All-in-One Sugar Cookie Dough

Name: All-in-One Sugar Cookie Dough
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 cup all-purpose flour; 0.5 tsp kosher salt; 1 cup unsalted butter , at room temperature; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 large egg; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 electric mixer; 1 cookie cutters

From the kitchen of Carly

Butter and sugar creamed to fluffy perfection, then gently folded with egg and vanilla for a dough that rolls smooth and cuts clean. Chill it, shape it, bake it. This is the reliable sugar cookie base that handles any topping you throw at it.

Creamed butter and sugar give this dough its tender, delicate crumb and gentle vanilla sweetness. The ratio is generous enough to yield cookies that stay soft around the edges while turning golden and crisp where they should. Whether you roll and cut or slice from a log, this formula makes enough dough to bake twice, and it handles rerolling without toughening.

Prep: n/a
Cook: n/a
Total: n/a
Servings: 4
Difficulty: medium

Ingredients

4 servings

2 cupall-purpose flour
1/2 tspkosher salt
1 cupunsalted butter , at room temperature
1 cupgranulated sugar
1 largeegg
1 tspvanilla extract
1electric mixer
1cookie cutters

Instructions

Whisk the flour and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture is fluffy and well combined, about 3 minutes. Crack in the egg, pour in the vanilla, and beat until just combined. Drop the speed to low and gradually work in the flour mixture, stopping as soon as everything comes together.
Divide the dough into two equal portions, shape each into a ball, then flatten into discs. Wrap both tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Set oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Flour your work surface and rolling pin generously. Working one disc at a time, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thick and cut out shapes with cookie cutters, working quickly. If the dough softens and starts sticking, slide it into the fridge until firm again. Arrange the cut cookies 1 1/2 inches apart on two ungreased baking sheets and chill for 15 minutes. Gather the scraps, press them into a small disc, and chill until firm.
Bake the cookies 16 to 18 minutes, until the edges turn golden brown, rotating the baking sheets and swapping their rack positions halfway through. Lift them onto cooling racks and let them cool completely.
Roll out the second dough disc and the chilled scraps, rerolling the scraps only once. Bake on cooled baking sheets following the same method, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Decorate as desired.
For slice-and-bake cookies, halve the dough and shape each portion into a log 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap each log in plastic and roll it back and forth to even out the shape. Chill for at least 2 hours.
Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds and preheat to 350°F. Slice the logs into 1/4-inch-thick rounds and lay them 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 16 to 18 minutes until the edges are golden brown, rotating the sheets and swapping rack positions halfway through. Move the cookies to cooling racks and let them cool completely. Decorate as desired.
For a Pistachio-Cranberry variation: once the flour mixture is fully blended into the butter and sugar mixture, fold in 3/4 cup dried unsweetened cranberries and 3/4 cup chopped pistachios. Stir gently until just incorporated, then proceed with the base recipe.
For a Lemon-Thyme variation: once the flour mixture is blended in, fold in 1 tablespoon lemon zest and 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, stirring gently to incorporate. After the baked cookies have cooled completely, make a simple glaze if you like: whisk 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar with 1 to 2 tablespoons whole milk until smooth. Spoon a small amount onto the center of each cookie and finish with a little extra lemon zest and a few thyme leaves.
For a Chai-Spiced with Crystallized Ginger variation: when whisking the dry ingredients together, add 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon ground clove, and 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger. Once the flour mixture is blended into the butter and sugar mixture, fold in 3/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger. Mix gently to incorporate. Scatter sanding sugar or raw sugar over the tops before baking, if desired.
For a Carrot Cake variation: whisk 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon into the dry ingredients before combining them with the butter mixture. Once the flour is blended in, fold in 3/4 cup finely grated carrot and 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, stirring gently until just incorporated.
To make Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies, bake the dough using the slice-and-bake method. For the filling, beat 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter with an electric mixer on medium-high until smooth and fluffy, then add 8 ounces of room temperature bar cream cheese and beat until well blended. Add 2 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, then mix on medium-low until the filling is well combined. Spread 2 to 3 teaspoons of filling on the flat side of one cookie, then press another cookie on top, domed side up, to form a sandwich. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
For a Mocha variation: whisk 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder into the dry ingredients, then proceed with the base recipe as written.
To make Mocha-Caramel Sandwich Cookies, bake the mocha dough using the slice-and-bake method. Spread homemade or store-bought dulce de leche caramel on the flat side of one baked cookie, then set another cookie on top, domed side up, pressing gently to form a sandwich. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

Tips from the kitchen

Don't skip chilling the shaped dough before baking, and especially don't skip the 15-minute chill on the sheet. Cold cookies hold their shape and bake more evenly.
When rolling scraps, do it only once. Every time dough gets worked, it develops gluten and toughens. Overworked sugar cookies turn dense and gritty.
Room temperature butter is non-negotiable. Cold butter won't incorporate air into the sugar, and your cookies will be dense instead of light. Set it out 30 minutes ahead.

Variations

Lemon version: Replace vanilla with 1 teaspoon lemon extract and add 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest to the dough for bright, subtle flavor.
Spiced sugar cookies: Add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg to the flour mixture for warm holiday character.
Slice-and-bake: Roll dough into logs, chill until firm, slice into rounds, and bake without the extra chilling step on the sheet for a quicker workflow.
Brown butter upgrade: Brown the butter before creaming, then chill it back to room temperature. The nutty depth transforms these from plain to memorable.

Make ahead and storage

Cooled cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Uncut dough discs or logs freeze well for up to 3 months, thaw in the fridge overnight, then bake from cold.