The perfect Classic Sugar Cookie recipe. The most luxurious cookie I’ve ever tasted – they’re crispy on the edges, chewy in the center, and unbelievably rich. You will not find Classic Sugar Cookies that surpass the deliciousness of these!
Happy Friday!! What a long week. I’m doing blog stuff at about 8:15pm on Friday evening because it’s the first minute I’ve had in the last few days. It was an inordinately hectic week. How about your week? TGIF, don’t you agree?
This long week started last weekend when we made a very last minute trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship game. WHAT A GAME. It was one of the best football games I’ve ever been to. I was rooting for Penn State since I went there for undergrad, and they weren’t really expected to be in that game at all. When we found out they were in it, we had to go! More specifically, I had to go. S.O. was interested too, but is much more of an NFL person.
It worked out perfectly because my brother and SIL were already going, and my Dad and his wife live in Indy, so we got to visit family on the trip too.
Because the trip was planned on such short notice, our travel was inefficient and wonky, and we were totally exhausted by the time we returned late on Sunday. Rather, very early on Monday morning. With a busy agenda at work this week anyway, I feel like I’m still trying to catch up on sleep and blog-related activities.
I didn’t envision writing blog posts on a Friday evening, but I love saying hi to you guys and getting out recipes at any hour of the day, so this works too.
As I was planning Christmas recipes, it occurred to me that I don’t have a go-to classic sugar cookie recipe in my collection. Lots of cut-out cookies. So many variations on a cut-out cookie that it would make your head spin, but not something like these Classic Sugar Cookies.
I started out using Betters Homes & Gardens recipe, and then tweaked it a few different ways. This Classic Sugar Cookies here is what I deem to be the best version.
The recipe calls for half shortening and half butter. Instead, I substituted cream cheese for shortening. It still gives the necessary fats for richness and structure, but it makes the cookie a little softer and more flavorful. Vanilla and almond extracts are also great enhancements to these Classic Sugar Cookies.
These are such luxurious cookies. They’re incredibly rich, and they seriously melt in your mouth. I can honestly say that I’ve never tasted anything quite like these, and they’re absolutely incredible.
These Classic Sugar Cookies are crisp just on the edges, and chewy everywhere else. Some sugar cookies are crumbly, too crunchy, or grainy. Not these. They’re chewy through and through.
You can roll these in sugar crystals or sprinkles, and I love the crackle and crunch on the edges.
They’re dangerous – I really mean it. I couldn’t control myself around these.
Everyone needs a Classic Sugar Cookie recipe that they can count on, and this is a cookie that will leave a lasting impression!
If you like these Classic Sugar Cookies, you might also want to check out these Orange-Glazed Sugar Cookies. It’s these Classic Sugar Cookies, but spiked with orange, and with a fresh orange glaze! My other top Christmas cookie recipes would be these Cracked Top Ginger Cookies and Dark Chocolate Peppermint Patty Thumbprints!
Classic Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. unsalted butter softened - no substitutions!
- 4 oz. full-fat cream cheese softened
- 2 c. sugar
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cream of tartar
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 3 egg yolks at room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. almond extract
- 2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 c. sugar crystals or sprinkles
Instructions
-
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and cream cheese.
-
Add sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt, beating until combined.
-
Beat in egg yolks, vanilla, and almond extract.
-
Beat in flour.
-
Shape dough into scant 1-inch balls. The dough will be soft, but it does easily form into balls. The cookies will spread quite a bit, so you don't want to make the dough balls larger than an inch.
-
Place the sugar crystals or sprinkles in a small bowl.
-
Roll each dough ball in sugar crystals, and place two inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
-
Bake at 300 degrees for 12-14 minutes, or until edges are set, and are pale golden brown.
-
Allow to cool on cookies sheets for 2-3 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
Dough can be chilled for 2-3 days, but if you bake these straight from the fridge, baking time needs increased by 2-3 minutes.
Most cookie doughs benefit from chilling, but for these, it's best to let the dough come back to nearly room temperature. These are actually best when the dough is NOT chilled.
Adapted from Betters Homes & Gardens.
Blair @ The Seasoned Mom says
December 10, 2016 at 9:04 amYour week sounds exhausting! Maybe you can relax and refuel with some sugar cookies this weekend? This version looks like perfection! The cream cheese is such a smart twist!
Katie says
December 6, 2018 at 1:47 pmHi Sarah! These are wonderful! I have a question for you…mine didn’t spread or flatten out as your pictures show…rather they stayed quite plump and rounded. Any ideas why this might be? I’m definitely not complaining! My hubs and kiddos love the soft and chewy ones! 🙂
Sarah says
December 6, 2018 at 2:29 pmHey there! How curious. My Amish Sugar Cookies are puffy and rounded, but these are flatter and chewier. Did you use butter and not margarine? Also, I don’t chill this dough. Did you chill? Trying to think what other reasons could’ve produced a fatter cookie… it was definitely these Classic Sugar Cookies? They’re definitely thinner. How interesting!
Melissa says
December 30, 2018 at 9:00 amHi I made these last night and they were amazing!! I was wondering if there is a way to make them chocolate sugar cookies?
Sarah says
December 31, 2018 at 6:29 pmYa know… I don’t have a chocolate sugar cookie recipe – I wish I did! It’s on my list of things to work on. Unfortunately, I think adding cocoa powder to these would change them quite a bit… cocoa powder tends to dry things out a lot, in my experience. I’m sorry that I don’t have a chocolate version, but I’ll send you a note when I eventually do! 🙂 Happy Holidays!!
Hannah says
October 20, 2020 at 10:18 pmSo, I never leave comments. Meaning…. this is kind of a big deal (haha!) Anyways, let me start by saying that if I had to come up with a mantra for who I am, it would be: I hate to deviate! I like to follow directions precisely… in every area of my life. But, I believe it’s my love for following directions that drew me into baking. I thoroughly enjoy it…. measuring, scraping the excess off, weighing, timing… you get the picture. That being said, I recently moved into my very first place and am a little bit disoriented with where everything is. And, quite frankly, I don’t have much! I’ve only ever lived with my mother and my sister and they have EVERYTHING!!!! I’m so thankful that they have supported us over the years. Anyways, I’m a single mother and my daughter and I were craving something sweet and decided on cookies. We stumbled upon your recipe and I was sold. 🙂 Unfortunately, I did not have all the ingredients, nor did I have all of proper measuring apparatuses or containers. — I am cringing right now as I am writing this.— So here is what happened…. I only had 1/3 cup measuring cup, 1/2 Tablespoon measuring spoon, and a stockpot for a mixing bowl. Lawd… it gets better (not!) Instead of cream of tartar, I used lemon juice. Instead of regular sugar, I used powdered sugar. And I borrowed a teaspoon of baking soda from a neighbor hahahahaha. All of that to say, they ACTUALLY came out great!!! I don’t know how…. and I’m almost in tears thinking about it because it ended up being some of the most fun my daughter and I have had in a loooooooong time! Thank you for a great recipe that turned into an amazing evening with my beautiful 10-going-on-20 year old daughter. [Insert Eye Roll Here.] We got 34 delicious green cookies out of it (yellow yolks plus blue food coloring)….. and I can only hope that 20 years from now, tonight will be one of my girl’s memories of life with Momma. <3
Sarah says
October 22, 2020 at 8:02 amLOL!!! Omg, I love this comment. It may be the best one I’ve ever received! First of all, I grew up with a single mother, and family helped us out too, and it was actually great because we all became an even more tight-knit group. I’m so glad you had family as a support system when you needed them. Being a single mom ain’t easy, and you are rocking it! Sounds like you and your daughter had a fun adventure in the kitchen. LOL. I loved hearing the measuring cup debacle and the substitutions. These cookies are about as versatile as it gets!! My S.O. made them once — he is clueless bout baking — he made a bunch of wild substitutions, and the cookies STILL turned out great. The first time he ever baked cookies in his life! It’s just a good recipe! I’m so glad you and your daughter made an evening of memories around baking a batch of these. 🙂 Thank you for sharing your experience!!
Hannah says
October 20, 2020 at 10:21 pmSorry, I didn’t rate them with my last comment!!!