Whether you’re a seasoned baker or novice in the kitchen, I’m sharing with you how to make the perfect sugar cookies- so easy and delicious, anyone can do it!

Merry Christmas Eve and Happy Holidays!
I wanted to get this post out sooner, but didn’t get a chance. So here I am…posting it a little late…
…But better late than never. Right? 🙂
I used to be a terrible baker. Or at least I thought I was.
I wanted to get better. Desperately.

I wanted to be the mom and some day grandma that would make trays full of beautiful cookies that were waiting to be decorated by excited children.
So I kept trying out recipes and tweaking them until I figured out how to make them just right!
Perfect sugar cookies are definitely an art!

So today I wanted to give you my foolproof method on how to make what I consider to be the perfect sugar cookie.
It’s a softer buttery cookie that cuts out perfectly and holds it shape when baked.
Plus it has a fantastic royal icing that sets up beautifully and is perfect for decorating for any occasion.
My first tip:
Work with chilled dough. You’re going to chill this dough twice before baking and it makes all the difference!
The benefit to that is this dough is great at making ahead of time. Up to a week before and keep in the fridge before you need it.
Second tip:
Cut them out a little thicker…

I roll the chilled dough out between two pieces of parchment paper so I don’t need to add flour to my surface. This keeps the dough consistent the entire time.
I like my dough somewhere between 1/4” to 1/2” thick before using cookie cutter cut outs.
And when I’ve cut out as many as I can on the first pass, I roll the dough back into a ball and start over until I’ve used up as much I can.
Now chill them again…

Only for about 15 minutes while your oven is heating up. It’s worth it…
I promise!
Your cookies will hold their shape better as the bake.
Here’s the full recipe for the perfect sugar cookies and royal icing…
PrintHow to Make the Perfect Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 8-10
- Total Time: 33 minute
- Yield: 12–15 standard sized cutout cookies 1x
Description
Whether you’re a seasoned baker or novice in the kitchen, I’m sharing with you how to make the perfect sugar cookies- so easy and delicious, anyone can do it!
Ingredients
Cookies-
- 1 cup softened butter
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Royal Icing Border (thick)-
- 16 oz. powder sugar (1/2 bag)
- 3 Tablespoons Meringue Powder
- 1 teaspoon corn syrup
- 5–6 Tablespoons warm water
Royal Icing Flood (thinner)-
- 16 oz. powder sugar (1/2 bag)
- 3 Tablespoons Meringue Powder
- 1 teaspoon corn syrup
- 7–8 Tablespoons warm water
* Royal Icing border is to outline cookies, flooding is the colored royal icing.
**I usually mix up the flood in a big bowl and then scoop out little bits into small cups with the food coloring and pour the icing onto the outlined cookie. Use a skewer to move icing around the cookie.
***If you don’t have meringue powder, egg whites can be used as a replacement.
Instructions
Cookies-
- Combine butter and sugar into a bowl and mix well for 2 minutes until combined
- Add egg and vanilla- mix well
- Slowly add in flour and salt a little at a time and mix for about 4 minutes until cookie dough ball forms.
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes or up to a week if not needed right away.
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Take chilled dough out of fridge and place it between two sheets of parchment paper and roll out into a rectangle about 1/4”-1/2” thick
- Cut out desired shapes and place on ungreased non stick cookie sheet
- Put cookie cutouts back into fridge to chill for 15 minutes
- Place cookies the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes
*Cookies will look and feel wet still when they come out. They should be pale in color with a very light tan bottom. They will set up when cool.
Icing-
Combine all the ingredients into two separate bowls. One should be a thicker consistency for outline and detail work. The other will be thinner for flooding.
*Icing can be made ahead- just bring to room temp before using.
- Category: Cookies
- Cuisine: Holiday
Keywords: sugar cookies, royal icing, royal icing recipe, easy sugar cookies with royal icing, perfect sugar cookies for royal icing
I’ve made these sugar cookies over and over again and they come out perfect every time!
Foolproof, easy, and delicious!
I hope you love them as much as we do!
Looking for more easy to make treats?
Give these a try…
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