Easy, tried, and tested recipe to make delicious soft sugar cookies that are yummy on their own but also perfect for frosting! An easy royal icing or glaze is included in the recipe.
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Can you believe it’s already November? Soon it would be Thanksgiving and then before you know it Christmas is right around the corner! I guess, the good thing about reminding ourselves about this is that soon 2020 – the most challenging year – would soon be over!
Do you feel the same way? I just want some normalcy soon!
Anyway, my just turned 12-year-old daughter Sophie has been in a baking mood of late (since the quarantine began actually! ) and wanted to make some sugar cookies the other day. I told her about a soft sugar cookie recipe I found in the cookbook of our old church. I told her to try it and see if it’s any good so we can use that for the holiday season when cookie baking would be at its peak.
That cookbook which was compiled by the lovely ladies in our church has been my go-to reliable resource for meals and sweet treats. It contains delicious recipes that each of their families have loved through the years. I got two copies so I can make these yummy recipes at home.
So my daughter tried the soft sugar cookies recipe from the cookbook and I’m happy to report that the recipe worked well! It was a success!
In fact, the cookies you see from the photos were the ones my daughter made based on the cookbook. She got some fall and Christmas cookie cutters and used them to shape the cookies.
Indeed, she managed to make all these cookies and even frosted some! I think she did a good job! Don’t you think?
I simply became the taste tester for these cookies! I must say the cookies were actually excellent and tasted delicious on their own. In fact, I prefer the cookies plain and without any frosting at all.
I love the yummy buttery taste and the soft and smooth texture of the cookies! I thought they were perfect with my morning coffee!
Besides, if my 12-year old can make it, surely anyone can! It was indeed a very easy recipe that yielded perfect results!
So, if you are in need of an easy, tried, and tested sugar cookie recipe for your holiday baking – I certainly highly recommend this Easy Soft Sugar Cookies Recipe!
I guarantee you won’t be disappointed!
Easy, tried and tested recipe to make delicious soft sugar cookies that are great on their own but also perfect for frosting!
Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs; beat. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts and add all dry ingredients. Chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.
On a floured surface, roll out cookie dough and cut into desired shapes. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 375 F for 6-8 minutes.
Makes approximately 5 dozen large cookies.
EASY ROYAL ICING OR GLAZE for SUGAR COOKIES
Mix all the ingredients with a whisk. Add about 4-6 tablespoons of water (or as needed) to achieve a smooth consistency. The resulting mixture should be smooth and not lumpy, and neither runny nor too thick. Divide the icing or glaze into small bowls and add your chosen food color. Put each glaze into a piping bag with a 2-3 mm nozzle and decorate the cookies as desired.
Notes
TIPS & TRICKS
Lightly spray cookie sheets (if not using non-stick) with vegetable oil before baking the first batch or use a parchment-lined baking sheet or Silpat.
If you don’t have almond extract, this can be made with just all vanilla extract (1 tsp).
If you’re not icing all the cookies, the royal icing or glaze recipe can be halved. Use the same amount of egg whites and lemon juice but use half the amount of powdered sugar and add about 1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons water to achieve desired consistency.
If you don’t want to frost and decorate all the cookies, sprinkle the last batches with decorative sugars, sprinkles, etc before baking. Or, make them plain as they are so tasty on their own – not super sweet but just perfect!
You can also use store-bought canned frosting for convenience.
These cookies freeze great too. Simply unthaw and decorate later.
Baking cookies quickly in a hot oven – at 375 degrees F as opposed to a lower temperature – will make for soft results. They'll bake fast instead of sitting and drying out in the oven's hot air. Ever so slightly underbaking your cookies will give you softer results than cooking them the full amount the recipe says.
The very best sugar cookies are soft and tender. → Follow this tip: One of the keys to great sugar cookies is mixing the dry ingredients only until they're just incorporated, and not a second longer. Once the dry ingredients are added, less mixing equals more tender cookies.
For soft cookies, use: Brown sugar, as it has a high moisture content and retains moisture better than white sugar. Also, when combined with eggs, brown sugar can prevent spreading (taller cookies tend to be softer and fluffier). Shortening instead of butter or in addition to butter.
The science is simple: According to the flour authorities over at Bob's Red Mill, cornstarch can help “soften the rigid proteins of the flour, resulting in a light and chewy dessert.” “The cornstarch complements the flour in absorbing the liquids, but won't develop gluten structure like the flour will,” stresses ...
Softened butter and melted butter are not the same. Using melted butter will change the texture of whatever you're baking. If you only want the butter to soften for spreading, microwave it on the Defrost setting (30%) in 5-second increments until it's softened as desired.
Bake cookies on parchment paper: Sometimes greasing a baking sheet can cause sugar cookies to spread. Instead, use parchment paper to prevent sticking and help the cookies keep their shape. Don't let the dough get warm. Notice the dough needs to be chilled for at least 2 hours.
Popping your dough in the fridge allows the fats to cool. As a result, the cookies will expand more slowly, holding onto their texture. If you skip the chilling step, you're more likely to wind up with flat, sad disks instead of lovely, chewy cookies. Cookies made from chilled dough are also much more flavorful.
Place each portion onto a piece of lightly floured parchment paper or a lightly floured silicone baking mat. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use more flour if the dough seems too sticky. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly 1/4-inch thick.
Just wrap a cookie or two in a damp paper towel and then put them in the microwave for about 10 to 15 seconds. The moisture from the paper towel should soften the cookies right up. So if you wonder how to soften hard cookies quickly? Microwave is the way!
Room temperature butter is just the right consistency to incorporate air when it's creamed with sugar. These trapped air pockets result in risen, fluffy cookies. If the butter is any warmer, it won't incorporate enough air and your cookies will have less rise.
How Sugars Behave in Dough. In recipes that involve baking soda, the primary role of acidic brown sugar is to react with sodium bicarbonate and produce carbon dioxide, making cookies thick, puffy, and soft (cakey at first, then crunchy if they continue to bake).
Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies. Since baking powder is comprised of a number of ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, etc.), using it instead of pure baking soda will affect the taste of your cookies.
Cookies begin losing moisture through evaporation from the moment that they come out of the oven. So it's totally normal for them to harden up a bit. Yet, this is why you need to store them in an airtight container once they completely cool or they will continue to lose moisture.
The ingredients you use and how you shape your cookies both play an important role in whether your cookies turn out crispy or chewy. The type of flour and sugar you use, if your cookie dough contains eggs, and whether you use melted or softened butter all factor into the crispy-chewy equation, too.
Double Your Yolks Most cookie recipes call for at least one egg. You can try omitting the white of each egg, which tends to dry out when baked, and replacing it with an additional yolk. Plus, egg yolks have more fat than egg whites, which helps to keep your cookies moist and chewy.
The key to keeping cookies fresh and soft is to seal them in an airtight container, like a resealable freezer bag. And here's a nifty little trick: add a piece of bread to the bag.
Introduction: My name is Rev. Leonie Wyman, I am a colorful, tasty, splendid, fair, witty, gorgeous, splendid person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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