Teresa’s Bake Shop – Christmas Cookie Extravaganza – 2013

These really are the BEST Sugar Cookies you will ever eat! Quite a boast, I know, but I can back it up. I think what makes these cookies so spectacular is they have LOTS of sugar and they have both vanilla and almond extract in the batter. You heard that right. Almond extract is my secret ingredient in these luscious cookies.

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These cookies literally melt in your mouth, which is probably why they are my favorite cookie of all time. No kidding. They really are. We absolutely adore these heavenly cookies, and every time we bring them somewhere, everyone always wants more! They are incredibly rich and sweet.

We make these cookies frequently for our Christmas Cookie Extravaganzas, but they are very labor intensive. Especially when you bake 5 or 6 batches at a time like we usually do (300-400 cookies). I made five batches of the cookies and eight batches of the icing so no matter how you shake it out, it’s a lot of work.

Plus, of course, there have to be sprinkles on the cookies! 🙂 It does take a long time to frost all those cookies by hand and then sprinkle jimmies or sprinkles over the top. It works best to sprinkle the jimmies on top of the cookie right after you ice each cookie and before the icing has a chance to dry, set up, and harden. After that, the sprinkles won’t adhere to the icing. So there’s about a 5-10 minute window and then all bets are off!

When we lived in Florida back in the 1980s, our neighbors across the street brought a plate of these wonderful cookies to us for Christmas one year. Debbie’s recipe only called for pressing the cookies with sugar from the bottom of a glass–no icing. These cookies were amazing to the taste buds. But they became sensational when I added one of my mom’s icing recipes from an old 4-H Dessert cookbook, circa 1960s.

BEST Sugar Cookies are sensational as you will find out when you make them. I’m sure anyone who’s ever eaten these cookies will attest to how wonderful these cookies are. (For the record, that’s been hundreds of people over the last three decades) So, if you want a fabulous sugar cookie with icing, then consider making BEST Sugar Cookies at your next opportunity. You will be lucky if you get any. They will be gobbled down in no time! Seriously.

Back in early November (2018) my husband made a stop at a church in Houston. He always drops off cookies to friends there. They got to talking about my blog and my most requested Christmas cookie. John told him it had to be my Sugar Cookies. He asked for some! So I made four batches of these amazing cookies and stashed them in our freezer. He delivered them about a week ago (December 2018), just in time for everyone to enjoy them for the holidays. Best Sugar Cookies are still our most requested and favorite cookie recipe ever. Love these jewels…. 🙂

These really are the BEST Sugar Cookies I’ve ever eaten. 

I could gobble these cookies down by the handful. They are absolutely my FAVORITE cookie (and they don’t even have chocolate!)

You haven’t eaten Sugar Cookies, until you’ve eaten BEST Sugar Cookies! These cookies are to die for!

Whenever we bring trays of these scrumptious cookies to office parties, they are snatched up pronto!

Here’s what I did

.

I used these ingredients for the cookies.

Soften butter. Add it to a large mixing bowl with canola oil.  Add sugar, powdered sugar, eggs, cream of tartar, salt and baking soda.

Add vanilla and almond extracts. 

Cream with an electric mixer until smooth.

Add UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour. Bleached flour toughens baked goods.

Stir ingredients with a heavy spoon to combine.

Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray. Roll dough into balls place on prepared baking sheets. 

Bake at 350 for about 10-12 minutes. Cool cookies completely before adding icing. After about 10 minutes remove cookies to cookie racks.

I used these ingredients for the icing, plus lots of assorted sprinkles and colored sugars.

Place powdered sugar, dry milk and salt in a mixing bowl.

Stir ingredients thoroughly to combine.

Add Crisco shortening and water. Mix with an electric mixer to combine. (Do not use any cheap substitutes for the Crisco).

Cream ingredients with an electric mixer until very smooth and creamy.

I usually color my icing. When I make these around Halloween I use orange or purple icing, around Easter I use pink and yellow. Here, I’ve added red food coloring. (Food coloring actually works better than gel).

Mix with an electric mixer again until all the food coloring is worked into the icing.

Add green food coloring if you also want green cookies.

Mix ingredients again with an electric mixer until frosting is smooth and creamy.

Remove cookies from cookie sheets and place on cooling racks.

Spread frosting with a knife. I still do this the old-fashioned way with a knife. I really don’t like piping the icing on.

Now add sprinkles or jimmies. You need to do this right away or the icing dries and hardens up and you won’t be able to get the sprinkles to adhere to the icing after that. I use about one teaspoon of sprinkles per cookie and 1/4 teaspoon colored sugar per cookie.

Gently press the sprinkles, jimmies or colored sugar into the icing to help it adhere better.

Place cookies back on cooling racks when finished so the icing sets up. It will harden slightly, then the cookies are ready to serve or pack up to freeze in containers for later.

I had a lot of different kinds of sprinkles in my pantry so I pulled them all out to use on these cookies. 

Don’t BEST Sugar Cookies look delectable? Make up a batch of BEST Sugar Cookies and you will see why they are my favorite cookies in the world!

BEST Sugar Cookies are heavenly. I have a tough time stopping after just one. 

These cookies are highly addictive, so beware!

Here’s the recipe.

BEST SUGAR COOKIES

(Cookie recipe adapted from Debbie Rambaum, when we attended First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks, Largo, FL, Frosting recipe source: Rea’s Icing Delight, 4-H Dessert cookbook)

BEST Sugar Cookies

Teresa Ambra

The most luscious and decadent frosted sugar cookie you will ever eat! This recipe is made with both almond and vanilla extracts and iced with a thick powdered sugar icing to die for! They're perfect for holiday parties or Christmas Cookie Exchanges.

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Total Time 57 minutes mins

Course Cookies, Brownies and Bars, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 60

Calories 195 kcal

Equipment

• 3 large 18x26" cookie sheet pans
• 2 large mixing bowls
• 2 wooden spoons
• 1 electric mixer
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• 1 spatula
• 4 wire cooling racks

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

COOKIES:

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup canola oil or avocado oil
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 5 cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour bleached flour toughens baked goods
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 large eggs beaten

ICING:

• 1 lb. confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tbsp. powdered milk
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 cup Crisco shortening no substitutes
• 1/4 cup water

Instructions

 

COOKIES:

• Mix butter, oil, sugars, extracts, eggs salt, cream of tartar and baking soda with an electric mixer until very well combined.
• Add flour and stir into sugar mixture until ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
• Chill dough at least one hour.
• Roll cookie dough into balls.
• Place on greased cookie sheets.
• Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until cookies are done.
• Rotate cookie sheets on oven racks every 8 minutes of baking time.
• Cool completely.
• (See notes below).

ICING:

• Thoroughly mix confectioner’s sugar, powdered milk and salt.
• Cream shortening with an electric mixer and add dry ingredients.
• Gradually add water and beat at high speed until fluffy.
• (Can add food coloring and sprinkles if decorating for the holidays).

Notes

NOTE: Recipe may be cut in half.

 

NOTE: If you don’t wish to add icing, place cookie dough balls on prepared cookie sheets. Dip the bottom of a glass in sugar and press cookies down to flatten them. Bake as directed above.

 

NOTE: I used about 1 ½ tablespoonfuls of cookie dough for each cookie.

 

NOTE: Rotate racks every 8 minutes of baking time. My cookies took about 22-24 minutes to bake completely.

 

NOTE: I used about 1 to 2 tablespoonfuls of icing on each cookie. I used about one teaspoon sprinkles and/or about ¼ teaspoon of colored sugar for each cookie. I very gently patted down the sprinkles or sugar into the icing on top of each cookie so the sprinkles and/or sugar would adhere to the icing better.

 

NOTE: You need about 1 ½ batches of icing for each batch of cookies.

 

^© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen

Nutrition

Calories: 195kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 1gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 43mgPotassium: 32mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 106IUVitamin C: 0.02mgCalcium: 6mgIron: 1mg

Keyword christmas baking, cookie, dessert, sugar cookie

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Are you drooling yet? 

Your family will love these rich, decadent sugar cookies. 

Prepare yourself for a heavenly cookie to die for!

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BEST Sugar Cookies

Teresa Ambra

The most luscious and decadent frosted sugar cookie you will ever eat! This recipe is made with both almond and vanilla extracts and iced with a thick powdered sugar icing to die for! They’re perfect for holiday parties or Christmas Cookie Exchanges.

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Total Time 57 minutes mins

Course Cookies, Brownies and Bars, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 60

Calories 195 kcal

Equipment

• 3 large 18×26" cookie sheet pans
• 2 large mixing bowls
• 2 wooden spoons
• 1 electric mixer
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• 1 spatula
• 4 wire cooling racks

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

COOKIES:

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup canola oil or avocado oil
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 5 cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour bleached flour toughens baked goods
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 large eggs beaten

ICING:

• 1 lb. confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tbsp. powdered milk
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 cup Crisco shortening no substitutes
• 1/4 cup water

Instructions

 

COOKIES:

• Mix butter, oil, sugars, extracts, eggs salt, cream of tartar and baking soda with an electric mixer until very well combined.
• Add flour and stir into sugar mixture until ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
• Chill dough at least one hour.
• Roll cookie dough into balls.
• Place on greased cookie sheets.
• Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until cookies are done.
• Rotate cookie sheets on oven racks every 8 minutes of baking time.
• Cool completely.
• (See notes below).

ICING:

• Thoroughly mix confectioner’s sugar, powdered milk and salt.
• Cream shortening with an electric mixer and add dry ingredients.
• Gradually add water and beat at high speed until fluffy.
• (Can add food coloring and sprinkles if decorating for the holidays).

Notes

NOTE: Recipe may be cut in half.

 

NOTE: If you don’t wish to add icing, place cookie dough balls on prepared cookie sheets. Dip the bottom of a glass in sugar and press cookies down to flatten them. Bake as directed above.

 

NOTE: I used about 1 ½ tablespoonfuls of cookie dough for each cookie.

 

NOTE: Rotate racks every 8 minutes of baking time. My cookies took about 22-24 minutes to bake completely.

 

NOTE: I used about 1 to 2 tablespoonfuls of icing on each cookie. I used about one teaspoon sprinkles and/or about ¼ teaspoon of colored sugar for each cookie. I very gently patted down the sprinkles or sugar into the icing on top of each cookie so the sprinkles and/or sugar would adhere to the icing better.

 

NOTE: You need about 1 ½ batches of icing for each batch of cookies.

 

^© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen

Nutrition

Calories: 195kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 1gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 43mgPotassium: 32mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 106IUVitamin C: 0.02mgCalcium: 6mgIron: 1mg

Keyword christmas baking, cookie, dessert, sugar cookie

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!