As a decorator I have tried dozens of cookie recipes to get the perfect sugar cookie for decorating.
After years of tweaking, this is it.
This recipe makes a sturdy and flat cookie to create a wonderful decorating surface.
Although I use vanilla and almond extract, you can add any extract. For example, you can add lemon extract for a lemon sugar cookie. Do note that if you add an extract with color, you will not get the white cookie you may want.
Sugar Cookie Recipe (printable recipe below)
Ingredients:
- 2 sticks salted butter (no margarine) – room temperature (not melted)
- 1 Cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract (other extracts are fine too)
- 1/2 Cup cornstarch
- 4-5 Cups all-purpose flour
How to Make:
Mix butter well. Add sugar and mix. Add eggs. Add extracts – mix all well.
Slowly add mixture of cornstarch and flour into the wet mixture.
Your mixer may not be able to continue mixing as the dough gets tough. You can finish stirring or using your hands.
Wrap in wax paper or put in a baggie. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Roll out on flour board. Cut into shapes.
Bake at 350 degrees (170 C) preheated oven for 11 – 15 minutes until golden brown on bottom.
Cool before decorating. Store in air tight container.

- 2 sticks salted butter (no margarine)
- 1 Cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract (other extracts are fine too)
- ½ Cup cornstarch
- 4-5 Cups all-purpose flour
- Mix butter well. Add sugar and mix. Add eggs. Add extracts - mix all well.
- Slowly add mixture of cornstarch and flour into the wet mixture.
- Your mixer may not be able to continue mixing as the dough gets tough. You can finish stirring or using your hands.
- Wrap in wax paper or put in a baggie. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Roll out on flour board. Cut into shapes.
- Bake at 350 degrees (170 C) preheated oven for 11 - 15 minutes until golden brown on bottom.
- Cool before decorating. Store in air tight container.
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