Friday, September 30, 2011

Super Soft Sugar Cookies


I like sugar cookies.   
I mean, there's sugar, in a cookie.  What's not to like?
But in all honesty, if given a choice between sugar cookies and something with chocolate or peanut butter or caramel (or all of the above), the sugar cookies would lose every time.  
Until now. 
These are seriously my Favorite. Sugar. Cookies. Ever.  

Reminiscent of the super soft frosted sugar cookies you buy in plastic containers at the grocery store, (did you know that at Wal-Mart, they'll give a free cookie to each child at the bakery....and it's often one of those sugar cookies?  I may or may not sneak a bite of my youngest's cookie once in awhile.), these are so much better, it's ridiculous.
  
Buttery, flavorful, perfect texture, they're just dreamy.  
No artificial ingredients, no chemicals, no weird stuff you can't pronounce, and unbeatable deliciousness.  

Can you tell I'm a fan?

I didn't try to roll out the dough to cut shapes, so I can't say for sure that it wouldn't work, but the dough is pretty soft and spreads quite a bit, so I'm guessing it wouldn't be the best for shaped cookies.  

But when you taste these, you won't care that they're in a plain ole circle shape.  I promise.

Recipe: (adapted slightly from Annie's Eats)

1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, room temperature (I used salted)
1-1/2 cups sugar
5 t. vanilla extract
3 large eggs
4-1/2 cups flour (I used half all-purpose, half white whole wheat)
4-1/2 t. baking powder
3/4 t. salt

Frosting:
5 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter (5-1/3 T), melted
1 T. vanilla extract
6-8 T. milk
Food coloring (optional)
Sprinkles (optional)

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.  Blend in the vanilla.  
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk together to blend.  With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated and evenly mixed.  Cover and chill the dough for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  
Scoop a scant quarter cup of dough and roll into a ball.  Flatten the ball slightly and place on the prepared baking sheet.  Alternatively, use a medium cookie scoop like this one (love that scoop!) to make balls and flatten them slightly.  Your cookies will be a bit smaller, but you'll get more of them, so it's okay.  
Space the cookies at least 2-3 inches apart.  Bake 10-12 minutes or just until set.  (10 minutes exactly for me.)  Do NOT overbake!  The edges should be no more than very lightly browned if at all.  Let cook on the baking sheet for several minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

To frost cookies, combine the powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and 6 T. milk to a medium bowl and whisk until smooth.  Whisk in additional milk as necessary until you reach your desired consistency.  Tint with food coloring if desired.  Use an offset spatula or spoon to frost the cooled cookies.  Top with sprinkles if desired.  Store in an airtight container. 

13 comments:

  1. I can't wait to try these :) I love a good sugar cookie too -- but haven't found the perfect soft recipe.

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  2. I love these cookies at the store! And I am right there with you eating the little bit of cookie left over by my little guy at the grocery ;)

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  3. How many cookies does this recipe yield?

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  4. Beautiful cookies! I really do hope to give these a go :)

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  5. Lauren, I got about 34 nice-sized cookies from the recipe using my medium cookie scoop - but I think if you used the 1/4 cup measure, you'd get more like 24 pretty large cookies. I'm going to make some miniature ones next time - I think those are so cute! Just be sure to leave the dough pretty thick so the cookies won't get crispy at all.

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  6. I'm eating a sugar cookie right now! I love anything with frosting on top. I saw this recipe on Annie's blog awhile ago. Good to know you love them too!

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  7. Thanks so much, I will probably cut the recipe in half so I don't eat too many by myself! haha, but I can't wait to give this recipe a try!

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  8. I've been looking for a good soft sugar cookie recipe without sour cream for so long and I've finally found it! Thank you!! I can't wait to try these :)

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  9. Good and simple recipe for sugar cookies, what could be better? I made these and they are easy and best of all, everyone loved them, including me!! Thanks for sharing!

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  10. I can't think of anyone that does not like sugar cookies, but what makes these special is they are really soft they literally melted in my mouth. This of course makes them extremely addicting for me anyway.

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  11. When these cookies are frosted are you able to stack them for storage or will the icing stick to the bottom of the cookie on top of it? Thanks!

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    1. I found it worked best to put them in single layers with a sheet of wax paper between them, otherwise they were likely to stick in a few places.
      Hope you like them!

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  12. Rebekah,
    I just found another recipe quite like yours-I think you'll have fun trying!!! I haven't tried it yet, but hoping to soon. Remind me to give you the recipe!!

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