GOAT Sugar Cookie Recipe and Tips for Fail Proof Cookies Every Time

I like a soft sugar cookie. With flavor. You know, the melt in your mouth kind. However, I know a "few" people who like a crunch to their cookie (I'm talking to you dad) - if that's you - go ahead and add more bake time to this recipe.

First things first. You HAVE to have a great recipe. I know - every blog and recipe link you've looked at says the same thing - "THIS ONE" is the best. I've tried many sugar cookie recipes and to be honest, we all have different tastes. For me, this recipe is my tried and true - the one I always go back to. It's not even my own - I got it from my sister in law, who got it from a friend, who got it from her mom, who got it from her neighbor etc. etc. If you have a sugar cookie recipe you love - USE IT - these tips will work for any recipe.

Let's get straight to the tips! Recipe below.

TIPS, TIPS, TIPS!

7 TIPS FOR FAIL PROOF COOKIES

TIP 1: ROOM TEMPERATURE INGREDIENTS

Baking is science. And science is our friend (said no Jr. High School student ever - I promise - I currently have 2).

Starting with room temperature ingredients creates ease in the mixing process = no lumps and a silky smooth texture (love that)! Not only does it provide a smooth texture, but the end result is lighter and more tender - HELLO melt in your mouth cookie.

TIP 2: WHIP IT GOOD

Your fat, sugar and eggs need to be whipped until light in color! This adds pockets of air into the batter, again resulting in a lighter texture.

TIP 3: CHILL OUT!

Once all ingredients are mixed, refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour. Okay, okay - but I just told you to start with room temp ingredients and now we are refrigerating?? Don't worry - the science still works. Refrigerating the dough before baking controls the rate of spread in the oven. Have you ever baked cookies and had them turn out really flat? Well, part of that might be your flour ratio, or if you didn't mix it enough, or mixed it too much once the flour was added (woah - that was a lot) - however, a BIG part to the cookie equation is refrigeration. This is especially important with sugar cookies because we want them to retain their shape.

TIP 4: DON'T OVERDO IT

4 parts to Tip 4:

1. Whip the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffly as stated in Tip 2. Add your baking soda, powder, salt, etc and then mix in your flour JUST until combined (being sure to scrape down the bowl) - but don't over mix here. Extra mixing will create a stronger gluten network - which is great for bread - NOT for cookies because it makes your cookies tough.

2. Once refrigerated and you begin the roll out process - don't overwork your dough. Overworking will soften the dough and result in a flattened cookie (see the difference in the picture above). Not only will it flatten your cookie but remember the science of beginning with room temperature ingredients and whipping your batter? Overworking your dough will undo all your air pockets which does not render a tender result!

3. Aim for a little thickness. I like my cookies to be about the thickness of a fingernail or a little less. Having thicker dough also means less rolling and less chance of overworking.

4. Try to cut cookies out VERY close together so there is little to no scraps. Throw your scraps away OR make your 7 year old extremely happy by allowing him to gobble the left overs up (yes, we eat raw cookie dough over here - no judgements please). Noting again the picture above, the cookie on the left was fresh, cold dough, the one on the right was from dough that had already been worked, put into another ball and rolled out again - the result was a flatter, wider cookie.

TIP 5: NEW PAN EVERY TIME WITH PARCHMENT OR SILPAT

I know, it seems silly to use a new pan and parchment each time. However, all these tips tie into each other - so WHY use a new pan each time?

1. A new pan is COLD. If you put cookie dough onto a warm pan, what immediately starts happening? The dough softens and begins the baking process prematurely and the rate of spread once in the oven is now quicker which means your cookie won't retain its shape as well.

2. Using parchment or a silpat baking mat prevents the bottoms of your cookie from over browning.

TIP 6: UNDER BAKE

Don't panic! I'm not talking gooey dough. The perfect melt in your mouth sugar cookie requires a slight under bake. The photo below shows a slightly under baked cookie and an over baked cookie. Note the differences like browning on the edges and bubbles vs no browning and almost doughy looking center. Baking times will vary depending on your oven, altitude, and humidity - science is fun, right! Going with the look of the cookie is key. I live in Utah - altitude = aprox 4,300', basically zero humidity (aka it's dry here), and my oven bakes HOT. I baked the mini star cookies at 400° for 5 minutes.

TIP 7: SAME SIZE

We love to pull out all the different cookie cutters and go crazy and bake them all on the same pan, right? NO! Resist the temptation. Different sized cookies will bake at different rates. SEE! Science really can be fun!

RECIPE TIME! IT'S THE GOAT (Greatest Of All Time)