Sugar Cookies

• Dish: Sweets, Cookies, Christmas
• Portions: 30 cookies

Ingredients

• 3 cups (450g wheat flour or all-purpose flour)
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• 2 sticks (226g of unsalted butter, at room temperature)
• 1 cup (200g granulated white sugar)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

Instructions 

• Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Then add the salt, stir well, and set aside.
• In a small bowl, beat the egg with the vanilla extract and set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until the mixture is creamy and light yellow, about 5 minutes. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is well combined. Now, slowly add the egg mixture and beat until well incorporated.
• Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat on low speed. Add the second 1/3 of the flour and beat again. Then add the last 1/3 of the flour and beat one last time. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl after adding the last batch of flour. Knead the dough by hand in the bowl for about 30-60 seconds. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4-8 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it in half. Place one half of the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll it out to a thickness of 1/4 inch (6.3 mm). Use two guides on either side of the dough to ensure even thickness. (The guides can be two clean paint sticks.) Slide a spatula under the dough to loosen it from the parchment paper. Cut out the cookies with cookie cutters and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Leave 1 inch (2.5 cm) of space between the cookies. Refrigerate the cookies for 15 minutes, then bake them for 8-10 minutes.
• Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Then let them cool completely on a wire rack before decorating. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Grades

A light-colored baking tin helps prevent the cookies from browning too much on the bottom.