Yummy Sugar Cookies Recipe
Recipe makes approx. 20 – 24 cookies or halved will make approx. 12 cookies
Ingredients:
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup butter softened (unsalted), if you use salted omit salt with the flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Method:
1. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside
2. Cream together sugar and butter, add eggs and vanilla and mix until fluffy
Gradually add flour mixture a little at a time. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour.
3. Heat oven to 350F/160C. Once soft but still cool, roll the dough out between two sheets of baking paper and cut out into shapes following the guide below. Spraying the cutters and embossers with a layer or two of oil will prevent the dough from sticking – this is a must or you will have issues with higher detail designs. You can use any thickness of dough but I find 1/4 inch thickness has best results.
4. Place cutouts onto a silicone mat or baking paper covered cookie tray using a spatula. Refrigerate cutouts for 15 minutes prior to baking if desired – this will help the dough to keep its shape while baking.
Bake at 350F/160C for about 10-15 minutes. The edges of your cookies should be golden brown when done. I recommend setting a timer for 8 minutes and taking a peek then. If the dough is rising and losing its shape/details, remove for one minute and then return to the oven. If you are baking more than one cookie tray at a time rotate their positions at the halfway mark.
Cleaning: Soak your cookie cutter in warm soapy water for 2 – 3 hours or overnight to loosen any leftover dough. Scrub with a long soft bristle brush to clean out any crevices and leave out to dry. PLEASE DO NOT put your cookie cutter in the dishwasher. It will melt. WARM WATER ONLY.
Tip: add colour by piping royal icing onto your cookie, or a faster method is to cut and emboss from a flattened piece of fondant, then place the cut out on top of your cookie. Add food colouring to your dough if you wish, or chocolate chips ect… be creative and have fun!
