Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies With Shortening

This is the BEST Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe you lot will always try! These cookies are easy to make, succulent, and turn out incredibly soft every unmarried fourth dimension.

*Post & pictures updated December 2020*

Several years ago I shared this delicious cut out sugar cookie recipe and it's go a huge hit with so many of you lot during the holidays! I decided it was time to finally update this recipe with more footstep pictures and tips to ensure that these cookies plough out perfect for you lot every time you make them.

One of the things that I dear about this cookie dough is that it's incredibly easy to throw together. I can usually mix up the dough in almost 10 minutes. These cookies broil up perfect every single fourth dimension, they don't spread, and hold their shape.

If you lot've ever felt intimated when it comes to creating beautiful cookies, I guarantee this easy cut out saccharide cookie recipe will change your listen!

Recipe Ingredients

First things get-go, let's talk over the ingredients that you will demand to make this soft cutting out carbohydrate cookie recipe:

• All-Purpose Flour:This provides the structure for your cookies so that they hold their shape. It'southward crucial to measuring your flour correctly with the spoon and level method. As well much flour can atomic number 82 to a crumbly cookie dough that won't roll out properly.
• Baking Powder & Common salt:The baking powder provides a little lift and the salt enhances all of the flavors.
• Shortening: If you lot want a cookie that volition agree it'due south shape without whatsoever dough chilling, and then shortening is the way to go! I prefer to use Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening because information technology has a neutral flavor. Feel gratis to use their butter flavored version if you adopt though. Make sure your shortening is at room temperature too.
• Granulated Sugar:While I honey adding brownish carbohydrate whenever possible to my cookies, nosotros're sticking with just granulated saccharide hither.
• Vanilla Excerpt & Egg:The vanilla flavors the dough and the egg helps bind everything together. Make sure to use a room temperature egg so that information technology disperses evenly throughout the cookie dough.
• Milk:This is a thick cookie dough, so at that place's some milk to add moisture and assist information technology come together. I typically utilise whole milk, just feel free to use whatever yous have on hand – 2%, ane%, skim, or even almond milk will piece of work here!

How To Make Cut Out Sugar Cookies

• Whisk together dry out ingredients:I adopt to mix upward the dry out ingredients first and whisk them together until well combined. This will ensure that your blistering powder and salt are evenly distributed throughout the cookie dough.
• Cream the shortening and saccharide together:You lot only demand to mix them together until they're well combined, which should accept 1 to two minutes.
• Mix in the egg, vanilla, and milk:The mixture will exist nice and creamy like the motion picture to a higher place on the correct. Feel free to stop and scrape down the sides of your bowl as needed.

• Mix in the dry ingredients:Continue in listen that the mixture will be a little bit crumbly at first, merely go on mixing and it will come together just fine. In one case the dough comes together, I like to piece of work it together with my hands into a brawl.
• Split the dough in half and curl it out:This is a lot of cookie dough, so I advise dividing the dough in half and rolling out each half. I find that information technology's easier to roll the dough out between two pieces of parchment newspaper. i/4-inch is the perfect thickness for these cookies.
• Cut out shapes & broil: This cookie dough also doesn't crave any dough chilling, only if you lot run into any issues with cutting out the dough then chilling it can help. See my section below for tips on rolling out and cutting your dough. The baking time will vary some depending on the size of your cookie cutters also, but I typically use 2.v-iii-inch cookie cutters and they accept most 9 to 12 minutes at 350°F (177°C).
• Ice the cookies: I beloved to utilise my piece of cake carbohydrate cookie icing recipe, I recommend doubling information technology to have enough to ice a full batch of these cookies.

Tips For Rolling Out & Cutting The Cookie Dough

I've had quite a few comments over the years with readers experiencing some issues with either rolling out the dough, cutting information technology, or transferring the dough to a baking sheet. Here are my tips to make this process as easy as possible:

• Whorl each half of dough between two pieces of parchment newspaper:This will prevent it from sticking to your rolling pin and only make information technology easier! Brand certain to lightly flour the parchment paper earlier calculation the dough, then add a little flour on top of your dough earlier rolling it out.
• Use dowel rods:I similar to place a 1/4-inch dowel rod on each side of the dough, and so roll information technology out. This ensures that all of the dough is rolled to the right thickness.
• Arctic the dough:While this dough doesn't technically accept to be chilled, chilling information technology can make it easier to cut out more intricate shapes and transfer them to your blistering sail too. Once you've rolled each one-half of the dough out between parchment paper, stack them on top of each other (go along them between the parchment paper!), place them on a baking canvass, and chill for thirty minutes to 1 hour or until the dough is house and easier to piece of work with.
• Flour your cookie cutters:This volition forbid the dough from sticking as y'all're cutting out your shapes.
• Apply a thin spatula to transfer the cookies to a baking canvass:I prefer to lightly flour a sparse spatula, slide it under the cutting out cookie dough, and then transfer them to a baking canvas. They slide easily off the spatula also as long as yous continue to keep it floured.

Storage & Freezing Instructions

Once your cookies have cooled completely, you can stack them and store them in an airtight container. If you ice the cookies, make sure to let the icing harden completely before stacking them. Cookies with or without icing can be stored at room temperature for up to one week.

To freeze the cookie dough

Separate the dough in 2, flatten into two discs about ½-inch thick, wrap each i tightly with plastic wrap, and store in a freezer-condom storage container or freezer bag for up to three months. When you're gear up to make the cookies, thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator. Remove the discs from the refrigerator, let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 45 minutes, roll each disc out between two pieces of parchment paper. Peel off the superlative layer of parchment paper, cut out shapes with cookie cutters, and bake as directed.

To freeze the baked cookies

Once the cookies have cooled completely, store them in a freezer-friendly storage container or storage handbag for upwardly to 3 months. I recommend placing parchment paper between the layers of cookies so that they don't stick together. If yous are freezing iced cookies, make certain to let the icing fully harden before freezing them. When you're ready to savour the cookies, allow them sit at room temperature for several hours to thaw completely.

Baking Tips

• When measuring your flour, avert scooping it out of the container with the measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour around, spoon it into your measuring loving cup, and level it off with the back of a knife.
• I propose using ane Crisco blistering stick for this recipe since it will requite you the exact amount that you demand. If you're measuring out one cup of Crisco, make certain to fully pack it into your measuring cup.
• The dough volition be a piffling crumbly at first, but keep mixing and it will come together but fine. Feel free to stop once the mixture comes together and piece of work it together into a ball with your hands.

More Christmas Cookie Recipes To Endeavour!

• Chocolate Turtle Cookies
• Snowball Cookies
• Soft Molasses Cookies
• Thumbprint Cookies
• Peanut Butter Blossoms

Cut Out Carbohydrate Cookie Recipe

This is the BEST Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe you will ever try! These cookies are like shooting fish in a barrel to make, succulent, and plough out incredibly soft every unmarried time.

Form Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Christmas, cookies

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time ten minutes

Total Fourth dimension 50 minutes

Servings 25 cookies

For the cutting-out sugar cookies:

• ▢ 3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled
• ▢ ii teaspoons baking pulverisation
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 cup (190 grams) shortening
• ▢ 1 cup (200 grams) granulated saccharide
• ▢ one large egg room temperature
• ▢ 2 tablespoons (30ml) milk
• ▢ 2 teaspoons pure vanilla excerpt
• ▢ Optional: 2 batches easy sugar cookie icing

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and ready aside.

• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set bated.

• In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, cream the shortening and carbohydrate together for ane to ii minutes or until well combined. Mix in the egg, milk, and vanilla extract until fully combined, making sure to stop and scrape downward the sides of the bowl equally needed.

• Add the dry ingredients and mix until fully combined. The mixture will be a petty crumbly at get-go but information technology will come together as you continue mixing it. Once the dough comes together, use your easily to grade it into a brawl.

• Split the dough in half. Lightly flour a piece of parchment newspaper, add together half of the dough, summit with some other piece of parchment paper, and roll the dough out ¼-inch thick betwixt both pieces of parchment newspaper. Repeat with the other half of the dough between two separate pieces of parchment paper. This dough doesn't crave any dough chilling, but if you adopt colder dough so that it's easier to work with you tin can place both pieces of rolled out dough between the parchment paper on a baking canvas and refrigerate for 30 minutes to one hour.

• Skin off the tiptop layer of parchment paper. Using two.5 to 3 inch cookie cutters, cut the cookie dough into shapes and place them onto the prepared blistering sheets, making sure to leave a little room betwixt each one. If needed, flour a thin spatula and utilise that to transfer the cut out cookies to the blistering sail. Re-coil whatever scrap pieces of dough between the parchment paper and continue cut out shapes. Repeat with the other sail of cookie dough.

• Bake for 9 to 12 minutes or until the tops of the cookies are set the bottom edges are lightly browned.

• Cool on the blistering sheets for 5 to 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to stop cooling.

Storage Instructions: Cookies may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for upwards to one calendar week. Make sure to let the icing fully harden before stacking the cookies.

Freezing Instructions:Carve up the dough in two, flatten into 2 1/2-inch thick discs, wrap each one tightly with plastic wrap, and store in a freezer-safe storage container or freezer pocketbook for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and then let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 45 minutes, roll each disc out betwixt two pieces of parchment newspaper. Peel off the top layer of parchment paper, cut out shapes with cookie cutters, and bake as directed.

Baked cookies will also freeze well for up to 3 months, thaw to room temperature earlier serving.

Flour:When measuring your flour, don't scoop information technology out of the container with the measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour effectually, spoon information technology into your measuring cup, and level it off with the back of a knife.

Shortening: I adopt to use Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening because information technology has a neutral flavor. Feel costless to use their butter flavored version if y'all prefer though. Brand certain your shortening is at room temperature also.

Egg: To bring your egg to room temperature chop-chop, identify it in a bowl of warm water for five to 10 minutes.

Milk: I typically use whole milk, simply feel free to utilise whatsoever yous take on mitt - 2%, 1%, skim, or even almond milk will work here!

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