The Peak

December 10, 2020

Let’s be honest, 2020 hasn’t proven to be a very prosperous year. If you need a little holiday pick me up, or just want to unplug from the screens that have become part of our daily routines- this easy cookie recipe is an excellent way to spend quality time with loved ones this holiday season.

Sugar Cookies & Frosting

Prep Time 1 Hour

Cook Time 10 Minutes

Chilling Time 2 Hours

Total Time 3 Hours 10 Minutes

Servings 40 cookies

Calories 130kcal

Author Sam Merritt

Equipment

Measuring Cup & Spoons
Kitchenaid mixer or electric hand mixer
Rolling Pin
Cookie cutters
Food Coloring (for frosting, if desired)
Piping Bag with Piping Tip or Ziploc Bag

Ingredients

Sugar Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature (226g)
1 cup white sugar (200g)
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg (or egg substitute)
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (315g)
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt

Sugar Cookie Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted (375g)
3-4 Tablespoons milk *or use preferred milk substitute: almond, soy, oat, etc*
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Gel food coloring (optional)
Additional candies and sprinkles for decorating (optional)

Instructions

Sugar Cookies

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until creamy and well-combined. To mix: use a KitchenAid mixer, electric hand mixer, or put some elbow grease into it- and mix it by hand.
Add egg (or substitute) and vanilla extract and beat until completely combined.
In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
Gradually add dry ingredients into wet ingredients; mix until completely combined.
Layout a large piece of plastic wrap and transfer roughly half of the dough onto the wrap (dough will be a bit sticky at this point, that’s OK!).
Cover with cling wrap and mold into a flat circle (roughly the shape of your palm). Repeat with the remaining cookie dough in another piece of cling wrap. Transfer dough to the refrigerator and chill for at least 2-3 hours.
Once the dough has finished chilling, preheat the oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Generously dust a clean surface with flour and deposit one chilled cookie dough disk onto the surface. Lightly flour the dough and roll out to 1/8“ (for thinner, crispier cookies) or 1/4“ (for thicker, softer cookies).
Continue to add flour as needed both on top of and beneath the dough so that it doesn’t stick to the surface. Pro Tip: lightly dust the rolling pin with flour to prevent it from sticking to the cookie dough.
Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and use a spatula to transfer shapes to the prepared baking sheet. Pro Tip: Dust cookie cutters with flour to prevent them from sticking to the dough.
Bake on 350℉ for 8-10 minutes, or until edges just begin to turn lightly golden brown.
Allow cookies to cool completely on cookie sheet before moving and frosting.

Sugar Cookie Frosting

Combine powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk (or substitute), corn syrup, and vanilla extract in a medium-sized bowl and stir until combined. If frosting is too thick, add more milk, about a teaspoon at a time, until the frosting is thick but pipeable. If you accidentally add too much milk, add more powdered sugar until the desired texture is reached.
If coloring the frosting, divide into bowls and color as desired.
Transfer frosting into a piping bag with a piping tip. No piping bag? No problem! Transfer frosting into a Ziploc bag and snip a small piece of the corner off (it’s not as neat, but it will still work. Just make sure that the frosting isn’t so thick that it breaks open the seam of the bag when you are squeezing).
Pipe frosting on cookies and decorate with decorative candies, if desired.
Allow frosting to harden before enjoying (this step took a couple of hours for me, but may vary depending on the consistency of your frosting).
Keep uneaten cookies sealed in an airtight container at room temperature (68-72℉).

Notes

Yield Varies depending on how thick you roll your dough and the size of cookie cutters you use. This recipe can be doubled.
You may also cut the vanilla extract down to ¾ teaspoon and ass ¼-½ teaspoons of either almond or lemon extract (or just about any extract you like!)
You may chill this dough longer, overnight, or even up to several days. If the dough is too firm to roll out and starts to crack, let it rest at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes before continuing to roll.
If you don’t intend to frost your cookies, then you can just sprinkle them with sanding sugar for decoration.
If you’re using smaller cookie cutters you will need to bake for less time, keep an eye on the edges of your cookies to know when they are done.

Make sure to leave a photo of your cookies (in the comments) if you decide to use this recipe!

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