Vanilla Spiced Sugar Cookies (Day 1)

Name: Vanilla Spiced Sugar Cookies (Day1)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 90 gm Butter (soft); 100 gm Castor sugar; 1 Egg; 1 tsp Vanilla extract; 200 gm Flour; 1/4 tsp Salt; Royal icing (for decoration (check notes below)); Food coloring & Edible luster dust

Classic sugar cookies that are crunchy, hold their shape well and crumble with every bite. They are buttery and simple to make, not to mention very easy and delicious.

This is the start of my delicious 12 Days Of Christmas Cookie Recipes. Where I take one cookie dough and make it 12 different ways. We cover many techniques and fun decorating tricks but also learn some new things along the way. There are some recipes in the weeks to come that are so close to my heart and we will get to them but in order to get there we need this recipe to start.

It is my foundation for all the cookie recipes coming out and a fantastic fool proof sugar cookie that works perfectly every single time. This recipe is very forgiving and doesn’t disappoint. It doesn’t require any fancy equipment or ingredients to make it. Bringing me to my 12 Days Of Christmas Cookies, all the recipes I recreated or created were based on the simple fact that I wanted people to find accessibility in making cookies. Recipes which aren’t complicated or need any fancy equipment/special ingredients to make. That was the purpose behind the cookies and I think you will find joy through the recipes as they come along.

What ingredients do you need to make this Vanilla Spiced Sugar Cookie?

Butter –

The start to a good sugar cookie has to be a good butter, the flavor is as important as the texture. I have used Amul butter here that is salted but you can use unsalted butter as well. If you want to keep this dairy free you can use any butter spread of your choice.

Egg-

This binds the dough together and creates a delicious crumbly texture. I have used medium eggs which is around 50-55 gm in weight. The weight of the egg might determine if you need more flour. If you want to make these eggless, use the egg replacer powder. Do not use flaxseed powder or chia seed powder to make this cookie dough.

Flour –

I have used all purpose flour to make this dough and it works best. You could use cake flour and self raising flour.

Vanilla –

This is a vanilla spiced sugar cookie hence you must use the best vanilla on hand. I like using extract or paste here but you can use any vanilla you have just make sure it is the best you can get your hands on.

What equipment do you need to make this Vanilla Spiced Sugar Cookie?

We need a mixing bowl and rubber spatula to make the cookie dough. I like using cling wrap to roll out the dough with my rolling pin. A few festive cookie cutters and baking tray are needed. We need baking paper and a flat spatula or knife to help transfer the cut out cookie dough to the baking tray. A wire rack to cool the cookies would also be good however not necessary.

How to make these Vanilla Spiced Sugar Cookies?

In a mixing bowl add the butter and beat using a spatula until pale. Add the sugar and vanilla. Beat until creamy and fluffy. A few minutes. You don’t need an electric beater, a rubber spatula will do the job. Add the egg and beat again. Add the flour, salt and stir to form a dough. It will be soft but not sticky. Make sure there are no flour pockets anywhere. Divide the dough into two parts and wrap each piece in cling film before placing in the fridge to firm up a little. I like to let the dough sit in the fridge for at least 30 mins before rolling out.

Preheat the oven to 170℃ with fan or 180℃ without fan. Roll out the dough into 1/4 inch thickness. I like rolling the dough between two pieces of cling film – this makes it easier to roll it out and ensure we don’t add extra flour. Cut out the cookies using a cookie cutter and transfer each piece to a lined baking tray. The cookies don’t spread hence you can line them a little close but maintain at least 2 inches worth of space. Bake for 8-10 mins until he bottom is golden and the top is dry to touch. We love our cookies a little more colored/dark brown hence I bake them for 12 mins. Let them cool completely before icing.

Lets talk Icing

I like to ice these cookies with my Royal icing recipe. Color the icing with a Christmas green and pipe as you please. You can use buttercream icing as well or even leave them plane with a little dusting of icing sugar.

Pro Tips for the Perfect Sugar Cookie

Don’t over beat the butter-

We are no making a cake or frosting hence the butter and sugars don’t need to be beaten into submission. We don’t want air pockets as we don’t want a puffy cookie.

Weigh out the ingredients-

A simple task but very effective to ensure the cookie dough is perfect. If you are increasing the portion to make multiple cookie recipes then just multiply by 2 or 3 depending on your need. But you must weigh out the ingredients and make sure they are at room temperature before you start.

Chill the dough-

This step is so important. You cannot make these cookies without chilling the dough. It will be too soft to roll out and you will not achieve those clean edges if you decide to roll it immediately. I like to wrap the dough in cling wrap to ensure no part gets dried out in the chilling process.

Roll dough between coin wrap-

The easiest way to roll out this cookie dough has to be between two sheets of cling wrap. It is so easy, there is no issue of it sticking to the surface, no additional flour is needed and it is a cleaner option.

Preheat the oven –

If your oven is cold the cookies will spread while baking hence it is important to preheat it.

Do not over bake-

So we like the cookies a little darker and hence we bake them longer however if you don’t like that make sure to bake them for 8-10, let them cool on a wire rack completely. They will not be hard when you take them out of the oven but they will firm up as they cool down.

Cooling-

Allow the cookies to cool completely before icing as the heat will melt the icing.

How to store these Vanilla Spiced Sugar Cookies?

Once they are baked the cookies can be stored in air tight containers at room temperature for 1 week.if they are iced with royal icing they can be stored for upto 10 days. The raw cookie dough can be stored in the fridge for 1 week (wrapped in cling film) and in the freezer for 2 months.

Now that we have covered how to make these Vanilla Spiced Sugar Cookies, you can have a look at the recipe video on my socials but let’s get to it.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.