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My Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe is a holiday staple that can be baked into any festive shape you like!
By Gemma Stafford | | 557
Last updated on December 8, 2022
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure for details.
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When the holidays roll around, there are certain recipes you need in your back pocket. You know, those recipes you can whip up in a flash and that are fan favorites. My Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe is exactly that. Holiday Cookies are so much fun to bake because they are great for little hands to make and decorate, and you can even give them out as holiday gifts.
Whether you’re decorating cookies for Santa, or just to have with a cup of hot chocolate, these cookies are always my go-to.I break out my holiday cookie cutters and go to town making festive shapes. Then I store them away in an airtight container and I have them to hand when guests drop by.
How To Make My Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe
Holiday baking is the kind of baking that gets the whole family involved. So, it’s time to get the kids in the kitchen too, as it’s just a handful of simple ingredients combined in the food processor. After making the dough from my Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe, what you’re left with is a play-dough-like cookie dough perfect for rolling out and cutting into fun shapes.
I love classic holiday shapes, but you can use any you like! What makes these my Best Ever Sugar Cookies is that they are truly foolproof to make and decorate. The sugar cookie dough consistently comes out perfect every time and is always so easy to use, never too soft or too hard to work with like the store bought stuff can be.
[ If you want to decorate these cookies to the nines, you need my recipe for royal icing! ]
Do You Have To Make Sugar Cookies In The Food Processor?
If you don’t have a food processor, you can absolutely make these by hand in a large bowl. The reason I use a food processor is because it allows me to bring together the dough in minutes flat.
The most important part, whether you’re using a food processor or making the cookies by hand, is making sure that the butter is properly rubbed into the dry ingredients. By doing this and creating the texture of bread crumbs, you ensure the dough has lots of pockets of butter throughout — which makes for a rich and tender cookie.
Can You Substitute the Sugar for Another Sweetener?
If you would like to make my Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe sans the sugar, then you are in luck. The sugar in this recipe can be swapped 1:1 for either Swerve sugar alternative or Lakanto granulated sugar. You can also use a 50/50 sugar and Stevia blend. I really like the results I get with regular granulated sugar, but these alternatives to yield a very similar texture and flavor, which is great for those who are wanting to bake with less sugar.
How To Decorate Sugar Cookies
After cutting the cookies into adorable shapes and baking them, you do not have to decorate them. However, if you want to add to the cookies, I suggest accenting the shape of the cookies with my royal icing. In addition to the royal icing you can add sprinkles and little metallic nonpareils. These cookies are the perfect base to make 3 Easy Christmas Cookies to Bake and Decorate With Kids!
Do You Prefer Chewy Or Soft Over Crunchy?
My Best Ever Sugar Cookies recipe results in cookies with a slight crunch! If you’d rather have more of a chew, I have you covered: try my Perfect Chewy Sugar Cookie Recipe. If you rather your sugar cookies soft, give my Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe a go!
Also, have you seen my Holiday Baking Headquarters page? You’ll find every recipe you could possibly need for the holidays including Christmas Cookies, edible gifts, and my best holiday baking tips!
If you like these sugar cookies you’ll love these recipes!
- The Easiest Soft Sugar Cookies
- 3 Ingredient Shortbread Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Snowball Cookies
- Homemade Gingerbread Men
Follow Bigger Bolder Baking on Pinterestfor more recipes and ideas!
Try These Recipes!
Watch The Recipe Video!
Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe
4.70 from 335 votes
Print Recipe
My Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe is a holiday staple that can be baked into any festive shape you like!
Author: Gemma Stafford
Servings: 30 -40 cookies
- Dessert
- Vanilla
- Holiday Baking Headquarters
- Baking Pans
- Oven
- Food Processor
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 18 minutes mins
Total Time 38 minutes mins
My Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe is a holiday staple that can be baked into any festive shape you like!
Author: Gemma Stafford
Servings: 30 -40 cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cups (6oz/170g) butter, cubes and cold
- 1 cups (8oz/225g) sugar
- 2 eggs*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups (12oz/340g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
In a food processor add in the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Stir a little with a spatula
Add in the cold butter and blitz for seconds JUST until the mix looks like big bread crumbs
Whisk together the eggs and vanilla extract. Pour into the food processor and pulse for a few seconds until the dough comes together. Take care not to over mix. If your mix seems dry you can add a tiny bit more egg or milk. (This dough can also be made by hand by rubbing in the butter into the flour)
Chill the dough for a minimum of 2-3 hours. Preferably chill overnight. Also it can be frozen at this stage for up to 8 weeks.
Once chilled, roll out some of the dough on a well floured surface to about 1/4-1/8 inch thick.
Cut out your desired shapes and transfer them to a baking tray lined with parchment. (this is a soft dough so work fast).
Bake at 325°F (160°C) for 18-20 minutes or until a light golden brown. Set aside to cool.
Decorate withroyal icing if you wish and store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
Recipe Notes
*Eggs: To replace eggs in this recipe the best substitute would be condensed milk. Reference my Egg Substitute Chart for the amounts.
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Angelique
4 years ago
Hi Gemma, can I use cake flour instead of all purpose flour ?
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Heidy Heidy
4 years ago
Hi Gemma,
I made this recipe, this cookies taste really delicious… but it was a bit hard to work with. Its really sticky even after came out of fridge. So i can’t shape it well. Should i skip the eggs ? Thanks
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Rebekah Murphy
4 years ago
Gemma, first off I want to say how much I appreciate you! You have absolutely made my baking abilities go to the next level! I’m so thankful for you! Also, congratulations on your pregnancy! You will be an amazing mother! I do have a question in regards to the dough. I’ve used two different recipes now for these cookies, one being yours, and another being a recipe that called for melted better instead of cold. The melted butter recipe made the dough much harder to work with, but I had better luck with your recipe. However, my dough was still…Read more »
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Eliane
4 years ago
Truly Best ever sugar cookies recipe Gemma, thank you so much for sharing it
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Gemma Rose
3 years ago
Hello! My name is Gemma, also! Which I’ve talked to you before… Anyway, I made this recipe for my family this Christmas and it was delish!! I couldn’t have chosen a better recipe:-)
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Vinutha Rao
5 years ago
Thank you Gemma!!
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AliciaA
3 years ago
This was an easy and delicious recipe!
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Anica
3 years ago
It may not be Christmas, but this recipe sure makes great valentines hearts ♥️ I used few to decorate my red velvet cake and most were given away in a decorate yourself box for second graders at school as goodie bags! Best decision ever! At least 4 moms asked for the recipe! I made glace icing too! Thank Gemma!
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Kanai Yee Chea
3 years ago
Hi Gemma!
Happy 2021!! I’m looking forward to trying many of your recipes this year!
I wonder have you announce the winner of December Bold Baker challenge? Or I have just missed the announcement?!?!
I have baked this cookies so many times and shared it with many friends. They all liked it very much! Thanks for the recipes!!
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Roxanne Cortese
3 years ago
At 73 years old I have to say easiest to make and roll out and delicious and holds icing perfect. Thank you so much. Merry Christmas from Puerto Rico
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About Us
Meet Gemma
About Us
Meet Gemma
Hi Bold Bakers! I’m Gemma Stafford, a professional chef originally from Ireland, a cookbook author, and the creator of Bigger Bolder Baking. I want to help you bake with confidence anytime, anywhere with my trusted and tested recipes and baking tips. You may have seen one of my 500+ videos on YouTube & TikTok or as a guest judge on Nailed It! on Netflix or the Best Baker in America on Food Network. No matter your skills, my Bold Baking Team & I want to be your #1 go-to baking authority.
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