Our Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe for Cutting Into Shapes and Decorating

Ingredients

Instructions

1. 1Whisk together dry ingredients: In large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. 2Cream butter and sugar: With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. 3Add egg and vanilla: Beat in egg and vanilla.
4. 4Add dry ingredients: With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; beat until combined.
5. 5Chill dough: Divide dough in half; flatten into disks. Wrap each half in plastic; freeze until firm, at least 20 minutes, or place in a resealable plastic bag, and freeze up to 3 months (thaw in refrigerator overnight).
6. 6Roll out dough and cut cookie shapes: Preheat oven to 325°F. Line baking sheets with parchment. Remove one dough disk; let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Roll out 1/8 inch thick between two sheets of floured parchment, dusting dough with flour as needed.
7. 7Cut out cookies: Cut shapes with cookie cutters.
8. 8Place cookies on baking sheets: Using a spatula, transfer to prepared baking sheets. (If dough gets soft, chill 10 minutes.) Reroll scraps; cut shapes. Repeat with remaining dough.
9. 9Bake cookies and let cool: Bake, rotating halfway through, until edges are golden, 10 to 18 minutes (depending on size). Cool completely on wire racks.
10. 10Make icing Sift confectioners' sugar into a small bowl. Whisk in milk, water, or lemon juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, until smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If too thin, whisk in more sugar; if too thick, add more liquid.
11. 11Decorate cookies: Dip cookies in icing or spread icing over cookies using the back of a spoon. Add other decorations, if desired. Let the icing harden, about 20 minutes.