Lil’ Sugar Cookies: Simple, easy-to-make, soft and chewy basic sugar cookies.

Soft and chewy sugar cookies

“Lil’ Sugar” is the name that one of the nurses called my baby Margo when she was giving her the first bath in the delivery room at the hospital after she was born on April 30th, 2014.  It is now about one year and 20 days since that rainy, Spring evening she was born, my second Mother’s Day with her has passed and I am ever, eternally grateful to have her in my life.  Margo, my husband, Eric and I, all have this special bond together and when I think about how much meaning my family brings to life, my heart bursts with joy.

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Lil’ Sugar Cookies are not your typical dry, hard, crumbly sugar cookies and they are not like shortbread either, ewww gross, we don’t like those kind of sugar cookies, yucky.   Fear not, sugar cookie-phobes, these cookies are not those greasy, grainy, gritty texture between your molars kind of sugar cookies. Did someone put sand in those cookies?  Because we don’t like those, either, ick.

Crisp outer edge, soft and chewy inside

These cookies are chewy and soft in the center with crisp outer edges which makes for a satisfying bite each time.  Yummy, yum, yum…(can you tell I am eating one?) The butter flavor comes through very well while being pleasantly sweet and expect more of a light and airy experience.  They remind me of a really fresh Italian cookie from Modern Pastry in Boston, MA (a favorite haunt when visiting family).  Like most things I bake, they make a nice buddy to coffee or might I suggest a smoky, black tea to go with your Lil’ Sugar Cookies.

Tip: I use a OXO Good Grips Medium Cookie Dough Scoop for getting perfectly rounded scoops of dough and it results in nicely shaped cookies when they are done baking.  I have tried two other cookie dough scoops (both of which broke) and this one is sturdy, well made and comfortable to use.  Using a cookie dough scoop cuts down on mess, reduces “cookie spread” and gives you better-looking cookies.

The OXO scoop makes rounded shapes that resemble scooped ice cream.

I usually do 12 scoops of dough per baking sheet, and there will be some extra, so I just bake in shifts.

Lil' Sugar Cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 27 minutes

These one-bowl delicious sugar cookies are soft and chewy with a crisp outer edge.

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, (1 stick) softened to room temperature
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2-3/4 cups flour

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter for 30 seconds on high speed. Stream in the sugar and beat until creamed. Beat in eggs, cream of tartar, baking soda, vanilla extract and salt until combined. Beat in flour until combined.
3. Using a medium sized cookie dough scoop, place 12 dough balls per sheet with even spacing. Bake 10-12 minutes, until barely lightly browned. Let cool 1-2 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and let cool.

Recommended Products

• 
  Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker's Half Sheet (2 Pack), Silver
• 
  OXO Good Grips Cookie Scoop, Medium, Stainless Steel

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This recipe is adapted from “Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies” on p. 248 of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book.

Alternatives + Thoughts

• Do not refrigerate the cookie dough as it says in the original recipe, I had tried this and it makes it much more difficult to scoop the dough with the scoop.
• Keep and eye on the time when baking these, I have an electric stove and every stove can differ slightly when it comes to baking times.
• It is important that the butter be creamed properly in the beginning; this helps with getting that light and airy texture that makes these cookies so delicious.
• You can try a different type of extract other than vanilla
• You can try sprinkling rainbow or chocolate sprinkles on top for a festive look.

Best Wishes and Happy Baking!

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Sara Maniez

Owner at Life's Little Sweets

Sara is an architectural designer turned work-at-home Mom.She lives in NJ with her husband, two kids under 5 and dog. She loves design, being creative and spending time with family and friends.She enjoys and shares baking, vegan, traditional & family recipes as well as DIY, lifestyle, organization and design ideas.

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