Christie C. Welcome to the "Twelve Days of Cookies" Special. For the first twelve days in December, a new cookie recipe will be featured to help fill your cookie tins this season. On the First Day of Cookies, my true love sent to me: One Vanilla Cut-Out Sugar Cookie.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Only 6 ingredients
- Rich, delectable vanilla and butter flavor
- Stays super soft, yet keeps its shape
- Delicious with or without icing
- Highly versatile
- Easy to decorate
- Can be frozen and made ahead
A Short History of Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
While pinpointing their exact origin can be challenging, sugar cookie development is closely tied to the evolution of sugar and baking techniques.
The concept of sugar cookies can be traced back to medieval Europe. During this time, sugar was a precious and expensive commodity, and its use in baking was a sign of wealth and luxury. Sugar cookies, known as “sweet cakes” or “candied biscuits,” were made by European cooks who had access to sugar and the skills to create intricate desserts.
Sugar cookies made their way to the American colonies with European settlers. These early versions of sugar cookies were relatively plain and were often flavored with ingredients like rosewater and caraway seeds.
In the 17th century, the use of cookie molds and wooden presses became popular, allowing bakers to create intricate and decorative designs on their sugar cookies. This technique gave rise to the German “springerle” cookies, which featured detailed, embossed images.
Cut-out sugar cookies gained popularity during the late 18th century, with cookbooks featuring recipes for “Jumbles” and “Plum Cakes.” Martha Washington’s “Great Cake” recipe included ingredients similar to those used in sugar cookies, such as sugar, butter, eggs, and spices.
Hannah Glasse, a prominent cookery writer in the 18th century, has a recipe for Plum Cakes:
To make little Plum-Cakes
Take two pounds of flour dried in the oven, or at a great fire, and a half pound of sugar finely powdered, four yolks of eggs, two whites, half a pound of butter washed with rosewater, six spoonfuls of cream warmed, a pound and a half of currants unwashed but pickled and rubbed very clean in a cloth; mix all well together then make them up into cakes, bake them in a oven, almost as hot as for a manchet, and let them stand half an hour on till they are coloured on both sides, then take down the oven lid, and let them stand to soak. You must rub the butter into the flour very well, then the egg and cream, and then the currants.
The 19th century saw the advent of the metal cookie cutter, which made it easier to create consistent shapes and sizes. This innovation simplified the process of making cut-out sugar cookies, and the cookies became a common treat in American households, particularly during the holiday season.
Cut-out sugar cookies, as we know them today, are closely associated with Christmas traditions. German and Dutch settlers in Pennsylvania brought their cookie-making traditions, including gingerbread and sugar cookies, to America in the 18th century. These cookies were often cut into festive shapes and decorated with simple icing or colorful sugars.
The Secret to Super, Buttery, Vanilla-y Sugar Cookies
Use High Quality Ingredients: Sugar cookies are simply made with only six ingredients. The better the quality, the better tasting the cookies. European or Amish butter are typically richer in texture and flavor, which carries over into the cookies. Good flour, sugar, and pure vanilla extract also contribute to the flavor.
Cream the Butter and Sugar: Creaming the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy is a crucial step in sugar cookie recipes. Take your time with this step, as it helps incorporate air into the dough and contributes to a better flavor and texture.
Use High-Quality Vanilla: Invest in pure, high-quality vanilla extract or use vanilla bean paste for a more intense vanilla flavor.
Chill the Dough: Allow the cookie dough to chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or overnight) before rolling and cutting the cookies. Chilled dough not only helps with the texture but also intensifies the flavor.
Roll in Spiced Sugar: This is optional, but before baking, roll the cookie dough in a mixture of sugar and spices like cinnamon or cardamom. This adds a flavorful, sweet, and spiced coating to the cookies. Sometimes I roll my cookies in flavored sugars from the Tea & Spice Exchange.
Icing or Glaze: Top your sugar cookies with flavorful icing or glaze. Lemon, orange, or almond-flavored icing can provide a delightful burst of flavor and complement the sweetness of the cookies.
Salt: A pinch of flaky sea salt on top of your sugar cookies right out of the oven can balance the sweetness and elevate the overall flavor.
Our Vanilla Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
As mentioned earlier, quality ingredients are a game changer for sugar cookies. On certain holidays, I will splurge on Amish or Irish butter to bake a delicious batch of sugar cookies. If economical options are the only options, try to find good butter over everything else. If you do a taste test with good butter and economical butter, you will notice a flavor and texture difference.
Homemade royal icing powers up those cookies. Our version does not use raw egg whites, so you can safely make a shelf stable cookie.
Decorating options are endless. You can ice the cookies with royal icing, dip them in chocolate, and add sprinkles or chopped nuts.
More Recipes Like This
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Special Tools and Equipment
Cookie Cutters
Sheet Pans
Rolling Pin
Silicone or Rubber Spatula
2 Large Mixing Bowls
Optional: Piping Bags
Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (220g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) cane sugar
- 3 cups (300g) all-purpose flour, sifted
- 2 large egg yolks (35g)
- 1 tbsp (15g) vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 24 oz (800ml) royal icing, for decorating
Instructions
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In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until super smooth and creamy. Next, add the eggs and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated.
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In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
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A third at a time, mix the flour into the creamed sugar until combined. Mix for another 15 seconds. Do not over-mix. Over-mixing will develop the gluten structure, creating a dense and chewy bread-like cookie. The dough should come together easily, but still have a slightly crumbly consistency.
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Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it until the dough comes together further. This should only take a minute. At this point, it should no longer be crumbly, but smooth and easy to shape. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts.
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Lay a 12×12 inch sheet of parchment onto the counter and dust it with flour. Roll out one of the chunks of dough onto the parchment until it is just under a 1/4 inch thick. Repeat for the remaining piece of dough.
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Lay the layers of parchment and dough on top of one another, and place onto a baking sheet. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill it in the freezer for at least 1 hour.
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Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C).
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Take the dough out of the freezer and lay the parchment on the table.
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Keeping the dough on the parchment, use desired cookie cutters to cut out unique shapes in the dough. Set the shapes onto clean parchment lined cookie sheets at least an inch apart from one another. Knead the leftover dough together and roll it out again into a sheet just shy of a 1/4 inch thick. If the dough is too soft, chill it again before cutting out additional cookie shapes. Repeat until all of the dough has been used up. You should have 20 to 25 cookies.
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Bake them in the center of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until slightly golden at the edges.
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Allow the cookies to cool completely before decorating with royal icing, or eat as is!
