Description
Classic Christmas sugar cookies with a soft vanilla flavor, perfect for decorating or enjoying plain. These vanilla biscuits are tender, buttery, and easy to make, ideal for holiday baking and celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 225g / 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (or use salted butter, skip salt)
- 1 cup caster/superfine sugar (granulated sugar also works)
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg (55-60g / 1.9-2 oz)
- 3 cups plain / all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
Optional Decoration
- Icing for Sugar Cookies (see separate recipe)
- Melted chocolate for dipping
- Icing sugar for dusting
- Silver balls for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar together at medium speed for about 1 minute until creamy and light.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture and beat until fully combined.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add this to the wet ingredients while mixing slowly, then beat until incorporated. The dough will be clumpy.
- Prepare Dough: Dust your work surface with flour, scrape the dough out of the bowl, and pat it together. Divide the dough into two halves and shape each into a disc.
- Roll Out Dough: Roll out each disc to 0.3 cm (1/8 inch) for thinner, crispier cookies or 0.6 cm (1/4 inch) for thicker, softer cookies, sprinkling flour underneath and on top to prevent sticking.
- Cut Shapes: Use cookie cutters to press out desired shapes. Transfer the shapes carefully onto the prepared baking sheets using a knife or spatula. Keep unused dough refrigerated.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, placing both trays in the oven—one on the middle rack and one on the lower rack. Halfway through baking, swap the trays to ensure even baking until cookies are pale golden and edges just start to brown.
- Cool Cookies: Let the cookies cool completely on the baking trays; they will continue to cook slightly as they cool.
- Decorate or Serve: Decorate with icing, melted chocolate, icing sugar dust, or silver balls if desired, or serve plain to enjoy their classic vanilla biscuit flavor.
Notes
- The number of cookies depends on the size of your cutters and how thick you roll the dough; this recipe fills approximately 3 baking trays.
- Swapping baking trays halfway during baking ensures even heat distribution since the top rack heats faster than the bottom.
- Store cookies in an airtight container for up to one week; they remain edible beyond that but may dry out slightly.
- Butter may be salted or unsalted; if using salted butter, omit the additional salt in the dough.
- For varying textures, roll dough thinner for crisp cookies or thicker for softer, chewier cookies.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 70 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
