It’s time for cookies!! I’ve had soft and chewy sugar cookies on the brain for the last few weeks, I’ve tested and re-tested, and I’m finally ready to share this recipe!
And I really think the timing couldn’t be better. I know I’ve been lamenting the end of summer for weeks now, but this week the temperatures started to drop a little (from the 90’s to the 80’s!) and I have to say, it feels so much better! I can actually enjoy being outside again. Better yet: I can enjoy baking again!
So I feel like I’m a tad bit late with these cookies, since I just missed Christmas and all, but the truth is that sugar cookies are good all year round. In fact, next to a good Snickerdoodle, Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies are a total favorite of mine any day of the week. I feel like Cutout Sugar Cookies are the Christmas version of a sugar cookie while a classic drop cookie, like this one, is the year round version, you know?
And as with any classic, simple cookie, it can’t hide behind frosting or anything, so it really needs to be just right. Soft and chewy for days, my friends. I don’t want some cookie that’s great for a day or so and then you have to toss them. No, these will call to you from the kitchen counter until they’re all eaten – and it could be 4 or 5 days later (if they last that long).
I tested SO many versions of these sugar cookies, I’m pretty sure my mother in law (who watches they twins while I work), thought I was losing my mind. I’d be all, “Just one more version!” and then a week later there’s still new batches on the counter.
But seriously, I love a good old fashioned soft sugar cookie. Like, for reals. So it just had to be right. And I’m happy to say these are it. Not too thin, not too thick, soft, chewy and delicious. They’re dangerous because you want to keep eating them all! Let’s talk about how to make them.
There were a lot of no-bake desserts on this site over the last couple months, but now that school is just about to start, I’m really glad to get into baking again. Nothing feels more home-y to me than baking up a comforting treat. When my kids get home from school, I love to treat them to freshly baked cookies and milk. It’s a nice tradition and a great way to reconnect with them after they’ve been gone all day.
So, I’ve noticed that the term “sugar cookies” can mean a lot of different things to different people. Mostly I think of sugar cookies as something you roll out with a rolling pin and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. I’ve been baking this recipe for years now and I absolutely love it. The edges stay perfect! You know how sometimes cutout cookies puff up in the oven and lose their shape? I hate that. This recipe never does that and it’s got a tender-crisp kind of texture, similar to shortbread. If you haven’t yet tried it I’d highly recommend it!
Anyway, that’s always been my idea of a sugar cookie but after a while I started to notice that a lot of people are into more of a soft and chewy kind of sugar cookie. So I figured I should come up with something like that and here it is.
It took several tries before I got it just right, but I really think this is just right.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup (2 sticks, 16 tablespoons) butter, softened to cool room temperature
- 1 1/3 cups (10 ounces) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (see note). Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until lightly and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix again for 1-2 minutes until the batter lightens in color. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Scoop the cookie dough into rounded balls (about 2 tablespoons in size; I use my #40 cookie scoop), roll in granulated sugar or sprinkles and place on the prepared baking sheets a couple inches apart (about 12 cookies per baking sheet).
- Bake for 11-13 minutes until slightly crackly on top (but not much color around the edges or bottom to keep them soft and chewy).
- Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
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