Do you have a go-to recipe for sugar cookies? Mine used to be the Pillsbury tube, but I’ve graduated from the tube and now I’m using the recipe from one of the American Girl recipe books. Seriously. I tried so many recipes and finally found the one (I think) is the best for sugar cookies with royal icing. And they are so much fun to share, or bag for everyday or special events like this one.

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We’ve used this recipe from this book several times over the last few months– for St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, beach-themed cookies, and Halloween. Who knew decorating cookies could be cathartic?

We’ve even made our own cookie cutters. I tried to get hubby to make an engineering lesson out of it– but once again– got the “stop trying to make everything school, Mom.” How rude! Did I mention we’ve also watched too much Full House? #stephaniejudithtannerforever

Let’s Talk Cookies!

I’m using the mixer my dad bought me years ago– it’s a Kitchen Aid, a mixer that should last a lifetime. Here’s a similar one in ice blue, and it’s GORGEOUS!

Another item I can’t do these cookies without is this rolling pin from Joseph Joseph. It has removable rings that allow you to roll the dough in just the right height and it’s so unbelievably helpful in making your cookies uniform.

Here’s a cute set of cookie cutters for Fall/Thanksgiving and another one for Christmas.

Cookie Dough in 5 Easy Steps

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In the large bowl of a mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 mins.
Add egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until well combined.
Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl again.
Add cream and beat on low speed just until combined.

Your dough should look something like this:

Prep the Dough

To prep your dough, lightly dust a clean work surface with flour.

Using a rubber spatula, scrape the dough out onto the work surface, then use your hands to shape into a flattened rectangle. Try not to overwork the dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least an hour or overnight.

Let’s Roll + Bake Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Lightly dust work surface with flour, unwrap dough and set on surface. If the dough is too hard, you can let it stand at room temp for a few minutes. I cut my dough into three sections, using one section at a time and returning the others to the fridge.

Dust rolling pin with flour and roll out dough to an even 1/4 thickness.

Use cookie cutters to cut your shapes.

With a floured metal spatula, carefully move cutouts to your pan. Place cutouts 1 inch apart.

Gather dough scraps and press together, roll out again and repeat cutting more shapes until you’ve used all your dough.

Bake cookies one sheet at a time until light golden brown, about 14-16 minutes. All ovens are different, watch yours to see what timing works best.

Once baked, let them cool slightly, then move cutouts with a spatula to a cooling rack. I have a single rack, but check this one out— this is definitely on my Christmas list!

Repeat this process until you’ve used all your dough, and baked all your cookies. Cool completely, and decorate with icing or sprinkles.

I previously wrote a post on royal icing when I took a class from Laurel at Southern Parm, and she was kind enough to allow me to share her recipe. It’s easier than you think, but has taken me a little practice!

Here are some helpful items you might be interested in for making royal icing: piping bags, bag ties, gel food coloring, meringue powder.

Fun for the whole family: decorating cookies at Easter.

PRO-TIP: Or should I say “non-pro” tip! These candy eyeballs make decorating so much easier– you don’t have to worry about icing these. And they even come in bloodshot eyes if that’s your thing, HA!

It’s also really fun to bag a few cookies with a ribbon and make someone’s day!

Here are a few more photos for year round inspiration.

Sugar Cookies

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Total Time: 34 minutes
Yield: ~30 cookies, depending on the size of your cutters

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon heavy cream

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Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
In the large bowl of a mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 mins.
Add egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until well combined.
Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl again.
Add cream and beat on low speed just until combined.
Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour.
Using a rubber spatula, scrape the dough out onto the work surface, then use your hands to shape into a flattened rectangle.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least an hour or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Lightly dust work surface with flour, unwrap dough and set on surface. If the dough is too hard, you can let it stand at room temp for a few minutes.
Dust rolling pin with flour and roll out dough to an even 1/4 thickness.
Use cookie cutters to cut your shapes. With a floured metal spatula, carefully move cutouts to your pan. Place cutouts 1 inch apart.
Gather dough scraps and press together, roll out again and repeat cutting more shapes until you’ve used all your dough.
Bake cookies one sheet at a time until light golden brown, about 14-16 minutes. All ovens are different, watch yours to see what timing works best.
Once baked, let them cool slightly, then move cutouts with a spatula to a cooling rack.
Repeat this process until you’ve used all your dough, and baked all your cookies.
Cool completely, and decorate with icing or sprinkles.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 14 minutes