The Best Homemade Sugar Cookies With Frosting

Hey Friend, if you’re looking for the best homemade sugar cookies with frosting, you’ve come to the right place! I’ve got a great recipe for you!

This soft sugar cookie recipe is perfect for any holiday—whether it’s Christmas cookies, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, the 4th of July, or just because. I’ve been making these absolute favorite cookies for several years, and they are always a hit with family and friends.

It’s hard to find a recipe that makes a good drop cookie and cutout cookie all in one, that still has the perfect flavor. But this one is the best, it just melts in your mouth!

This recipe has a balance between not being too sweet, yet not too plain, they are just right! And quite honestly, I try to only make them around the holidays for our family because I know we will consume way too many if we are not careful. That’s my version of self-control. Haha!

But when it’s time to bake these yummy homemade sugar cookies, they are easy to make, fun to decorate, and absolutely delicious. So grab your kids and your apron, and let’s make some sweet memories in the kitchen with the best sugar cookies you’ll ever taste! 

Simple Ingredients

• 3/4 cup of shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon imitation vanilla (1/2 teaspoon if you are using vanilla extract)
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt ( I use sea salt but you can use table salt)
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 3 cups all purpose flour (if you’re doing cutout cookies make sure to add a 1/4 cup of flour)ur

Kitchen Equipment

• stand mixer (or hand mixer)
• bowl of a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl)
• liquid measuring cup
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• silicone spatula
• cookie sheet
• wire rack for cooling
• cookie scoop or metal spoon for drop cookies
• rolling pin for cutout cookies
• favorite cookie cutters for cutout cookies
• silicone mat for cutout cookies

Step By Step Directions

1. In a medium bowl add all purpose flour, sea salt, and baking powder and whisk together until well combined and set aside.

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream shortening and sugar.

1. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl, then add eggs, vanilla, and milk and mix.

1. Add in the dry ingredients on low speed mixing until it forms dough, scraping down the sides of the bowl and making sure everything is incorporated.

For Drop Sugar Cookies:

1. Using a cookie scoop or a metal spoon, drop sugar cookie dough onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 12 minutes check and add time if needed.
2. Place baked cookies on a wire cooking rack when done.

For Cutout Sugar Cookies:

1. Don’t forget to add 1/4 cup extra flour to your dough and mix in until incorporated. 
2. On a lightly floured surface or silicone mat, turn out sugar cookie dough. 
3. Lightly flour the rolling pin and roll out the dough to approximately 1/3 inch. If your cookie dough is sticking to your rolling pin lightly flour the top of your dough.
4. Dip your cookie cutter into flour and place it at the edges of the rolled-out dough to start cutting.
   • If the dough sticks to the cookie cutter at all, sprinkle a tiny bit more flour on the top of the dough.
5. Place cutouts on the prepared baking sheet and bake at 350 for 9-12 minutes.
6. Place baked cookies on a wire cooling rack when done.
7. Decorate with the best buttercream icing for sugar cookies recipe.

PIN FOR LATER

Tips and Tricks for Success

• Dip cookie cutters in flour to ensure the sugar cookie dough will come right off of them.
• If the dough seems a little wet when cutting them out make sure to sprinkle a tiny bit of flour on the top.
• ​Drop cookies will probably bake closer to 12 minutes because they have less flour in them.
• How long drop cookies bake will also depend on the size of the cookie scoop you use or the dough ball you have.

Leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts! Do you like the best homemade sugar cookies with frosting? Did you tweak them somehow? I would love to hear from you!