Let me be clear. I am in NO WAY being over dramatic about calling these cookies “the world’s best.” You just have to trust me. Every frosted sugar cookie that I’ve had has always been a thick, crispy, almost shortbread-type cookie with royal icing. I mean, those are good and all, but these cookies…THESE COOKIES are magical. They’re soft, and chewy, and just perfect.
Renaming the Cookies
My grandpa’s girlfriend, Emily, makes frosted sugar cookies for me every time she sees me. They’re wonderful, and she’s wonderful, and after attempting to make them myself, it was very apparent just how much she loved me. (Let’s just say they aren’t the easiest cookies you could make). That’s putting it lightly. If I’m being honest – they’re a total pain!!
These are the type of cookies where you have to make the dough, then let it chill for several hours. Then, you roll them out and use your cute little cookie cutters to cut out the perfect little shapes. You bake them, frost them, and top them with sanding sugar (for decoration). Seems simple enough, although a little time-consuming.
After attempting to make these cookies myself, I called Emily to announce that I was re-naming them to “Goldilocks Cookies.” Every step of the process had to be ‘just right’ in order for them to turn out. To be fair, Emily is a grandma, and grandma’s just know how to make everything!! I, however, am not there yet.
My First Attempt
The first time I made these cookies I thought I had ruined them, which was a total bummer because I had had quite the experience making them. The dough got too warm when I rolled it out, so I had a hard time cutting the shapes. Once I did get the shapes cut out and baked them, I realized that I had not rolled the dough out thin enough, because my shapes had spread, and no longer looked like they should.
After letting them cool, I thought I had really ruined them because even though they looked alright (not perfect, but alright) – they were crunchy!! Ugh…why??? I was making them to send with my girls to school, so I picked out a dozen of the best looking ones, frosted them, and trashed the rest. (Which was about 25-30 cookies).
My dad called while I was frosting the cookies, and I told him what had happened. With wishful thinking, I asked him, “Do you think they’ll get soft once I put the frosting on them?” He replied, “I don’t think that’s how that works.” I didn’t either, but I was so bummed at my failure that I was holding onto whatever hope I could find.
The next day, I sent the girls to school with the cookies. When I picked them up, there were still 3 cookies left. I was going to toss them, but my oldest asked for one (so obviously the little one did, too). I decided I might as well eat the last one instead of tossing it. So, I took a bite, and you know what? IT WAS FREAKING SOFT!!! The frosting had done what I thought was impossible. It actually made them the perfect, pillowy soft sugar cookies Emily always made!
My Simplified Version
After this, I called Emily to tell her, and she just laughed. She confirmed that yes, they will be crunchy at first, but once the frosting sits overnight, it softens up the cookie. After knowing this, I was so happy, but also knew I needed a way to simplify this process. I love these cookies so much, and there were so many times I wanted to make them, but they were just such a pain that I never did.
Then it came to me! I decided to make the dough, form it into a log (cylinder), and freeze it for one hour. After that, I took it out, placed it on a cutting board, and sliced it into thin discs. I baked them, frosted them, and voila! A simplified version of the world’s best frosted sugar cookie!
You have to make these for yourself, and you’ll see just what I mean when I say they are the best. You can thank grandma Emily for her lovely recipe, and me for simplifying it so us non-grandmas can enjoy them any time we want!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup butter
- 1.5 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 2.5 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cream of tarter
Topping:
- 1 container of vanilla frosting
- sanding sugar for decoration
Directions:
- In a stand mixer or large bowl, mix butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and almond extract until well combined. (if mixing by hand, soften butter first).
- Add in dry ingredients and mix until fully incorporated.
- Spoon out dough onto plastic wrap. Form into a cylinder about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap completely and freeze for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Remove dough from freezer and slice into 1/4″ discs. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes until edges are slightly golden.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
- Flip cookies upside down, and apply a thin layer of frosting over the entire surface. (so you’re frosting the bottom).
- Decorate with sanding sugar. Can be enjoyed right away, but it’s best to make them the day before, as they soften overnight).
