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Classic (or Flavored) Sugar Cookies (GF/DF optional)

Servings: 40 1 Tbsp cookies

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer
  • 2 Sheet Pans
  • 2 Mixing Bowls - medium and small
  • Cookie Scoop - 1 Tbsp size

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups AP flour - (for GF: 2 c GF flour + 1/2 c tapioca starch)
  • 2 tsp Baking powder - or 1 tsp Baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp Salt

Wet Ingredients

  • 16 Tbsp Unsalted butter - or Crisco
  • 1 1/4 cups Sugar
  • 1 Egg - large
  • 1 tsp Flavoring - Vanilla, Lemon, Blueberry, etc
  • Food coloring - optional

For Rolling

  • 1/4 cup Sugar

Instructions

Dough Prep

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
    2 1/2 cups AP flour, 2 tsp Baking powder, 3/4 tsp Salt
  • In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium (4) until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
    16 Tbsp Unsalted butter, 1 1/4 cups Sugar
  • Scrape bowl. Add egg, flavor, and color. Beat until combined.
    1 Egg, 1 tsp Flavoring, Food coloring
  • Scrape bowl. Add flour and beat until combined.

Portioning

  • Prep small but deep bowl with the rolling sugar, and a large sheet pan for chilling.
    1/4 cup Sugar
  • For ease, transfer the dough to the medium bowl from the stand mixer.
  • Using a 1 Tbsp cookie scoop, portion out cookie dough, rolling each ball in sugar.
  • Chill dough in fridge, 1-2 hours, uncovered. (If using crisco, the longer the chill the more orb-like the cookies will stay when baked)

Baking

  • Preheat oven to 325 F.
  • Prep baking sheets with parchment.
  • Transfer dough to sheet, spacing about 2 inches. Split into batches as needed.
  • Bake 11-13 minutes, until the middle is just set. (13-15 minutes for GF/DF)
  • Cool on pan 2-3 minutes, then transfer to wire racks until fully cooled.
  • Transfer and bake next batch.

Notes

Dairy free: Replace butter 1:1 with Crisco -- Good flavor. Cookies hold very round shape during baking. Could skip chilling to promote more spreading.
Gluten free: Testing ongoing.
  • First GF attempt: 2 1/2 c GF 1-to-1 flour. too crumbly/sandy
  • Second GF attempt: 2 c GF flour + 1/2 c Tapioca starch. close! a little chewy in the middle but crumbly around the outsides.
  • Next GF attempt: 1 3/4 c GF flour + 3/4 c Tapioca starch + 1 extra egg.
Flavors: 
  • Vanilla - classic
  • Lemon - double flavoring needed
  • Blueberry - perfect (try making swirl cookies with lemon??)
  • Peach - good (maybe try with a splash of vanilla also?)
  • Strawberry - positive reports
  • Raspberry - good
  • Pistachio - good
  • Ube - delicious
  • Pandan - delicious
  • Key Lime - ???
  • Mango - ???
  • Cherry - good
Storage: 
Once in balls and rolled in sugar, can be frozen and stored.
Bake from frozen at 350F for 16-19 minutes (GF/DF).