Sugar Cookie Dough

Everyone needs this recipe in their repertoire. Here's why. It's delicious...well, duh. That's kind of important. Second, it's versatile. I mean it. This dough is very versatile. I've used it for mini tarts, sugar cookies, pies, etc. This stuff is multi-faceted like crazy. Third, it's easy to make. I know I say this about most of my recipes, but trust me, I'm not BSing you. This dough is really easy to make. I usually whip it up in under ten minutes when the ingredients are at room temperature, which should be a given. There is absolutely no reason to not try this. You will love it. You will be using it a lot and you will be eating the raw dough like nobody's business. That's just how it goes. So better to try it now so you can impress your neighbors with your cool Halloween and Christmas cookies when the time comes.

 

 

Place the room temperature butter into the bowl of your stand mixer or into a large bowl. Use some decent quality butter, please.

 

 

 

Mix on medium-low speed until light and fluffy for about five to seven minutes.

 

Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Pour in the granulated sugar in a steady stream and mix on medium speed until sugar dissolves and the mixture is fluffy.  Should take about four to five minutes.

 

 

On medium speed, add in one egg at a time, allowing the egg to absorb before adding the second one.  Stop the mixer and scrape.

 

Add in the zest, vanilla and lemon juice and mix for a minute until combined.

 

 

Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and pour into the dough all at once.

 

 

Begin to pulse the dough a few times with the stand mixture until big clumps of dough forms and some of the flour is absorbed. Stop at this point and remove the bowl from the stand mixer.

 

 

Use a rubber spatula to mix in the dry ingredients into the dough. This will take time. I use a stabbing motion to mix in the flour. Don't overmix. Some flour will be visible, but the dough will look smoother in texture and slightly darker in color.

 

 

 

Move into a plastic container or form into a round shape and cover in saran wrap.  I typically chill in the freezer overnight, which is ideal. You can also chill in the fridge or freezer for a few hours. This allows the dough to relax and absorb the rest of the flour.

 

 

 

 

When you are ready to use the dough, let it thaw for at least a half hour from the freezer or fridge. It should be somewhat pliable, but still cold. If the dough isn't cold, your shapes won't cut out as nice and the cookies will spread once in the oven. So, it's important that the dough is cold but workable. It will be crumbly, to begin with. Work it and it will become easier to work with, smoother and slightly darker in color. 

You can wrap up the unused dough and freeze for later use. Here are some examples of decorated sugar cookies I made with this delicious dough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See how I do it:

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWQwEVspUAw[/embedyt]

 

[penci_recipe]