The Best Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies | Recipe

Hello, you! Today is a great day to introduce my favorite rolled sugar cookie dough, just in time for the Holiday baking season! If you want to skip the small talk and jump ahead to the actual receipe, you can click here.  Otherwise, let's start off with little nonsense and chit chat about these sugar cookies before we get into it.

Let's be real, I love baking and decorating cookies almost as much as I enjoy eating them. It's become a bit of my tradition to make multiple batches of this dough every year, typically in the October through December period. And while I tend to favor Easter, Halloween, and Christmas themes for most of my cookie baking activities, I've had requests for these cookies for everything under the sun: for baby showers, bulk orders of heart-shaped cookies for clients' customers, and even an annual order from my Aunt for FSU football cookies to serve to their party guests for the game against UF.

By now you may be wondering, why am I telling you about these random cookie orders I've fulfilled over the years? Well, the short answer is just for fun. :) The longer answer, is I realize that none of these details contribute anything to the recipe per se, however, one could argue that it does support my initial claims for how popular this sugar cookie really is. 

No matter the holiday, the cut-out shape, or how you decorate them, these sugar cookies are sure to become your new favorite (or your family's favorite)! The cookie texture itself I would describe as similar to shortbread, but not quite as dry or crumbly as a true shortbread. I think the addition of the lemon juice helps to soften and moisten the cookie, but I haven't officially tested this theory in a side-by-side. yet.

Overall, the dough is great to work with, has an incredible burst of fresh flavor (which cuts down the sweetness), and the baked dough holds its own even when decorated with super sweet royal icing. Ok, without further ado, here is the full recipe - good luck & happy baking!

The Best Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies | Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour (plus some additional, for roll-out surface)

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened

• 2 cups sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

• Lemon zest of 1 lemon

• Royal Icing (for decorating) - [link to recipe here]

Instructions

Clean and prepare your work surface area.

1. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl; mix and set aside.

2. In a separate bowl (or stand mixer), beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy (should take ~3 minutes).

3. Beat in eggs and vanilla, then add lemon juice and lemon zest.

4. Reduce speed to low. 

5. Gradually mix in the flour mixture.

6. Turn out the dough and divide into two halves.

7. Flatten each half section of dough into a brick or disc, and wrap in plastic wrap.

8. Refrigerate dough until firm (at least one hour or let chill overnight).  

Instructions, continued.

1. Preheat oven to 330 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Remove one brick/disc of dough from the fridge, and let stand at room temperature for approximately 5 to 10 minutes, allowing it to slightly soften. (you don't want it too soft!)

3. Roll out dough on a lightly floured [and clean] work surface, to just under ¼ inch thick***, adding more flour as needed to keep dough from sticking. ***to level up your cookies (and save some time), I recommend using one of these, to ensure consistent thickness and cookie sizing. (I bought one for myself about 2 years ago and I've vowed to never go back to guessing or dealing with inconsistencies with a plain rolling pin ever again).     

4.  

5. Cut out desired shapes using cookie cutters or by freehand with a sharp knife. Transfer cut outs to parchment-lined cookie sheets as you work.

6. Roll out scraps, and repeat once. Repeat with remaining brick/disc of dough.

7. 

8. Chill unbaked cookies on cookie sheets in the freezer for 5-10 minutes, until firm (do this prior to baking).

9. Bake cookies, rotating halfway through for even baking, until edges turn golden brown, approximately 12 -14 minutes.

10. Let cool on cookie sheets, placed on wire racks.

11. 

12. Decorate cooled cookies with royal icing.

13. Here are some I baked and decorated for Halloween, to get you inspired and feeling spooky.

14. Also great for Holiday and Christmas cookies!. (spoiler - if you make these for your friendly holiday bake-off festivities, these cookies are notorious winners! (for real though, these Christmas cookies literally have won first place bragging rights for work events, neighborhood gatherings, and  and even once at a brewery! <3
15. . 

This recipe should make approximately 2 dozen 4-inch cookies. (edit: I made a batch last week that was a mix of  75% "medium" sized cookies and 25% "mini cookies", and I ended up with 67 cookies). Cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 1-2 weeks; I recommend keeping decorated cookies in an airtight container for best freshness.

I hope you'll give this cookie dough a try, and if you run into any problems or questions, please let me know in the comment section so I can improve the instructions.

*** Bonus tip --> freeze some of the baked cookies in the freezer! I like to sandwich the cookies with parchment paper, placed inside a large zip-top plastic bag (or glass container), to keep fresh. Perfect secret stash for you later! ;)

Happy baking, friends!