Recipe Background
Chewy sugar cookies made with vanilla and butter, perfect for sharing.
The aroma of sugar cookies always takes me back to that rainy day when I discovered the magic of baking at my grandmother’s cozy kitchen table. I was ten, and the clouds were pouring outside, cancelling our planned picnic. Resolute not to waste the day, my grandma suggested we whip up her famous sugar cookies. With two sticks of room-temperature butter and a generous splash of vanilla extract at the ready, we embarked on our aromatic adventure.
Creaming the butter and granulated sugar until it clung like memories to the sides of the bowl, I felt like a magician creating something spellbinding. Grandma showed me how to crack an egg using just one hand—her party trick. We added the flour, baking powder, and kosher salt, and the dough came together like a dream. After letting it chill for an hour, we rolled out ping-pong-sized balls and jovially tossed them in a bowl of sugar.
Pulling the cookies from the oven, the edges beautifully golden, Grandma handed me a flat-bottomed glass to press them down. This simple act of transforming dough into disks was as satisfying as a secret passed through generations. Once cooled, each bite was chewy perfection, the result of letting them rest on the wire rack, a tip Grandma said would make all the difference. Those cookies, that day, wrapped in the warmth of family and sugar, are the heart of every batch I make.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar divided
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter, 1 cup of the granulated sugar, the brown sugar, and the vanilla and beat to combine until it is light, fluffy, and the mixture clings to the sides of the bowl.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- Add the egg to the butter mixture and beat to incorporate.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- Add the flour, the baking powder, and the salt to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are mostly incorporated.
- Increase the mixing speed and mix until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated and a dough forms.
- Cover the dough and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Form the dough into about 1 1/2-inch balls, which is about the size of a ping-pong ball.
- In a bowl, add the remaining granulated sugar.
- Roll the dough balls in the granulated sugar until they are well-coated.
- Transfer the dough balls to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Using a flat-bottomed glass, press down on the dough balls until they form thick, 1-inch-wide disks. If there is any remaining granulated sugar from rolling the dough balls, sprinkle it evenly over the dough disks.
- Bake until the edges of the cookies start to turn golden-brown, about 11-13 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet.
- Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve.
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