I love holidays. I love tradition. And I love cookies. So it should be no surprise that I love the tradition of baking cookies for every holiday I can. I used to invite myself over to my best friend’s house to make Halloween and Christmas cookies with her and her kids, and I have to give her full credit for discovering this Sugar Cutout Cookie recipe from William Sonoma. I have my own little baker to share the fun with, but I still will only make sugar cookies using this recipe.
The thing about the holidays is that it’s just So. Much. Sugar. Don’t get me wrong – I love sugar. But sometimes the sweetness gets to be too much. That’s where these come in. Even slathered in a layer of frosting, the just-right pinch of salt keeps the sweetness in check.
Make or Skip? The Verdict on William Sonoma’s Cutout Sugar Cookies
Make. I guess I gave that away when I said it’s the only sugar cookie recipe I’ll use. Why mess with perfection?
Tips and Tricks
I substitute 1 tsp of vanilla extract for the scraped vanilla bean because who (besides Ina Garten) has vanilla beans laying around?
You don’t want to skip the step of chilling the dough, but if you’re short on time, wrap in saran wrap and pop in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.
Don’t roll the dough too thin before cutting out your shapes. Too-thin cookies will be delicate and not able to handle more detailed cookies. On the other hand, if they break after baking, there’s more to eat while you’re decorating!
