Last year my family and I taste-tested a few different rolled sugar cookie recipes and this was our favorite! This recipe hails from my mom’s best friend, Jan Walters. Jan sadly passed away from cancer when I was in middle school, so I didn’t get the chance to talk about food and cooking with her. She was a great cook with some awesome recipes!
Making and frosting rolled sugar cookies has proven to be a great creative outlet during the pandemic. I am also including an easy buttercream frosting recipe from one of my favorite food bloggers, Mel’s Kitchen Cafe, that sets up well and has a great flavor. I think the cookies get even better the longer they sit with frosting on them and they freeze beautifully too. Our family has some silly cookie cutters…who doesn’t love a Christmas elephant or hedgehog?
Make sure you use quality vanilla extract when making vanilla buttercream. The flavor is noticeably improved over the “imitation” vanilla or the lower quality vanilla available at most grocery stores. Penzey’s makes my favorite vanilla extract – they even sell a double-strength version. Not cheap, but worth it for the best flavor! Note that if you use a traditional vanilla extract, your frosting won’t be a super bright white – more of a cream color. You can substitute a clear vanilla extract, which I have found in the baking aisle at Michaels. I personally don’t think the flavor is as good, but it will keep your buttercream whiter.
I recommend creaming your butter with a paddle attachment of your mixer even when making frosting. The whisk attachment just isn’t strong enough to beat until it’s light and fluffy. Save that whisk for whipped cream! Whipping the butter alone in the first step will help lighten the texture and color, and will prevent a grainy texture in the frosting. Make sure your butter is softened but not melted. I know some of us are prone to use the microwave to soften if we have forgotten to set the butter out on the counter, but butter that is too soft will make your frosting greasy. Use gel food coloring to color the frosting. A little bit goes a long way and it won’t affect taste or consistency of the frosting.
A single batch of cookies should make approx 3 dozen cut-out cookies depending on cutter size. I double the frosting recipe to ensure I have enough to make several colors to decorate with.
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Ingredients
- Sugar Cookie Dough
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
- Buttercream Frosting
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature – see note above
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
4 – 6 tablespoons heavy cream
Directions
- Sugar Cookies
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cream butter and sugar in mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, cream and vanilla.
- Add flour, baking powder and salt to butter/sugar mixture on low speed. Mix well.
- Chill dough in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Can we make up to a day ahead.
- Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. Place cut out dough on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 8 – 9 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool before frosting.
- Buttercream Frosting
- Cream butter in mixer using paddle attachment or beaters if using a handheld mixer. Add vanilla extract.
- Add the powdered sugar on low speed one cup at a time to ensure you don’t coat your kitchen with a fine layer of sugar dust!
- Add cream until you reach spreading consistency. Whip until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 3 – 4 minutes.