Over the years, I’ve made thousands of cookies. Chocolate chips are some of my favorites, there’s nothing quite like a snickerdoodle, and I can’t resist Potato Chip Cookie! However, out of all the cookies I’ve made, my Signature Sugar Cookies top them all.
I have been making these delicious bites for over forty years - it‘s a scary thought to think I have been baking for that long!! I wish I had pictures of how they have evolved through the years. The original recipe called for lemon extract and icing them while they were still warm, creating a thin glaze. One time after baking a batch of cookies I did not have powdered sugar to make the icing so waited to ice them later. I discovered when I iced a cooled cookie the results were so different, a delightful layer of icing to which I could add sprinkles and decorations. Thus resulting in phrase two of sugar cookies. Phrase three occurred when I was out of lemon extract and only had vanilla and almond extract. I used what I had on hand and discovered the wedding cake version which I still bake today.
Through the years the shapes and colors of the cookies have transformed. Some years I have made only one shape in different sizes, like all hearts, all trees, all-stars… For some years I have made an assortment of shapes and decorated them in a rainbow of colors with every imaginable sprinkle available. There have been the all-white heart years, followed by several years of green Christmas trees with colored decorations to white Christmas trees with pearls and crystal sprinkles. You are only limited by your imagination.
I have made beautiful serving trays of white wedding cake and heart-shaped cookies for bridal parties getting dressed up for their special day. The holidays always included some special-shaped cookies. Turkeys at Thanksgiving stars on the 4th of July, watermelon slices in the summer, fall leaves, Easter bunnies, and every imaginable shape.
They’re the perfect sugar cookie with a decadent yet simple glaze. Sometimes I roll out the dough a little thinner for a cookie that’s delightfully crunchy, but usually, I stick with a ¼-inch thick dough that results in perfectly chewy goodness. Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is!
This recipe is so good, that my husband Larry and many of my friends have been trying to convince me to open a bakery for years. While that does sound like fun, I’m quite happy to share the recipe here for all of you to make and enjoy at home!
One thing I love about this recipe is how kid-friendly it is. With simple ingredients and steps, kids can be involved in every step of the recipe. My girls have many many fond memories of baking days, surrounded by friends and laughter. Even though I’d sweep up sprinkles and icing for days after, those memories are much sweeter than the cookies we made.
I have found that for little ones under 5, it can be hard to keep their attention from mixing through decorating, so I’ll make the dough in advance and freeze individual sheets for little hands to work with. I raised my girls on these cookies, and Victoria uses this recipe often when babysitting. It’s a surefire way for kids to have an incredibly fun evening!
My secret ingredient?
Using both almond extract and vanilla extract gives this cookie a hint of a wedding cake flavor. It’s the perfect touch to complement the sugar cookies!
How it’s made
Melt butter in the microwave and let it cool slightly while you mix together the dry ingredients. You don’t want the butter to be hot enough to cook the egg! Mix in the butter, egg, and extracts to the dry ingredients.
When the dough is made, divide it into three portions. Take one portion of the dough and roll it out between two sheets of plastic wrap. While you can skip this step, it keeps the dough from sticking to your rolling pin and makes it significantly easier to roll it out! I used to roll out the dough without the plastic wrap, but I found I had to keep adding flour to the table and rolling pin, which made the cookies dry. Once I started this step I get perfect cookies every time! It also makes it easy to freeze sheets of the dough. I love doing this because I can pop a sheet out and make a few cookies if a friend is stopping in or for a Bible study.
You can cut out cookies directly on the plastic wrap, which makes it easier to lift them and transfer them to the baking pan.
Icing Options
When I’m making fancy cookies for an event, I typically use royal icing and pipe around the edges, then fill the center of the cookies with a thinner icing after the edge piping has set. This method is called flooding. However, I often use my simple icing recipe for quick and easy icing that is equally delicious! Simply spread it on, decorate, and eat! It’s also easier for children to work with.
If you use the Royal Icing recipe, I recommend using pasteurized raw eggs if you’re concerned about the use of egg whites. Also, make sure your bowl and beaters are cleaned, and free from all oil, this prevents egg whites from whipping up too.
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