the icing however I could do without. It wasn’t sugary enough for me
I whipped up my icing for my sugar cookie recipe and finished icing them with it. My first round of cookies I rolled out lost their shape pretty easily as I was transferring them from the counter to the cookie sheet, but after I kneaded in a little more flour they kept their shape better! I think next time I try my recipe I’m going to try baking them at 400 for the 7-8 minutes to see how they turn out. It was fun to try though so thanks for sharing!
Haley – it sounds like loyalties to sugar cookies abound which is the great thing about having a recipe you love!
This was seriously the best sugar cookie recipe I have ever tried! I’ve never been able to find a recipe where the cookie would hold it’s shape – and this was perfect!
The frosting, though…. I dunno, it just seemed really weird on a sugar cookie… it wasn’t even the cream cheese as much as the whipped cream. I think it would be awesome though on a soft gingerbread cookie!
I don’t know if you will get this by tomorrow but I just made a batch of these cookies for a baby shower that I am throwing tomorrow night. I had a recipe that I was going to use for the frosting but then I saw yours and it looks fabulous! I do have a question though…I am making these into fruit pizzas and I was wondering if (in your expert opinion) you think your recipe would be good as a fruit pizza base? I am putting mandarin oranges, kiwis and strawberries on them? It sounds good but as I have never tried it and you have amazing taste in food, I thought you might be able to give me your opinion?!
Hi Heather – I think the cookies and frosting would be divine as a fruit pizza! If you haven’t already whipped up the frosting, I would add some freshly grated lemon zest or juice to the frosting to give it that quintessential sweet tanginess that is usually in a fruit pizza frosting. But if you don’t have the lemon zest/juice, I still think it would be fantastic. Let me know how it turns out. I love the idea of making mini fruit pizzas on the cookies!
I was SO excited to try these, for the coming Halloween parties I’ll be baking for. However, using Calphalon non-stick baking sheets does NOT work. I even sprayed them, which only made the cookies darker on the bottom. I’m a seasoned baker, but these certainly look nothing like the picture above.
I’m trying them at a lower heat, and on different baking sheets to see if that makes a difference.
Danielle – I use the average, dime-a-dozen rimmed baking sheets (11X17-inch) that don’t have a nonstick coating (I use either parchment paper or a silpat liner on the sheets). Sorry they didn’t work out on the darker baking sheets, I suspect the high baking temperature doesn’t work well with the dark pans.
Hi Mel,
Just found your site and can’t wait to try some of your “best” recipes like the chocolate cake and sugar cookies. I also am always on the hunt for the best sugar cookie so this one, I will try! As for all of the comments about the frosting not drying hard. I have found one on Allrecipes.com that is fantastic. It dries hard and shiny and is beautiful on sugar cookies…tastes good too! You can find it here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sugar-cookie-icing/detail.aspx . I’m sure yours is delish but I usually like to put them in a nice wrapping and give them as gifts or to my son’s class so I need to stack and store. Will be following you now!
Mel, would you recommend the frosting in this post for piping frosting on cookies? Like writing words or doing designs? Thanks!
Lindsay – while this frosting is absolutely delicious, I think it is a bit too soft and luxurious for piping or writing words. I’d recommend something like the quick vanilla buttercream – that would be delicious with the cookies and easier to pipe with.
the elusive sugar cookie…..i don’t know what happens to me while i make them…they NEVER turn out and i was so sure these would.
the dough was just really, really soft and sticky. my butter was coldish, i beat it to a fluff and tried rolling right after, impossible. then i refridgerated for about 20 min…still sticky…
what altitude are you at? i want to avoid too much flour because i don’t want the cookie to be dry!.
are some people sugar cookie impaired?
Brooke – I’m so sorry these didn’t work out for you! I live right around sea level. I don’t think you are sugar cookie impaired! It sounds to me like refrigerating the dough for an hour or more may help. Also, if you are measuring the flour with a light hand (spooning it into the cup and leveling versus dipping and sweeping) then you may need to add an extra 1/2 cup flour.
[...] Best Sugar Cookies @ Mel’s Kitchen Cafe [...]
You amaze me! I cannot wait to try SO many of your recipes. This one topping the list with Christmas cookie baking around the corner! Love you, love your blog!
Made these for our new family tradition. Decorating cookies after Thanksgiving dinner dishes are done. I made three batches the weekend before and froze them. They are awesome and are now my go to recipe for sugar cookies.
Thanks
Lorrie
Fab!! My husband’s fav cookie is the sugar cookie and we will now never need another ‘google’ search for ‘best sugar cookie’ as we have FOUND IT!! THANK YOU!!!
[...] Recipe from melskitchencafe.com [...]
I’m not sure what I did wrong but my cookies didnt hold their shape at all! Let me say that I have never made sugar cookies before so that could be part of it
Also I used soft white wheat flour instead (freshly milled) of all purpose flour and I halved the recipe. So I know its probably something I did, just wanted your imput as to which one it was 
Thanks for all the great recipes, i really love your site!!!
Rebekah – the main reason these cookies wouldn’t hold their shape would be not enough flour or if the dough is too warm and not “set up” enough. Was your freshly milled flour warm at all? When I grind fresh wheat flour it has a bit of warmth to it and that could definitely play into the cookies not holding their shape. Also, freshly milled flour has much more air and is less compact that storebought flour from a bag so I always add at least 1/2 cup more flour to recipes where I’m using freshly ground flour. Hope that helps a little and I hope you have better luck if you try them again!
I just made these cookies for Christmas Cookie Decorating day in our house and they were AMAZING!!! Perfect consistency, super moist. LOVE THEM! They will become a staple in this house. Also that frosting is DIVINE, although a little depressing knowing how fattening it is…..Still doesn’t stop me from eating it though.
Also for those of you that have cookies that the bottoms burn, I would suggest using aluminum baking sheets. They are cheap and nothing out there does as good a job with cookies. My cookie bottoms never ever burn!!! Dark pans always burn cookie bottoms, at least in my past experience.
Made these again today-turned out better than last year, because I rolled them thicker, (I glued 2 paint sticks together-two sets of them-and rolled the dough between parchment paper, using the sticks as a guide for the rolling pin-perfect!) and took them out of the oven before they browned at all. YUMMO! Your frosting is delish, as well! Merry Christmas!
I made the dough for these last night, and made just a few of them for practice. They are wonderful!! This is going to be what we use for Santa cookies this year. I did not make the icing… I love anything with cream cheese, but I’m thinking I will make one that gets hard so I can stack them. My dough was really sticky, so some of my shapes were a little distorted… do you have any suggestions to help this problem? Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!!
Casey – it sounds like you may need to add another 1/4 cup flour (doing so gradually) until the dough has a slightly stiffer consistency. Also, chilling the dough will help, if you have the time – that way the shapes don’t spread. Good luck!
These look amazing I am giving them a whirl tomorrow
So….I too have been on the hunt for a unique sugar cookie recipe. I carefully read all of the reviews especially for the frosting, and was prepared for it to be soft. When I whipped it up yesterday, though, I was surprised at how soft it was. Mine was the consistency of mayonaise. So I refrigerated it, hoping for the best. Not so much. Then I went a rechecked the recipe think I surely had mistaken the 1.5 cups of powdered sugar for 1.5 pounds, LOL. In a last ditch effort, I added more powdered sugar….about 2 cups more. I was nervous about this since I had already folded in the heavy whipping cream. To my surprise it came out wonderful, and gave me the added stability I was seeking. If I had it to do over again, I of course, would add the extra powdered sugar at the beginning. But for those who liked that taste but couldn’t handle the texture, hope this helps.
First time making sugar cookies and this recipe gets a big thumbs up from me. While mixing the dough, I found the almond extract a bit too strong for my liking but the cookies turned out really good. This batch made around 80 odd cookies, which I frosted using a simple sugar icing. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
First, my fave cookie if I had to choose…oatmeal loaded with raisins and walnuts…Now, that being said, these cookies ARE delicious!! And the frosting…WOW!! So light and fluffy! Truly a great cookie!
And since it’s New Years Day, I made them in the shape of a bell, to ring in the New Year….Ha, what a way to start…devouring these little babies!!
Mel, I have to say, your blog is VERY dangerous to my waistline! So far everything I have made from this blog…my family has loved!
And another little secret….just between the two of us…I’m a Field Editor for Taste of Home magazine, and ALWAYS go to the TOH website when I need a new recipe…Now…I come HERE!! Shhhhh…..let’s keep this between us, OK??
Dearest of the Mel-Hearts… I just JUST tried your cookies last night. And guess what? You WIN!
I think this recipe takes the cake, so-to-speak. I’m making my own cookie cutters and tried these out and together they make beautiful music! Thank you very much, honey! Pause & Rejoice – Dallas
I love this recipe!!! It is my go to recipe for sugar cookies. Thank you for posting it on here and sharing it with us!!!
Oh Melanie! You never let me down. I too am a sugar cookie snob…and I don’t make sugar cookies often because they’re just not worth it when they taste like flour! I’ve been making a recipe that tastes pretty good, but they are a PAIN to make. These…I love these. The dough was easy to work with, just a few minutes out of the fridge and a dusting of flour. I love the little bit of almond (some recipes just have too much!) and the lemon! They held their shape for the most part and your baking instructions were perfect! I will add these to my cookie file as my go-to sugar cookie! Thanks for yet another great recipe!
OMG! I love sugar cookies! IM going to try them! I want to be a baker blogger when I grow up (IM 13) Ive been doing alot of baking things but I always forget something at the store. Turns out we didnt have ANY eggs or baking powder. So I was lucky enough to find some liquid egg whites. But I put in 8 eggs in egg whites which is 2 things of 3/4 of the egg whites. I was freaking out because all the egg whites were on the bottom and the butter and sugar were clumping at the top. Then I added only vanilla extract cause I dont know If I like the lemon zest and almond extract on mine. And added the 2 cups of flour. After that it started to look like cake batter, but at least it got thicker! And I was like “Dont worry… theres 3 more cups after that!” When I put the baking powder substitute in I used 1/3 teaspoon baking powder and 1/3 teaspoon flour. IM CROSSING MY FINGERS. FINAALLLLLY I added the last thing of flour and a little pinch for good luck and it finally and the wonderful creamy dough texture! HALLELUJAH! Hahha… How do you think it will turn out? I mean … even if you still look at the post over here! And do you have a simple frosting without whipping cream or cream cheese… cause Uhmmm…urmm.. I dont have any ^.^
I am new to the sugar cookie world, and have tried in the past and failed miserably. Now with your favorite sugar cookie, I have found success. The flavor of this cookie is refreshing and delightful, lemon zest, amazing! My family was very impressed with them, and my mother, who does not normally eat sweets, ate 3 of them back to back. My first time baking them was a trial run, but will be whipping up some more Thursday so I can ice Friday to get ready for baby shower on Saturday. I did have to refrigerate dough to work with…and also had to re-refrigerate between rolling and cutting and after cutting. I wanted to ensure I did not lose shape of cuts.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, you have blessed me and my family immensely!!!
I am now a sugar cookie snob thanks to you!! haha I made these for Christmas this past year, and swore these would be my go to recipe for sugar cookies. I volunteered to make cookies for kids to decorate at church for Easter this weekend; I have two little ones and a friend coming into town and I thought-I’ll just make a quick recipe that I found using a cake mix. Tried them out tonight and decided I will just do what it takes to make these because nothing even comes close to these!!
Have you ever tried to turn this into a giant cookie cake? I have never make sugar cookies before. My family is very partial to chocolate chip cookies…. My daughter in law has requested a sugar cookie cake with cream cheese frosting for her birthday (on Sunday) and I want to try out your recipe as I have always had great success with your recipes. How would the baking time change? Would it make more than 1 cookie? Thanks.
Maryse – I’ve never used this dough to turn into a giant cookie cake. Sorry I can’t be of much help! I’d probably suggest lowering the heat of the oven, if you try it, though, so that the cookie bakes all the way through. I’d think it would make more like 2-3 huge cookies. Good luck!
You’re recipes have yet to fail me! Exceptional cookie!
[...] My Kitchen Cafe – “My Favorite Sugar Cookies”2. What Megan’s Making - “Soft Sugar Cookies” 3. Bake at 350 – [...]
I just made these cookies Sunday night for my hubby to bring to work for the 4th! They are fantastic! My first attempt at the frosting failed miserably though (user error-not recipe) and I ended up with a runny mess. I decided to freeze it and hopefully make the best of it later. Sure enough, I tried again this morning and it’s perfect. And let me tell you, this makes a delicious fruit dip–forget frosting cookies!
How do you measure the flour for the sugar cookies? I lightly spooned the flour into the measuring cups and the dough was way too sticky so I added more flour. Unfortunately the cookies turned out doughy or even bready. I’m never sure about flour measurements for cookies. I’d appreciate your input. Thanks.
just forgot to check the notify me box via e-mail
Kyvele- I have a simple tutorial on measuring flour:
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/01/kitchen-tip-measuring-flour.html
SOOOOO good
Made these into soccer balls for treats after my 5 year olds’ first soccer game (which they won! proud mama 
). The dough was too sticky to roll out right away after making, but firmed up nicely in the fridge. Loved the combo of almond and lemon, they were subtle but added great flavor. And the cookies were so soft, I could have eaten a ton if I wasn’t making them to give away!
I haven’t used lemon zest before, can I use lemon juice or extract instead? I don’t even know how to zest a lemon.
Angie – I’ve never subbed in lemon juice or extract so I’m not sure. If you have a box grater, you can shave the outer yellow peel of the lemon on the small holes of the grater and that will get the zest for you.
[...] kind enough to make SOFT homemade sugar cookies with delicious icing! Here’s a recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe that we based our recipe on. They not only tasted great but looked amazing. Thank you, [...]
[...] over beautiful frosting. I would just rather eat a sugar cookie with homemade buttercream or cream cheese frosting than with that totally-beautiful-but-not-quite-as-tasty royal icing. The problem? I rarely can [...]
[...] over beautiful frosting. I would just rather eat a sugar cookie with homemade buttercream or cream cheese frosting than with that totally-beautiful-but-not-quite-as-tasty royal icing. The problem? I rarely can [...]
I was wondering if the icing remains sticky? I like to make them and ship them to my out of town family. Thank You, Terry.
Hi Terry – yes, the icing stays soft so it’s probably not ideal for shipping.
Wow…did I write this blog post??? Like you, I am always on the hunt for the best sugar cookie recipe and have tried several. My downfall is that I make a recipe and forget to take notes about why I liked or didn’t like a recipe so every year, I make something different! I have tried one from another blog that does great decorating but I didn’t like the taste. I am always looking for one that is easy to roll (since I agree that they are A LOT of work), retains their shape AND tastes delish. I hate putting a lot of work into the dough only to have the cookies all spread into blobs. My favorite cookie is the Lofthouse Sugar Cookie and I could eat the whole container by myself over a few days but have never attempted to make those with the copycat recipes out there. I’m not a huge cream cheese fan and I like to stack my cookies so I don’t think I’d use the frosting but I’ll try this and your White Velvet Sugar Cookies. Can’t wait to bake for the holidays! Thanks for the recipes!!
[...] two stores looking for food coloring, and finally we made these from a recipe that I found here at melskitchencafe.com….and the beautiful thing was that thanks to her step by step instructions they not only [...]
These look great. Do these cookies maintain the shape well during baking, or do they expand?
Sara – the cookie maintain their shape but they do puff a bit larger and expand. Not overly so, but just enough to make them soft and thick.
How long will your “favorite frosting “, the one on your sugar cookies , hold ? Do the cookies need to be in the fridge after frosting because of the whipped cream ? Thank you.
Sandra – if it is cool room temp, I’ll leave the frosted cookies out for up to 8 hours, otherwise I refrigerate them.
I am getting ready to make these yummy cookies for Thanksgiving! If they are a hit (I’m sure they will be based on all the awesome comments) I want to make these for my little girl’s first birthday. Quick question, you mentioned these can be stored in the freezer for up to a month. I plan to try this, but only store them a week or so. Just wondering, what is the best way to thaw the cookies?…on a counter? refrigerator? length of time? Thanks so much!
Mishelle – when I thaw the cookies, I just carefully (so they don’t break) place them on the counter and they are defrosted within an hour or two (if they are in a single layer).
[...] 28. Great Sugar Cookie Recipe [...]
These are delicious! Since moving to a high-altitude city I’ve struggled with flabby, over or under-cooked cookies. These came out perfect. I baked them on parchment paper, and I didn’t happen to have lemon zest or almond extract, so I just used a little extra of my Mexican vanilla extract. They are amazing!! I’m so glad I found this recipe!!
Thanks!
Steph
http://www.curioussoup.blogspot.com and
http://www.filmcriticsdaughter.blogspot.com
I love your blog! My husband thinks I am addicted to it. I do check it every day – but hey, your recipes make me look good.
I tried this recipe out. My favorite cookies are sugar cookies as well. I tried a litte dough – amazing! But I run into this problem every time with sugar cookies – the dough is so soft/sticky that I end up having to add quite a bit of flour as I roll/cut them. In the end the taste is nowhere near what I’m sure it could be (although they were still delicious). My cookies puff up quite a bit & don’t hold their shape very well (the circles look more like flattened biscuits when they come out). 
Any suggestions?
Hi Trish – even though this recipe says you can roll out without refrigerating, it sounds like a good chill of your dough may help. Not only will chilling make it so you can add much less flour while rolling, but the cookies will hold their shape better. Also, someone once told me they roll their cookies in powdered sugar, not flour. I don’t know if that would make them too sweet but it might help the rolling issues.
I thought the frosting needed 2 cups of the powdered sugar, as it wasn’t very sweet, and I usually hate sweet frosting. Maybe I’m just not a fan of cream cheese. None of my kids liked them much. I thought all those different flavors (vanilla, almond extract, lemon) would make for a taste sensation, but in the end I felt the cookie couldn’t figure out what it wanted to be. Plus I took them to a family, and since that frosting is so whip-creamy, they don’t cover well, or travel well, and have to remain refrigerated if not eaten soon.
Still sticking with my sugar cookie which I adore, but was glad to give something else a try. If nothing else, I learned that I am not a fan of cheese in my cookies!
I made these this year, the first time I’ve strayed from my great-grandmother’s recipe, and I have to say… Best. Things. Ever. I made four dozen with some corn syrup frosting, and they were gone in less than a week. There are only three of us (and 3 elves who keep eating all my sugar!). Thank you so much!
Dear Mel,
I’ve never made anything of yours but I just did this sugar cookie recipe and it makes me SOOOOOOOOOOOOO happy! I love making sugar cookies with the kids and have tried different recipes but never found one that tasted good AND didn’t puff up too much or twist out of shape while cookie. So I am so happy with yours and I will never need to find a different recipe. Thank you my dear! Merry Christmas! I really feel like this is a Christmas miracle! (I know I sound like a dork, but oh well). Oh, and I put them in the fridge and then rolled them in between parchment paper so I didn’t have to even add any flour so it is such little mess when you have kids help. Yay! I’m the best mom ever!
After mixing and freezing my dough, I finally baked them last night. They came out yummy but I did have some problems with the first batches. I cut about a 1/3 of the dough off, rolled in between wax paper and cut them but that batch came out like a little puffy and more like blobs. And that batch, I had a hard time peeling the cookie from the wax paper. After that, I lightly dusted the wax paper and then rolled. Better. I found the later ones that I had to work the dough a little bit and add a little bit more flour came out the best and maintained their shapes. So I’m not sure if that means I should add more flour in the mixing stage or if I’ll need to work the dough a little bit when I’m at the cutting stage. I’ve also read another blog who does beautiful cookies and she always leaves out any baking powder or baking soda. I’m afraid to try that but her cookies are so pretty. Will try again!
Can I say that what helped me was refrigerating it all night, then rolling it out between the parchment paper, and THEN I peeled the dough from the letters I cut out and left the letters on the parchment paper and baked them in the oven, now they are perfect and only the slightest bit puffy, so no extra flour added.
Santa loved these cookies. I left out the lemon – but he (and the family) loved them anyway.
Can I substitute the butter with Crisco butter flavored? I need to make sugar cookies for preschool and they have to be dairy free.
Thanks!!! Love your website!
Hi Jessica – I never use shortening in my cookies because I don’t like the after-taste so I haven’t tried it but if you are working around food allergies, then I definitely think it’s worth trying. I think it should work just fine with minimal other changes needed.
I made these for Valentine’s Day this year and they were fabulous!! Thanks so much for your website. I use it all the time and look forward to your posts.