America's Best Sugar Cookies
America's Best Sugar Cookies
- 1½ cups 3 sticks salted butter softened at room temperature, not in the microwave
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- Powdered sugar for dusting the counter and rolling pin
- Cream Cheese Frosting:
- ½ cup 1 stick salted butter softened at room temperature
- 8 oz. cream cheese softened at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4-5 cups powdered sugar
- With a hand mixer on low, cream the softened butter and sugar together until it is smooth
- and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time to the butter mixture still beating on low speed.
- Add vanilla. Gradually add the flour and baking powder. Make sure that all the flour is mixed
- into the dough.
- Gather the dough together and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for 1-2 hours to stiffen
- up the dough. (Very important step.) When the dough has been chilled for the allotted
- time, preheat your oven to 400°.
- Divide the dough into thirds. Generously sprinkle powdered sugar (not flour) onto a
- clean counter top and begin rolling the dough with a rolling pin. Roll one third at a time.
- Make sure to add some powdered sugar to your rolling pin and to the top of the dough
- to prevent it from sticking. (Keep adding a little powdered sugar as needed throughout this
- process.)
- Roll the dough to ½ inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out desired shapes and set them
- on an ungreased cookie sheet. Make sure there is at least 1 inch between each cookie.
- Position the rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 400°. Bake for 6 to 8 min.
- depending on the size of your cookies. If you have extra large cookies they will need
- to cook for 8 min. DO NOT over bake. They may not look done, but they are.
- Let them cool a bit before removing them from the pan.
- Chill in the refrigerator before frosting or serving. This helps the cookies to be moist and
- delicious.
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a small bowl with an electric hand-held mixer, mix butter and cream cheese until soft. Add
- vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Add powder sugar, one cup at a time. (I use 4½ cups.) Beat until
- smooth. Add your favorite food coloring if desired.