If you want to make cookies, then there are no easier cookies to make than sugar cookies. These plain but delicious cookies are well-known for their simplicity and how quickly they can be made.
Even inexperienced bakers can make perfect sugar cookies from their very first attempt.
There really is no need to follow any complicated recipes for sugar cookies that need a large number of ingredients. You can make great sugar cookies using just three simple ingredients that are bound to already be in any kitchen!
Sugar cookies are also a very versatile type of cookie. Once you’ve made the dough you can cut it into any shape you want.
After the cookies are baked, get some colored frosting and decorate them however you want! The possibilities are endless with sugar cookies.
In this article, we will teach you how to make the best and easiest sugar cookies using only three simple ingredients. Let’s get started!
Ingredients
Before we introduce the recipe, let’s discuss some of the ingredients and the substitutions you can make.
Butter
The basic recipe for sugar cookies calls for butter to be used to make the dough. The butter helps the flour and sugar to stick together and combine and is an integral part of the sugar cookie. Without it, the dough won’t form at all.
However, you can substitute butter for other ingredients if you want to. This will help make the sugar cookies vegan or a little healthier.
You can use oil in place of butter. We recommend using a flavorless oil such as canola oil as you don’t want to influence the flavor of the cookies.
Using oil might make the sugar cookie dough a little looser and wetter though, so you may need to add a couple of tablespoons of extra flour to compensate.
You can also use margarine instead of butter. This is a straight swap with the same quantities but it will affect the end result a little.
Margarine will give your cookies that spread wider and become thinner as they bake, so make sure you leave larger gaps on the baking tray.
Margarine will also affect the smell of the cookies as you won’t get that buttery smell that sugar cookies are famous for. If you’re going to use margarine, we recommend adding a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Sugar
You can’t make sugar cookies without sugar! This ingredient is in the name, after all. The best sugar to use for sugar cookies is granulated or caster sugar.
Once your sugar cookies have finished baking, you can sprinkle a little sugar over them as well.
Flour
The best type of flour to use for sugar cookies is all-purpose flour. If you find that your dough is a little wetter than you wanted, you can add a little more flour. This shouldn’t happen, however, if you measure your ingredients correctly.
Best And Easiest Sugar Cookies Recipe
Let’s dive into our recipe for sugar cookies. We’ll list the ingredients and equipment needed before explaining the steps to make the cookies.
Equipment
Large bowl
Whisk
Tablespoon
Parchment paper
Baking sheet
Ingredients
½ cup (113 grams) of unsalted butter
¼ cup and 1 tablespoon (67 grams) of sugar
1 cup and 2 tablespoons (146 grams) of flour
Directions
Making these sugar cookies is so easy and straightforward that anyone can do it!
Before you start, make sure to preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (160 degrees Celsius)
Step One
Remove your butter from the fridge and allow it to soften before you start.
Once your butter has become soft, add it and your sugar to the bowl. Whisk the two ingredients together until you get a smooth mix that is pale yellow in color.
Step Two
Add the flour to the bowl. Mix the three ingredients together. You should get a smooth dough that is even in color and texture.
Step Three
When your dough is ready, you can begin to shape your cookies. Unlike many other types of cookie dough, this sugar cookie dough is not well suited to being rolled out.
Instead, your best option is to scoop out the dough with a tablespoon and shape it into round balls.
Step Four
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place your sugar cookie dough balls onto the parchment paper. You can leave the dough as balls if you wish, or you can flatten them and make imprints on the top.
There are many popular and easy imprints to make. You can use a fork to press even lines into the top or make a crisscross pattern, for example.
Step Five
Bake the cookies in your preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. The sugar cookies should become lightly golden on the edges. Don’t let them become any darker than this as it will make them too dry and crumbly.
And that’s all there is to it!
Frequently Asked Questions
Now that we’ve introduced our easy recipe for sugar cookies, let’s answer some more questions about the process and sugar cookies.
How To Store Sugar Cookies
In the unlikely event that your sugar cookies manage to last more than an afternoon, you can store them to keep them fresh for longer. Simply place them in an airtight container and keep them at room temperature.
When stored in this manner, they should last for around three to five days. There is no need to refrigerate them.
How Do I Make Crispy Sugar Cookies?
If you follow the instructions listed above, the sugar cookies should already be crispy. Bake them at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for around 15 to 20 minutes until they are lightly golden on the edges.
The bottom of the cookies should be more golden brown. When your cookies reach this level, it means they are cooked to perfection!
Immediately after baking, you will see that your sugar cookies are tender and soft. This is fine! Just because they are soft after coming out of the oven doesn’t mean they will stay soft.
After taking your baking tray out of the oven, let the cookies sit on the same baking tray for around two minutes.
Once the two minutes have passed, take the sugar cookies off the baking tray and transfer them to a cooling rack. You can leave them on the cooling rack until they have fully cooled down.
As the sugar cookies cool on the cooling rack, they should become crispy and delicious!
Final Thoughts
In this article, we introduced the best and easiest sugar cookie recipe. It only requires three ingredients, which are flour, butter, and sugar. There is no need for any eggs, vanilla extract, or any other common cookie ingredients.
The method for making these cookies is also very easy. In total, you can make these cookies in under 30 minutes! Once they’re done, you will have delicious, light, and crispy sugar cookies to enjoy.
We hope that you enjoy this recipe and are able to make delicious sugar cookies whenever you want to!
Have you ever made something so delicious that you wished you could savor it forever?
Only to find that the recipe has now mysteriously vanished from your phone and the entirety of the internet. Yep, there’s not much more painful than that.
Hi, my name is Mark Williams and I have been infatuated with cooking since I was young. I would beg my mother to pull a chair up to the counter so I could watch what she was doing.
