Easy Sugar Cookies Recipe
Who can say, “NO,” to a sugar cookie? My Easy Sugar Cookies Recipe are crisp, pillowy perfection, cut cookies you’ll love too. Please don’t take my word for it though. Try them yourself and feel the love from your fans. Like me, you’ll say, “These are the easiest sugar cookies ever!”
Easy Sugar Cookie Recipe
I remember frosting and decorating big heart cookies each Valentine’s Day. It was a part of our fun class parties and Mom made them at home too. We decorated them the night before the big love day, a tradition as happy as pumpkin carving the night before Halloween at my house. I adored sharing them with those I loved, family, friends, and neighbors. Sugar cookies are so festive and my favorite holiday cookie because they can be dolled up with sprinkles, shimmering sugar, and fancy seasonal candies.
Easy Sugar Cookies Recipe calls for real butter for a reason, it’s key to the flavor of these cookies. I think butter is better in in everything anyway. Also are you in my camp? Alison is. We like cookies frosted with a rich, creamy, buttercream frosting. We have never had a sugar cookie with decorator icing that we liked. They look so pretty in a cellophane package with a pretty ribbon, but they’re hard and taste like cardboard. I use delicious buttercream that the kids can spread on with fat little knives. And do they ever lay on the sprinkles. Right now lots of sprinkles are shimmering and gleaming all over my house!
Plan Ahead
It’s important to make the dough a day ahead. Mix it up and cut it in quarters. Wrap it up and place it in the refrigerator to chill overnight. The following day, cut your cookies with a heart cookie cutter and place on a silpat or parchment sheet lined professional cookie sheet. These cookies will keep for 2 weeks in a covered container or in the freezer for 3 months.
Recently my sweet niece invited us for dinner and I offered to bring dessert. My cute little great nephews and niece were delighted when I uncovered our fresh baked Easy Sugar Cookies Recipe cookies, along with colored, (I recommend this vivid food coloring) buttercream frosting, pink sugar, and Valentine sprinkles.
Well it only took a little frosting to get this guy excited about taking his first crisp sugary bite!
After all the cookies were frosted and decorated, this pink sugar-lipped chickadee wouldn’t share a frosty kiss with her younger brother!
After munching on his Easy Sugar Cookie Recipe cookie, he shared his happiness with me!
Easy Sugar Cookies Recipe
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
My very favorite holiday cookie, Easy Sugar Cookies Recipe, are crisp and delicious plain. Frost 'em and dress them up with sprinkles to suit any occasion. They keep for 2 weeks in a covered container or in the freezer for 3 months.
Author: Renée
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Serves: 5 dozen
Ingredients
- 1 c. butter, softened
- 1½ c. sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 c. all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
Buttercream Frosting
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 4-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 5 to 6 tablespoons 2% milk
To Decorate
- Coarse sugar crystals, silver dragées, holiday sprinkle decors
Instructions
- In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. In separate large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat butter and sugar until blended. Increase speed to high; beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low; beat in eggs and vanilla until mixed, then beat in flour mixture just until blended, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces; flatten each piece into a disk. Wrap each disk with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove1 piece of dough from refrigerator. On lightly floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll dough until slightly less than ¼ inch thick. With floured 3-inch to 4-inch cookie cutters, cut dough into as many cookies as possible; reserve trimmings. Place cookies, 1 inch apart, on two ungreased large cookie sheets.
- Bake until edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower oven racks halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough.
- When cookies are cool, prepare Buttercream Frosting, if you like; use along with sugars and candies to decorate cookies. Set cookies aside to allow frosting to dry completely, about 1 hour. Store in tightly covered container (with waxed paper between layers if decorated) at room temperature up to 2 weeks, or in freezer up to 3 months.
Buttercream Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy. Beat in the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. (Yield: About 3 cups.)
What’s your favorite Valentine’s Day tradition?
We're Alison and Renée, and we're so glad you've joined us! Our kitchens are our happy place, where we're whipping up memories. Get comfy and check things out. We hope you find inspiring dishes and ways to better your life. Feeling optimistic, trying new things and sharing with those we love brings joy in all we do. It's time to cook, create and celebrate. CHEERS! 
That is freshly baked perfection! Can’t wait to try your recipe!
Thanks so much for reading. Let me know how you like our cookies please!
Love this recipe! What a great idea with Valentine’s Day right around the corner. Going to give it a go with the kids this weekend. Love all the great pictures!
Awesome, thanks Jonathan, let us know how you do!
Wow these look yummy!!
We think they are! Please let us know how you like them. Thanks for coming by.
This looks like a fantastic recipe. I love that it’s all stuff I usually have on hand. I didn’t realize that it works better to put the dough in the fridge overnight. Good tip! And who doesn’t love cute heart shaped cookies for Valentine’s Day?!
Thanks, Jenny! I don’t know anyone that doesn’t want a heart-shaped cookie on Valentines either! Glad you stopped by!
These are so cute!! Love them.
Thanks, Lindsey!
My kids are going to love these! Thank you!
I hope they enjoy them as much as my kids do!
My younger sister would absolutely love these! Sounds like a fun activity for us to do 🙂 Thanks for sharing
Yes, definitely fun to do with kids! Have fun!
I’m not much of a baker, but these cookies are worthy trying. Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe : )
Thanks for reading and please know these sugar cookies are a great place for a novice baker to start. Please share any suggestions you have and how your cookies come out! Happy Valentines…
These almost look too pretty to eat! Thanks for the recipe!
You are so sweet but seriously they taste better than they look! 🙂
These look wonderful!
Thanks so much!