Description
These classic sugar cookies are perfect for decorating and making any occasion special!
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (or freshly grated)
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (at room temperature)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- ¼ cup milk
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy using an electric mixer, preferably a stand mixer but a hand mixer will work too. Add eggs, vanilla extract and lemon extract, and beat until combined.
- Add a third of the flour to the butter mixture and half of the milk. Mix until combined, then repeat: another third of the flour, and half of the milk, mix until combined, then mix in the remaining flour. If you are using a hand mixer, you may have to do this by hand if the dough gets too stiff for your mixer.
- Divide dough into 2 disks, wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight.
- To bake, preheat oven to 350°F.
- Roll one half of one disk of dough out on a well-floured board or counter, using a floured rolling pin. Keep the remaining dough refrigerated. For crisp cookies, roll to about ⅛ inch and for softer cookies, roll to about ¼ inch.
- Cut desired shapes with floured cookie cutter, re-rolling the scraps as you go. Transfer the cut out cookies to a cookie sheet, leaving at least one inch between cookies. The colder the dough is, the less the cookies will spread, keeping their crisp cut-out shape.
- Bake for 6 to 7 minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom. Cool slightly until firm, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating or storing.
- Decorate as desired.
Notes
- For best results, chill dough overnight for stronger flavor and shape retention.
- Use a variety of cookie cutters for different shapes!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 30mg