Perfect Cut Out Vanilla Sugar Cookies
These Vanilla Sugar Cookies are my absolute go to recipe when I need the perfect cut out cookies. They are so incredibly versatile.
These cookies hold their shape incredibly well but the taste and flavour is delicious. Slightly crisp exterior with a soft, buttery interior texture.
For plain Vanilla Sugar Cookies I love using vanilla pods instead of extract or essence. When I’m using these as is without any fillings, toppings or decorations, the vanilla beans amp up the vanilla flavour beautifully.
I especially use this recipe for holiday cookies. They are the perfect simple cut out cookies. They hold their shape and hardly spread, essentially if you keep them chilled before baking. Whether you add colouring, flavouring or chocolate chips to the dough, sandwich the cookies with chocolate spread, jam or curd, dip them in chocolate or ice and decorate them. They are the most versatile and essential recipe in any baking repertoire.
It’s also the perfect cookie dough to prepare ahead of time. Keep a batch in your freezer ready for use whenever you need a quick batch of cookies.
The examples I’ve included here are the cookies I made for Mothers Day this year. But you will find a ton of examples of these in my Christmas, Easter and Halloween sections in my recipe menu.
Vanilla Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ Cup Unsalted Butter Softened to room temperature
- ¾ Cup Castor or granulated sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract (or the seeds of 1 vanilla pod)
- 2½ Cups All-Purpose/Cake Flour
- ¼ tsp Salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, or in the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the softened butter and sugar until smooth, pale and creamy
- Add the egg, followed by the vanilla and mix until incorporated
- Next, sift in the flour and salt and mix until smooth and lump free
- Form a ball with the dough and place between two pieces of plastic wrap. Once wrapped, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to around 1/2cm (5mm) thick (this step is not essential but is a little hack to make it easier to cut our your first batch straight from the fridge). Then place in the fridge for around 30 minutes to chill
- Preheat your oven to 180°C. Line two baking sheets with baking paper or silicone baking mats.
- Once chilled, remove the dough and place onto a lightly floured surface. Cut out your desired shapes with cookie cutters or stencils (the amount of cookies you get out of this batch with depend on their size. I get at least 24 quite large bunnies out of this dough and had quite a bit to spare after the three very large bunnies for the layered cookie)
- Place the cookies on a prepared baking tray (cover the remainder of the dough and keep it cool**) and bake for 10 – 12 minutes (for small or regular size cookies) or until just turning lightly browned around the edges (you want them quite blonde not brown)***
- Roll out and cut your next batch of cookies while the first batch bakes
- Once baked, remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for around 5 minutes before placing them on a wire cooling rack to cool completely
- Make sure that the cookies are completely cooled before any decorating or whatever you add to them will melt. Feel free to bake them in advance and keep in an airtight container until ready to decorate
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