These Basic Butter Sugar Cookies are an old family staple. The recipe was given to my mom by a dear friend. Ingredients and methods evolve, but the tastes and aromas of childhood can hold favor for a lifetime. So while there may be newer ways to make these traditional cookies, I prefer the balance of butter and sugar in these. The texture is smooth; firm but not hard.
Notes on Method
Creaming the Butter and Sugar
Beating the butter before adding the sugar will warm it slightly, helping to dissolve the sugar once added. Add the sugar incrementally. Cream small amounts of sugar with the butter to fully incorporate it and prevent a grainy texture.
Saving a Few Steps (and Time)
Add both eggs and the vanilla in and beat together. Just be sure the mixture is homogeneous. Scrape down sides as needed.
The original recipe says to sift the flour. When I come across this instruction, I opt to whisk the flour. If you use the scoop and level method for measuring flour, you avoid overpacking the flour. Coupled with the whisking, this gets out any clumps of flour. Whisking also gives a light airiness to the flour – the seemingly desired effect of sifting. But here I say don’t bother sifting or whisking the flour.
Instead, add the flour in about a cup at a time. Mix until there is a not fully incorporated dusting of flour. Repeat until all flour is in the mixture. Then continue to mix until a stiff dough forms.
Oven Temps and Baking Times:
Ovens vary, and therefore so do baking times. On the burnt-down-the-middle recipe written down some 30 odd years ago, the instructions say to bake until the bottoms are light golden brown, about 10 minutes. I don’t think 10 minutes is nearly long enough. I bake mine for about 16 minutes, as I’ve noted in the recipe. But this note is a reminder that it is more important that the cookies look done than the amount of time they are in the oven.
Basic Butter Sugar Cookies
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks) - softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 cups flour
- ½ tsp salt
- extra flour for rolling and cutting dough
METHOD
Cookie Dough
- Beat softened butter at medium-high speed until creamy.
- Gradually add in the sugar. Cream with butter at medium-high speed until mixture is pale and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
- Reduce speed, and slowly mix in the flour and salt until a stiff dough forms.
- Cover and chill the dough for at least 3 hours.
Cutting Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Fill a shallow dish with flour
- Work in small batches. Keep any dough not being used in refridgerator. on
- Lightly dust a sheet of parchment paper with flour. Roll or press the dough to about ¼ inch thickness.
- Next dip your cookie cutter into flour and press into to dough to cut out shape.
- Repeat process until parchment paper is full of cut out cookies.
- Decorate with sugar, nonpareils, or sprinkles.
- Bake until the cookie edges are light golden in color - about 16 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool completely on wire rack.
