Sugar Cookie Recipe

Here's the sugar cookie recipe I have found to be the

yummiest,

easiest to roll out,

not too dry,

not too sticky,

and bakes evenly.

It has become my no-fail recipe.

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
4 tsp. clear vanilla extract
2 tsp. clear almond extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

(I use clear extracts to avoid discoloring the cookie dough.)

Beat butter and sugar until well combined. Add 2 whole eggs, and then 2 egg yolks. Add extracts. Beat until combined.

In another bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Slowly add to the butter mixture. Mix until combined, but do not over-mix.

Roll dough in saran wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. When ready to cut, roll onto floured surface and cut. Cookies should be thicker rather than thinner when cut. (Approx. 3/8 to 1/2 inch, but I just eyeball it.) Bake at 350* for about 10-12 minutes on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Do not let the edges brown.

Tip for Rolling Out Cookies: Roll dough immediately after mixing onto parchment paper and then lay saran wrap on top. Refrigerate the dough, and it's chilled and ready to cut. This way, you don't have to roll out rock-hard dough that's been refrigerated in a ball.

Tip for Cookies that Spread: Cookies lose their shape when the dough is warm when it's put in the oven. Never, ever put dough on a warm cookie sheet. I always put the baking sheet lined with the cut outs on parchment paper in the freezer for a good 10 minutes before putting it in the oven. The colder the dough, the more likely they are to keep their shape. This is very important when you use cutters that have detailed cut outs like a snowflake.  ALSO, baking powder causes cookies to rise, which also causes them to spread.  If you roll out the cookies a bit thicker, and use a tiny amount of baking powder, it will also help them keep their shapes.  

Tip for Food Coloring: Always use gel food coloring. Don't use the little liquids that come in a dropper from the grocery store. I have used Wilton gels (from Michaels) for a while but read that Amerigel brand or Aetco brand (same thing) were way better and the choice of professional bakers. So I asked for some for Christmas...and yup, I can tell a huge difference. Especially in the red. It just takes a tad of red and it's a vibrant red. You can order these from Amazon.

Royal Icing Recipe: I have used so many different recipes, and I like certain things about some and then certain things about others. There are SO many factors that go into royal icing, and it's not something you get the hang of after just one try. So I'll post a recipe when I find my VERY favorite one. I've found 2 or 3 that I really like and am still experimenting. And if you want a tutorial on how to pipe and flood royal icing, you can just Google it. They all explain it much better than I could. And be sure to allow several hours; it's a tedious process.

So there ya have it. Can you tell I've learned a lot?!