Hello darlings,

I don’t know about you guys, but this weather is really making me want to bust out some old baking recipes! It’s also the season for baking, amiright? Something about the chill in the air, the cool breeze and all the fuzzy sweaters. Even though it’s supposed to be 79 degrees here tomorrow (eye roll) I’m still in the holiday spirit!!

My family has a tradition where all the women get together and have a cookie bake. We bring new recipes each year and test cookies out. Some stick, some are replaced by interesting twists on classics. This sugar cookie recipe is one that has stuck. It’s so good, it tastes good without the icing. Yes, without the icing.

Print Recipe

The Best Sugar Cookies

Chewy, pillowy and just as delicious without frosting. That's how you know it's a good cookie!

Ingredients

For cookies:

1 1/2 cups butter softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
5 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

For frosting:

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-4 tsp milk

Instructions

Directions for cookies:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together until smooth.
Then beat in eggs, vanilla and almond extract until combined.
Next, stir in flour, baking powder and salt until just combined. Cover and chill for at least an hour.
Roll out dough on a floured surface, 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes. Place 1 inch apart on parchment lined cookie sheets.
Bake 6-8 minutes until edges are just about to brown. Remove from sheet immediately and let cool on wire racks. Cool completely before frosting.

Directions for frosting:

In a medium bowl, mix powdered sugar, vanilla, melted butter and 2 tsp milk together with a hand mixer. Add more milk as needed to reach desired consistency. Remember that the food coloring will also thin it out a little. If it becomes too thin, no worries just add more powdered sugar.

To me, the test of a good sugar cookie is one that tastes good on it’s own without any of the sugary icing or sprinkles. I promise you, these taste amazing on their own. They are soft and fluffy and have a wonderful vanilla-y and almond-y flavor to them.

I’m a nerd and actually take hours decorating a whole batch of cookies. That’s the type-A in me 😀 But the time flies when you’re listening to Christmas music.

I happen to have a massive sweet tooth *guilty* so I could easily eat every one of these damn cookies. However, I have come up with a formula to prevent that from happening. You have a few options here…

Invite some friends over for dinner that night and insist they take some home. (I do this often..after all, might as well share in the fatness 😉 )
Wrap them up in little boxes or tins if you can find them and give them out to some of your closest neighbors or friends!
If you have kids, they can take a whole tin to school for lunch and share them with all the other kiddos.

Save some for yourself, of course! But might as well share the love <3

Husker is all about the cookie life! <3

What do you guys think? Does your family have any cookie traditions?

Lots of love,

xox

Tessa

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