Description
Classic Christmas sugar cookies with a delicate vanilla flavor and a soft, buttery texture. These vanilla biscuits are perfect for holiday decorating or enjoying plain. Easy to make and perfect for baking with family.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 225 g unsalted butter, softened (or salted butter, skip salt)
- 1 cup caster sugar (or granulated white sugar)
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg (55-60 g)
- 3 cups plain all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
Decorations (Optional)
- Icing for Sugar Cookies
- Melted chocolate for dipping
- Silver balls for decoration
- Icing sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) or 160°C (320°F) if using a fan-forced oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar together until creamy and light, about 1 minute on medium speed.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until fully combined, creating a smooth batter.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine Dough: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Start mixing slowly to avoid flour flying everywhere, then beat until all flour is incorporated; the dough will be clumpy.
- Prepare Dough for Rolling: Dust your work surface with flour. Scrape the dough out onto the surface, pat it together, then divide it into two discs to make rolling easier.
- Roll Out Dough: Roll each disc to 0.6 cm (1/4 inch) for thicker, softer cookies or 0.3 cm (1/8 inch) for thinner, crispier ones. Sprinkle flour under and over the dough to prevent sticking.
- Cut and Transfer Shapes: Use cookie cutters to cut shapes from the dough. Use a knife or spatula to transfer the shapes carefully onto the prepared trays. Store leftover dough in the fridge.
- Bake Cookies: Place both trays in the oven simultaneously—one on the middle rack and the other on the lower rack. Bake for 10 minutes, swapping the trays halfway through to ensure even baking. Cookies should be pale golden on top with edges just turning light golden.
- Cool Cookies: Allow cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets; they will finish cooking as they cool.
- Decorate (Optional): Decorate with icing, dip in melted chocolate, sprinkle silver balls, dust with icing sugar, or simply enjoy plain.
Notes
- The number of cookies depends on the size of your cutters and thickness of rolled dough; this recipe fills about 3 baking trays.
- Swapping trays halfway during baking prevents uneven heat exposure and ensures uniform baking.
- Store cookies in an airtight container for up to one week for best freshness; they remain edible after but may dry slightly.
- Use either salted or unsalted butter. If salted butter is used, omit added salt in the dough.
- For thinner and crispier cookies, roll dough to 0.3 cm; for softer cookies, roll to 0.6 cm.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
