Basic Sugar Cookies – Tried and True Since 1960

Prep Time:
30 mins

Cook Time:
15 mins

Additional Time:
2 hrs

Total Time:
2 hrs 45 mins

Servings:
48

Yield:
4 dozen cookies

Ingredients

Directions

Beat flour, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth, about 5 minutes. Wrap and chill dough in the refrigerator, 2 hours to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).

Roll dough out on a floured work surface using a lightly floured rolling pin; use cookie cutters to cut out desired shapes. Place cookies onto baking sheets.

Bake in the preheated oven until cookie bottoms are lightly golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Cook’s Note

I've always been told that everything in baking turns out better if you let the refrigerated ingredients come to room temperature. I'm a good kid, so I do what I'm told. I let the butter and eggs sit out for about 15 to 20 minutes.

I like to use about 2 cups sugar in this recipe, but I'll never tell my grandmother that! If you don't double the sugar and keep it at 1 cup, you'll get an airy shortbread that goes well with raspberry jam, another favorite cookie of mine. It's so simple, yet it looks and tastes like a million bucks.

Kids love rolling out this dough and cutting the cookies. I helped my mom when I was little, and she did the same with her mom. It's so simple and easy to make this a family tradition. You'll never know how much joy you'll have until you try it with your kids. For added fun, you can add food coloring to the dough.

My grandmother likes to bake the cookies in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven until the edges turn brown and crispy. I prefer to bake them at 275 degrees F (135 degrees C) until the bottoms are light golden brown for a crumbly, slightly soft texture.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)