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little girl rolling out cookies

Ultimate Fool-Proof Sugar Cookie Recipe (GF)

I've tried a lot of sugar cookie recipes over the years - endured a lot of cookie disasters... until I finally found THE PERFECT cookie dough recipe that will hold its shape for cookie cutters and is optimal for decorating! This is my go-to recipe that I use for all of our parties and holidays that we bake sugar cookies for. The dough comes together quickly with basic pantry ingredients! Did I mention there is NO chilling required?!!
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 38 minutes
Servings: 36 cookies
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup Unsalted Butter
  • 1 cup (White) Granulated Sugar
  • 1 ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Egg
  • 2 tsp Baking Powder
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • 3 cups Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F and line a baking sheet or two with non-stick parchment paper
  2. Using a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until nice and smooth
  3. Add in your vanilla extract and egg
  4. In a separate bowl, mix together your dry ingredients: the baking powder, flour and salt
  5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the mixer
  6. Make sure to keep mixing until the dough is pulling away from the sides of the mixer - IF dough looks too dry turn out your dough on the surface of a clean countertop, flouring the surface as needed. Wet your hands and finish kneading dough by hand
  7. NO CHILLING REQUIRED!
  8. It's time to start rolling and cutting out your cookies! Cut them out preferably 1/4 inch rather than 1/8 of an inch. You will want them to be on the thicker side.
  9. Bake at 350℉ for 6-8 minutes

Notes

The texture of these cookies is medium soft, but if you like them crispier you can bake them for a little  longer. If the cookies look underbaked to you, I still recommend pulling them out around the 8-9 minute mark when using big cookie cutters, and 6-8 minutes for smaller cookie cutters because they will continue to bake for a few minutes on the baking sheet while they are cooling! Obviously, everyone's oven is different and I find that oftentimes I'll need to adjust what recipes are telling me and cook/bake things a bit longer, so I would recommend staying very attentive to your cookies - especially if this is your first time making this recipe! 
Butter doesn't need to be at "room temperature" but do allow it to sit out for about 15 minutes while prepping and gathering the rest of your cookie ingredients.
If you don't want to make these gluten-free, you may substitute a regular all-purpose flour!
If you do decide that you want to chill the dough, just bring it back to room temperature before rolling out and cutting your shapes!
Here are some links to the ingredients I use:
My favorite kind of Parchment Paper to use for baking
I love this baking sheet
King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure-for-Measure Flour
Organic Vanilla Extract
Organic Baking Powder
Organic White Granulated Sugar