Five days until Christmas! I'm not usually a huge baker, but this year I'm allll about it. Dying to make a massive cookie plate with 87 items, that sort of thing. I've made a few new recipes in the last two weeks just to "check" aka have cookies all month, and this is one of the recipes that I'm absolutely making again this week.
It's regular sugar cookies. Advertised as chewy, super easy to make, and a really perfect plain incarnation of a sugar cookie, in the best possible way. I think that fancy cookies have a place, but at Christmas I want things that taste regular, if that makes any sense at all.
I found this recipe on Add a Pinch, and used the dough as a base for the cookies. The recipe calls for rolling the dough into balls then baking that way (like snickerdoodles!), but I rolled the dough into logs instead, then sliced them over the course of a few days when I wanted fresh cookies. It worked perfectly and was easier than rolling the cookies individually into balls, although the result of that method looks a little bit fancier.
So! You make the dough, which is just butter, sugar, an egg, flour, baking powder, salt, and vanilla. Easy, basic, delicious. The dough is...well, you know how cookie dough is. Not gross.
Roll the dough into two equal logs. To do this, I put half of the dough on a piece of plastic wrap, then use the wrap to help me form the log shape, then I repeat with the rest of the dough. Transfer the wrapped dough logs to the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or keep these in the fridge for a few days.
When you'd like to make the cookies, take the dough out of the fridge and preheat the oven to 350F. I like using sprinkles on my cookies, so I make a setup like this with some sprinkles on a plate, and then I roll the entire log of cookies into the sprinkles, pressing as I go to get as many sprinkles as possible on the cookies.
Slice the cookies into ⅓ inch or so slices.
Place them on a baking sheet, and bake!
8-10 minutes per batch for chewy cookies. They'll still look super soft in the center, so we let them cool on the baking sheet for at least ten minutes, then they move to a wire rack for cooling or directly into your mouth.
And look. These aren't the most gorgeous cookies, but they are REALLY delicious, super simple, and so much fun to have around. I'm all about impressing people with minimal effort, and it's so yummy to have fresh cookies just...whenever. Having the dough already made means we can literally have cookies straight from the oven in 15 minutes or less, which probably means I should have some of this dough in my freezer at all times.
PS you can definitely keep this dough in the freezer, just let it thaw on the counter for a few minutes before slicing the cookies and bake them for a minute or two longer.
Chewy, sugary perfection. Add these to your Christmas repertoire!
Easy Slice and Bake Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened (2 sticks)
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- sprinkles or extra sugar for rolling
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar for about three minutes until light and creamy. Add the egg, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and vanilla to the bowl and mix on low just until the dough comes together. Spoon the dough onto two pieces of plastic wrap.
- Roll each of the dough mounds into logs, using the plastic wrap to help. Place the cookie dough (wrapped at this point) in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or several hours.
- When ready to make cookies, preheat the oven to 350F and prepare baking sheets with baking mats or parchment paper. Sprinkle sprinkles or sugar onto a large plate (this step is optional). Unwrap the dough logs and roll in the sprinkles, pressing to help as many as possible stick. Slice the cookie dough into ⅓ inch slices and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes until just barely golden. The cookies will be soft in the center and have hardly any color. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Easy Slice and Bake Sugar Cookies - Delicious sugar cookies with a simple batter and chewy, sugary finished product. - butter (softened (2 sticks)), sugar, large egg, all-purpose flour, baking powder, kosher salt, vanilla extract, sprinkles or extra sugar for rolling, , In a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar for about three minutes until light and creamy. Add the egg, scraping the bowl as needed. ; Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and vanilla to the bowl and mix on low just until the dough comes together. Spoon the dough onto two pieces of plastic wrap. ; Roll each of the dough mounds into logs, using the plastic wrap to help. Place the cookie dough (wrapped at this point) in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or several hours. ; When ready to make cookies, preheat the oven to 350F and prepare baking sheets with baking mats or parchment paper. Sprinkle sprinkles or sugar onto a large plate (this step is optional). Unwrap the dough logs and roll in the sprinkles, pressing to help as many as possible stick. Slice the cookie dough into ⅓ inch slices and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. ; Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes until just barely golden. The cookies will be soft in the center and have hardly any color. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely. Enjoy!; ; - <p>Recipe from Add a Pinch. </p> - Dessert - sugar cookies, cookies, baking - Dessert - Holidays - baking - cookies - sugar cookies[/wpurp-searchable-recipe]
I followed the exact recipe and directions mine turned out flat and greasy. take a closer look at this recipe to see if you made a mistake measurement while typing it . And yours turned out perfect . I used 2 sticks unsalted butter softened not melted in microwave, 1 egg 1 1/4 c all purpose flour and 1 1/2 c granulated sugar
I hate to hear that! It sounds like you followed the recipe; the only thing that comes to mind is that the dough might have not been chilled enough when you baked them - it should be very cold and firm when you put them in the oven. Mine do tend to spread every once in awhile, but just a bit like you can see in the picture.
I’ve tried this recipe again and they spread again . I used tin foil on my baking pan . Looks like you used silicone mats . I froze the dough . I preheated the oven . When the oven reached the proper temp I took out the dough and sliced some . I wonder if the type of surface has to do with the spreading ?