Active Time

　　45 minutes

　　Total Time

　　2 hours 30 minutes (not including decorating)

　　The best sugar cookie has understated flavor and delicate texture. It should also take you straight back to your childhood, and this Gourmet classic hits all the right marks. It’s a roll-and-cut-out sugar cookie recipe that results in crisp, buttery cookies with the straightforward flavor of vanilla extract. Of course, these are your cookies, so if you want to add a ¼ tsp. peppermint or almond extract, ½ tsp. of cardamom or cinnamon, or 1 tsp. citrus zest, go for it. (Looking for chewy sugar cookies or gluten-free sugar cookies? We’ve got you covered.)

　　The lack of baking soda and baking powder in this recipe means the cookies won’t spread. That's ideal for turning out picture-perfect snowflakes, reindeer, stars, or whatever cookie cutters you want to use—even a Halloween pumpkin. For double the insurance, refrigerate the sugar cookie dough any time it starts to feel too soft. And always use a cool pan to bake off the next batch. Baking your cutouts on a cookie sheet lined with silicone or parchment paper ensures that the bottoms of the cookies won’t get too dark and makes it easier to transfer them from refrigerator to sheet pan to wire rack.

　　The icing used to decorate these easy sugar cookies is no plain powdered sugar glaze. Adding powdered egg whites (a pasteurized product) turns it into royal icing, which means it has body and will harden with a nice matte finish. You could also opt to frost the cookies with buttercream. Another option: Decorate with sanding sugar or sprinkles before your perfect sugar cookies hit the oven. Want to skip decorating? Fold in some mix-ins and call it a holiday.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 2 to 3 dozen cookies

　　

Sugar cookies:

2½ cups all-purpose flour

　　¾ tsp. kosher salt

　　1½ sticks (¾ cup) unsalted butter, softened

　　¾ cup granulated sugar

　　1 large egg

　　1 tsp. vanilla extract

　　

Decorating icing:

1 (1-lb) box powdered sugar

　　4 tsp. powdered egg whites (not reconstituted)

　　⅓ cup water

　　1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

　　1 tsp. vanilla extract

　　Gel food coloring (optional)

　　Special Equipment: 3- to 4-inch holiday cookie cutters; several small heavy-duty sealable plastic bags (not pleated) if icing cookies; sanding sugar and dragées (for decorating, optional)

　　

Sugar cookies:

Step 1

Whisk together flour and salt in a small bowl.

　　

Step 2

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a stand mixer or 6 minutes with a hand mixer. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.

　　

Step 3

Form dough into 2 balls and flatten each into a 6-inch disk. Chill disks, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.

　　

Step 4

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

　　

Step 5

Roll out 1 disk of dough (keep remaining dough chilled) into an 8½-inch round (¼ inch thick) on a well-floured surface with a well-floured rolling pin. (If dough becomes too soft to roll out, rewrap in plastic and chill until firm.) Cut out as many cookies as possible from dough with cutters and transfer to 2 ungreased large baking sheets, arranging cookies about 1 inch apart.

　　

Step 6

Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until edges are golden, 10 to 12 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

　　

Step 7

Meanwhile, gather scraps and chill until dough is firm enough to reroll, 10 to 15 minutes. Make more cookies with remaining dough and scraps (reroll scraps only once) and bake on cooled baking sheets.

　　Do Ahead: Dough can be chilled up to 3 days. Baked cookies keep, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment, in an airtight container at room temperature 1 week.

　　

Decorating icing:

Step 8

Beat together all ingredients except food coloring in a large bowl with an electric mixer at moderate speed until just combined, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and beat icing, scraping down side of bowl occasionally, until it holds stiff peaks, about 3 minutes in a standing mixer or 4 to 5 minutes with a handheld. 

　　Note: If you plan to spread (rather than pipe) icing on cookies, stir in more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, to thin to desired consistency.

　　

Step 9

Transfer ¼ cup icing to a small bowl for each color and tint with food coloring. Spoon each color icing into a sealable bag, pressing out excess air, and snip a ⅛-inch opening in 1 bottom corner of bag. Twisting bag firmly just above icing, decoratively pipe icing onto cookies. Decorate with sanding sugar and dragées, if using. Let icing dry completely (about 1 hour) before storing cookies. 

　　Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published in the December 2005 issue of ‘Gourmet’ and first appeared online in November 2005. Head this way for more of our best Christmas cookies →