Best Roll Out Sugar Cookie Recipe Ever

Best Roll Out Sugar Cookies

I have at least 4 sugar cookie recipes that I use on a regular basis.  I'm not a big cookie eater, but I'm a huge cookie baker.  One cookie that I love though, and that I will eat the entire batch of, is sugar cookies.  I have recipes that I have created with sour cream, some with almond extract, some with lemon oil, some with cream of tarter, and all of them with sugar.  I just love sugar cookies, and I think  you really need to experiment and make about 5 different recipes to find the one that is just perfect for you.

I know on this blog I have a few of my sugar cookie recipes.  I like sour cream for drop cookies, but this recipe is my favorite for "roll out" sugar cookies.  The cookies that you make, and then saran wrap and place in the refrigerator to get hard, all that good stuff.  This is just my favorite. 

I am the cookie lady sometimes at church for the little kids, and I always try to get to be the  cookie lady around a Holiday so I can make these sugar cookies and cut them into fun hearts for Valentine's, Pumpkins for Halloween, Clovers for St. Patty's and so on.  I promise your kids will love them, and if you love sugar cookies like me you will love these as well.  I will also post my icing that I use with almost every sugar cookie patch because I think it's just so dang good.  

Okay onto the Best Sugar Cookie Ever...Roll Out Version....

I just made these for our Christmas Party

Ingredients for cookies

1 1/2 cups sifted Powdered Sugar

1 cup unsalted Butter at room temperature

1 large Egg at room temperature

1 1/2 tsp. pure Vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. Almond extract (optional, but it really is going to make this cookie recipe)

2 1/2 cups all sifted Flour (plus more for rolling out and cutting.)

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Cream of Tarter

Icing Ingredients

1 lb. bag Powdered Sugar

3/4 cube Butter at room temperature

1 box (8oz) of Cream Cheese at room temperature

Tbs. of Milk (you are just going to slowly add 1 Tbs. at a time until you get your desired consistency).

1 tsp. pure Vanilla extract

Directions for Cookies

My Valentine's Day Cookies

In a mixer cream together your sugar, almond, vanilla, and butter until smooth and pale.  Mix in egg. Sift all your dry ingredients and slowly incorporate them into the cookie dough until well combined.  You are trying to form the dough into a ball that doesn't stick to the sides of your mixer.  You still want a little moistness, but not sticky.  If it is too sticky just add a spoonful of Flour until you get it to your desired consistency.

Once the dough is formed.  Separate into 2 sections.  Wrap each half in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for overnight or at least 6 hours.

After your cookies have sat in the refrigerator, pull them out and let them sit on your counter for about 15 minutes.  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Take 2 cookie sheets and line them with parchment paper.  Coat the top of the parchment lightly with non-stick cooking spray.

On your counter sprinkle out about 1/3 cup of flour.  Unwrap one of your cookie dough's and place it in the center of the flour.  Sprinkle a little more flour on top.  Then take your rolling pin and coat that with flour.  You are now ready to roll out your dough.  I like to roll mine out to about 1/4-1/3 inch in height before I start cutting my cookies.  You make them as thick or thin as you would like. 

Plain old Circle cookie cutter with Neon Icing

Use your cookie cutters and cut out the shapes you want.  Place your cut cookies on the parchment paper cookie sheet and place in the oven for 7-8 minutes or until the edges are just turning very slightly golden.  When you pull them out they might look underdone but I promise that they are.

Remove from cookie sheet and place on a cooling rack until completely cooled.  Repeat until all the cookie dough is used. 

**Just a tip, if you don't want to use all the dough, this dough freezes great.  I will freeze it up to 3 months in my freezer and then I know I have cookies on hand in case any company comes over**

Directions for Frosting
In a mixing bowl mix together butter, cream cheese, and vanilla.  Slowly add your powdered sugar until it is all in there.  You can add Tbs. of milk in with each addition of more powdered sugar.  Once all the powdered sugar is in, make sure it is the consistency you want, and if it's too think add more milk, if it's not thick enough add some more sugar.  Mix with a hand mixer until all the clumps are out and it tastes like you want. 

From here, I separate my frosting into 3-4 different bowls and make 3-4 different colors of frosting.  I love using my Neon gel food coloring and I normally will make pink, blue, and green.  Just fun colors that you can use with anything.  Then frost your cooled cookies, add sprinkles if you want and enjoy!