Anyone have the absolute best sugar cookie recipe ever

[Wishing on a star]

Seeing the Favorite Christmas Cookie thread, I am wondering if anyone has the absolute best sugar cookie recipe ever!

I am looking for one that works well with cookie cutters for decorating

I like my cookies light and tender-crisp. (not hard.... not doughy...)

And, I want one that tastes good!!!


PS: I would also love a good recipe for oatmeal cookies that is very light and tender-crisp. Some Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies would be soooo good!!!

 

[lovetheparks]

Bump!

Looking for this exact thing. My little sister & I are baking tomorrow.

Anyone?

 

[motherhen17404]

My DH has been home for 2 weeks, and he is on this baking kick. He has made over 10 dozen cookies in the last 2 weeks. He used this recipe for his sugar cookies. Everyone who tried them loved them, even without frosting.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_25187,00.html

 

[stinkerbelle]

for oatmeal chocochip cookies - this is what I make ALL THE TIME...it never fails:
http://www.quakeroatmeal.com/kitchen/Recipes/recipeoutput.cfm?recipeID=24&Tab=Search

substitute 1.5 cups of choco chips for the raisins and LEAVE THE CINNAMON in ...trust me. so yummy.

I use my MIL's sugar cookie recipe...i have it at home though...it's flour, sugar, vanilla, crisco, salt, baking soda (powder? i dunno...) it's good...i'll have to remember to post it for you

 

[tiggernan]

I'm with stinkerbelle on the oatmeal cookies. I use a slightly different recipe...

http://www.quakeroatmeal.com/kitchen/Recipes/recipeoutput.cfm?Category=RCCookie&recipeID=4

...and they are the best cookies ever! I've made them to give out at Christmas and had many requests for the recipe (this used to be the one on the back of the oatmeal containers.)

 

[luvmy2sams]

My mom's sugar cookie recipe is the best I've ever tasted. We bake these cookies for every occasion under the sun, which explains why I now own more cookie cutters and sprinkles than the local bakery.

Mom's Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt (optional)

Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add egg, sour cream and vanilla and blend until combined. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Slowly add flour mixture to sugar mixture until completely combined. Roll out dough to desired thickness (using flour as needed) and cut with cookie cutters. Bake in 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Cool and decorate as desired.

We usually frost our cookies with cream cheese frosting, but these are great plain as well.

Happy baking!

 

[stinkerbelle]

...and they are the best cookies ever! I've made them to give out at Christmas and had many requests for the recipe (this used to be the one on the back of the oatmeal containers.)

and now the recipe *I* use is under the lid to the oatmeal containers! heheh

your's is the "best"...mine's the "vanishing" heheh

 

[tiggernan]

and now the recipe *I* use is under the lid to the oatmeal containers! heheh

your's is the "best"...mine's the "vanishing" heheh

They also have "famous" which don't look nearly as good as the "best" or "vanishing"! I think that one was on there for a while after they took the "best" recipe off. They must have learned their lesson, since the "vanishing" recipe is pretty close to the "best" recipe. (But with no nutmeg—I LOVE the nutmeg!)

Geez, this message looks like a secret code!

 

[lovetheparks]

mmmm they all sound good thanks!

We may just make some outmeal chocolate chips while we are at it. We'll already be making Oatmeal Scotchies (same thing but with buterscotch chips) Sooooo yummy!

We started this a few years ago after Dad died and I love that at 17, she's as close to me as ever (I'm 31) and still enjoys it.

 

[poochie]

THIS IS WHY THEY CALL ME THE COOKIE LADY!!!!

These are the cookies I make every major holiday for the family, work and the dance studio. I make about 20 dozen every time. Of course that would be increasing the receipe. I never have leftovers and they remind me every holiday that it is cookie time. This receipe is for about 5 dozen cookies!!!

SUGAR COOKIES​

1 1/2 Cups powered sugar
1 cup margarine or butter ( I always use butter!!)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract( I prefer to use only the vanilla and increase it to 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.)
1 egg
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar


Mix sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract and egg. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for about 3 hours.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Divide dough in halves. Roll about 1/4 inch thick and cut with your favorite cookie cutters. I always use parchment paper so I do not need to use pam plus makes cleanup a snap. Bake until edges are light brown. about 7 top 8 minutes. When you use the parchment paper you just slide the paper right off the pan and use to cool the cookies. Plus they never stick.

Once they cool you can frost them with the following:

3 cups powered sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoon of milk.
add you favorite color of food coloring to make festive

Mix softened butter and sugar. stir in the vanilla and milk and beat until creamy and smooth. Finally add your color.


Now frost your cookies and have the kids add their favorite sprinkles, jimmies or candies.

Enjoy!!!!!!

 

[petchie]

Since I bombed on every sugar cookie recipe I ever tried........

I use the store brand slice and bakes for cut outs. divide into quarters, (re-chill the 3 parts you are not using). Use a LOT of flour and roll it out and cut. If it gets "soft, chill the dough your working with.

 

[stinkerbelle]

okay - here's my MIL recipe...it's the only one DH likes (naturally) and I had to LEARN how to roll out cookies...but I've gotten pretty good at it.
This is for a single batch...I usually make a 1.5 batch.

3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt.

Preheat oven to 400
Mix all ingredients thouroughly...cover, chill 1 hour.
roll dough 1/4 in thick
bake on ungreased sheet 6-8 minutes or until lightly brown

*I've burned MANY cookies with the oven at 400...i've been preheating to 400, then turning it down to 375...burnt a lot less cookies. YMMV.

Also - question - do you think, if I make this dough tonight, it'll "keep" in the fridge until I roll it out tomorrow night?

 

[golfgal]

My mom's sugar cookie recipe is the best I've ever tasted. We bake these cookies for every occasion under the sun, which explains why I now own more cookie cutters and sprinkles than the local bakery.

Mom's Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt (optional)

Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add egg, sour cream and vanilla and blend until combined. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Slowly add flour mixture to sugar mixture until completely combined. Roll out dough to desired thickness (using flour as needed) and cut with cookie cutters. Bake in 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Cool and decorate as desired.

We usually frost our cookies with cream cheese frosting, but these are great plain as well.

Happy baking!

Do you make your own cream cheese frosting, if so, do you have that recipe too? We will be making cookies on Saturday. Thanks

 

[Auggietina]

My SIL made these for Halloween - They were AWESOME!!

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.
And the icing she used:

1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
assorted food coloring
In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush

 

[Ranatra]

I like my cookies light and tender-crisp. (not hard.... not doughy...)

That's exactly how I like them. So I make sure when I roll them out, they're not too thick.

This is the same recipe my Mom always used when I was little. I usually double this at Christmas.

Traditional Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Chill dough for an hour. Pre-heat oven to 400. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet about 6- 8 minutes. Makes approx. 4 dozen.

*I just realized this is the same recipe as stinkerbell's!

 

[stinkerbelle]

*I just realized this is the same recipe as stinkerbell's!

yours uses butter though...mine uses shortening.

i'm a baking idiot...are there benefits to using butter/margarine over shortening? (this recipe is the only thing I make that requires shortening)

 

[KathyFP]

You are getting me in the mood to bake

 

[malibuconlee]

I believe the trick to making sugar cookies how you like them depends a lot on how thick you roll the dough and how long you cook them.

My mom likes hers thin and crispy. I like mine thicker and a little softer.

 

[luvmy2sams]

Do you make your own cream cheese frosting, if so, do you have that recipe too? We will be making cookies on Saturday. Thanks

I used to make my own frosting, but it takes forever for it to set up. I'm not even sure where my recipe is at this point. Lately I've been using Ducan Hines Homestyle cream cheese frosting. Any canned frosting but the whipped works well. I spend too much time decorating the cookies for them to get all messed up when I cover them.

 

[Imzadi]

Here you go!
Cookies From Cake Mixes!

Just flatten the cookies out a bit more before baking & bake a bit more for extra crispness.

I posted this recipe over at the Cooking Board. Many, many people have been posting lots of successes with many, many variations of recipes. You can bake a more buttery sugar cookie recipe by substituting butter for the oil. Someone also posted a Snickerdoodle variation on the sugar cookies. Someone else posted on how to make the cookies small enough to fit in a Pringles canister to mail the cookies out.

If you are able to buy the cake mixes on sale & with a coupon, you can practically get boxes of mix free.