How to make delicious sugar cookies with a simple recipe, only 5 ingredients and perfect for decorating

After many trials, testing and adjusting my sugar cookies recipe, the final product is finally here! This recipe is very simple and it is easy to make. You only need five basic ingredients to make these delicious and versatile cookies. One of the best features of this recipe is that there is no need to chill or refrigerate the dough before rolling it out to cut out your cookies. You can make the recipe and bake your cookies straight away! I hope you enjoy making these cookies and be sure to check the “Notes” section at the end of the page for important information and tips.

Continue to read on and watch my full Step by Step “How to make delicious sugar cookies | Simple recipe, only 5 ingredients & perfect for decorating!” video tutorial below and read along with the full written recipe below.

Ingredients

250 grams (1 cup) soft salted butter *room temperature
440 grams (2 cups) caster sugar
2 jumbo sized eggs (120 grams) *room temperature
4 teaspoons (20mls) vanilla extract
600 grams (4 cups) plain flour *all purpose flour

Directions

Add soft, room temperature butter into a mixer bowl. Use the paddle attachment and beat until creamy or 2-3 minutes. Scrape the bowl as needed.
Add the sugar in small batches and mix in well until creamy and well combined.
Scrape the bowl as necessary.
Add the vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
Lightly whisk the eggs in a bowl.
Add the eggs into the mixer bowl. Mix on low to medium speed until ingredients are well combined.
Add the flour in small batches until all ingredients are well combined. Mix on low to medium speed.
Scrape the bowl and finish by kneading the cookie dough by hand.
Divide the cookie dough in small batches and wrap with cling film.
You can immediately use and roll this cookie dough to make cookies. There is no need to chill or refrigerate beforehand. The cookies will not lose their shape when baking, however they may spread 1-2mm. This is normal and refrigerating the cookies before baking will not change this.
Bake in a fan forced oven for 8 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius (320 Fahrenheit). Please be mindful that baking the cookies for 1 extra minute will start to brown the edges. I recommended watching the cookies as they bake during the last few minutes the first time you bake them.
The cookies will be ready when the edges feel firm and the centre feels soft. The cookies will become firmer as they cool, however they will still be softer in the centre. If you prefer crunchy cookies and don’t mind browning on the edges, you can bake them for 9-10 minutes.
Once the cookies have cooled completely, you can decorate them straight away. In my YouTube video for this recipe I have shown how to decorate these cookies with fondant sugar paste.
Store these cookies in an airtight container for 3-5 days for optimal freshness.
The cookie dough should be stored in the fridge and used within 7 days.

Notes

How are the ingredients measured in this recipe?

In this recipe and in all of my recipes I provide all ingredients in grams and in mL (millilitres) where applicable. I also provide the ingredient quantities in METRIC cup measurements. However, be aware that cup measurements and spoon measurements vary in different countries. Therefore, I highly recommended the use of kitchen scales where applicable to measure the ingredients to achieve exactly what the recipe intends. Some recipes, such as this cookie recipe require exact quantities to achieve the optimal result.

What is caster sugar and can I substitute it in this recipe?

Caster Sugar is also known as super fine granulated sugar. Not to be confused or replaced with icing sugar also known as powdered sugar and confectioners’ sugar. You may replace the caster sugar with standard granulated white sugar in this recipe.

What does room temperature mean?

In some of my recipes I will indicate if an ingredient needs to be at room temperature. In these instances the ingredients will have come from the fridge to a room temperature of ideally 20 – 22 degrees Celsius (68 – 71.6 Fahrenheit). As a guide leave the ingredients from the fridge out for about an hour before using in them your recipe. In this cookie recipe, leave the butter and eggs out of the fridge for about 1 hour. You can chop the butter into small cubes to speed up the process.

What are “Jumbo” eggs? Can I use other sizes?

Jumbo eggs (a pack of 12 eggs 800 grams) are the largest sizes available in Australian supermarkets. One jumbo egg weighs approximately 60 grams. In this recipe you will need approximately 120 grams of whole eggs. I have given the measurement in grams as well in case you do not have access to Jumbo sized eggs, and can therefore work out how many eggs you will need if you can only access eggs in other sizes.

What is the shelf-life of these cookies and how should I store them?

These cookies will stay fresh for up to 5 days in an airtight container after baking. The cookie dough should be stored wrapped or in an airtight container in the fridge and baked within 7 days.

Watch the full step by step video provided with this recipe for visual instructions. If you have any questions leave me a comment and I’ll be more than happy to guide you through.

Cookies Recipe,