The big problem with most sugar cookie recipes… too much sugar! They are probably ok to stand alone, but once you put icing on them they are too sweet. Many recipes have one or even one and a half cups of sugar for three cups of flour. That is too much! This recipe has half a cup of sugar. It’s true that the raw dough may not taste sweet enough… but trust me, once you ice them they will be perfect. (And you shouldn’t be eating raw dough anyway!)
Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until thoroughly combined. This can be done with a hand mixer.
Roll dough to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut shapes with cookie cutter. Keep re-rolling and cutting leftover dough. Use parchment paper to prevent sticking. You can add a little flour or powdered sugar to the surface if sticks too much.
Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes until firm. Let cookies cool completely before decorating. A wire rack speeds the process.
Icing should be thin enough to spread easily over cookie. You can add a little more powdered sugar to thicken when using in a piping bag.
Cover the top of each cookie with a thin coating of icing. You can use a butter knife or spoon. If decorating with sprinkles, add them before the icing dries. You can also color the icing with food coloring (we made green for the trees and blue to decorate the snowflakes.)
Once the first layer of icing is set or fairly dry, you can add decorations with another color. Pour icing into an icing bag or pastry bag with the smallest tip. You can also use a small plastic bag and cut the smallest tip in the corner. Decorate as desired.
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (grated from 1/2 lemon)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
- 2-3 tablespoons water (add slowly to adjust consistency)
- In a small bowl, mix flour and baking powder. In a large bowl, mix butter, sugar, egg, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until thoroughly combined. This can be done with a hand mixer. Form into a ball and divide in half. Refrigerate dough for about 30 minutes.
- Roll one portion of dough on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick. You can place dough between parchment paper for rolling. Use cookie cutters to create desired shapes. Re-roll leftover dough and continue cutting shapes. Repeat with second portion of dough. If dough becomes sticky, you can re-refrigerate to make it easier to roll.
- Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes until firm. Cool completely before icing.
- Prepare icing by mixing powdered sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and water. It should be thin enough to fit through the smallest tip of an icing bag, but not drippy. You can adjust consistency if necessary.
- Cover the top of each cookie with a thin coating of icing. You can use a butter knife or spoon. If decorating with sprinkles, add them before the icing dries. You can also color the icing with food coloring (we made green for the trees and blue to decorate the snowflakes.)
- Once the first layer of icing is set or fairly dry, you can add decorations with another color. Pour icing into an icing bag or pastry bag with the smallest tip. You can also use a small plastic bag and cut the smallest tip in the corner. Decorate as desired.