Easy No-fail Cut Out Sugar Cookies

Baking and decorating sugar cookies is a favorite holiday tradition for my kids and I. These cut-out sugar cookies are so simple, and no-fail, thanks to the amazing cookie queen Jenny Cookies. The dough is so perfect, the cookies are no-fail – the dough doesn’t expand in the oven at all – and the cookies are DELICIOUS!

Baking Sugar Cookies

This sugar cookie recipe belongs to Jenny Cookies, I am simply sharing my experience with creating them at home. Please check her blog out for amazing party and cookie inspiration!

To begin, follow Jenny’s recipe exactly! (Posted below)

INGREDIENTS:

3 CUPS ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR, PLUS MORE FOR ROLLING
2 TSP. ALUMINUM-FREE BAKING POWDER
1 CUP (2 STICKS) SALTED BUTTER, AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
1 CUP SUGAR
1 LARGE EGG
2 TSP. PURE VANILLA EXTRACT

DIRECTIONS:

Into a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. Set aside.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed, beat butter and sugar for about 1½ minutes, or until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Turn the mixer speed to low and carefully add the flour mixture a little at a time, occasionally stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl. Once all the flour has been incorporated, the dough should form a ball around the mixing attachment and feel soft but not sticky.
Wrap the dough ball in a piece of plastic wrap and press down to form a 1-inch-thick disk. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes before rolling or store for up to 7 days tightly wrapped.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured flat work surface to about ¼-inch thickness, using additional flour as necessary to prevent sticking. Use cookie cutters to create desired shapes, and carefully transfer with a cookie spatula to a nonstick baking sheet, placing the cookies about ¾ inch apart.

Bake one sheet at a time in the middle of the oven until puffy, about 7-8 minutes. Allow the cookies to rest for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

That’s it! I have seriously never made such easy and perfect no-fail sugar cookies in my life. Thank you Jenny Cookies!

Decorating Sugar Cookies

Now to decorate the cookies, I like to keep is simple and easy. Piping them is actually pretty easy, it just takes practice to get the technique down. I like to use store bought frosting, vanilla flavored, non-whipped (if you can find WHITE frosting, use that since it’s pure white and will dye easily).

If you are planning to create colorful frosting, divide the frosting into bowls and then mix in Wilton colors to create your desired color. I love this color system, it works easily and the colors are vibrant. I have had the same kit for years, and even with casual cookie decorating multiple times a year, I still have every color left in my kit.

Depending on what I am decorating and how many people are participating, I usually either use one container per color or split the frosting from one container into 2 colors. I try to limit the number of colors I use to keep the mess and complexity as simple as possible. For these cookies I made red and green frosting, and left some frosting white.

I then simply put 1/3 – 1/2 of a container of frosting into in an 18″ decorators bag with a number 3 tip and coupler. Don’t overfill the bags or the frosting will spill out the top. Even though we aren’t switching tips, using the tip with the coupler prevents the bag from bursting or leaking near the tip.

I usually refrigerate the bag for 10-20 minutes to stiffen it up before we start, especially if I have mixed color in vigorously and it warmed up the frosting too much. If it gets too stiff, let it warm up for a bit or massage the bag. I prefer slightly stiffer frosting when I pipe to get straighter lines. I also like to let the kids decorate their cookies in small sheet pans, it really helps control the mess.

This sugar cookie recipe belongs to Jenny Cookies, I am simply sharing my experience with creating them at home. Please check her blog out for amazing party and cookie inspiration!