Sugar cookies are a Christmas tradition and for good reason, too. They’re completely versatile, and once you’ve got the basic recipe down pat, you can add your own unique twist to it. We love topping them with sugar, adding chopped walnuts, and decorating them with Royal icing. There are lots of sugar cookie recipes out there, but we’ve got our hands on the best one! Roll up your sleeves and let’s get baking!

The best sugar cookie recipe ever!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix together butter and sugar until smooth using an electric mixer.
2. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
3. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Cover and chill dough at least 1 hour.
5. Preheat your oven to 400 F. Roll out the dough on a floured surface 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick.
6. Cut into shapes and place the cookies 1″ apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
7. Bake 6-8 minutes.
8. Take the cookies out of the oven, and while they’re still hot, transfer them to a cooling rack. Cool the cookies completely before decorating with Royal icing.

These fossil cookies are made using a simple sugar cookie recipe, and by pressing a seashell into them to leave an indentation. Serve them for a tea or coffee break, and don’t forget to experiment with other shapes for even more interesting designs!

Delicious Fossil Cookies

Easy sugar cookies that look like fossils!

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups softened butter
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg

Instructions

1. Cream together butter and powdered sugar using a mixer, or your hands.
2. Stir in the egg and vanilla extract. You can use clear vanilla extract to keep your cookies looking white.
3. Stir in the flour and salt until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto a floured surface and roll until the dough is about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out the cookies using a pizza cutter. Press the shell into the dough, leaving an indention.
4. Bake at 350°F for 15-18 minutes. After the first 10 minutes, remove the cookies and re-press the shell into the still soft dough. Return to oven to finish baking.
5. Cool cookies on wire racks before serving.

Photos and recipe: A Beautiful Mess.