There’s nothing better than biting into Big Bakery-Style Sugar Cookies. Soft, chewy, big, thick, and melt-in-your-mouth! Simply irresistible!
Welcome to our delightful journey into the world of baking Big Bakery-Style Sugar Cookies! These scrumptious treats are a favorite for all ages, boasting a soft, chewy texture and topped with irresistibly sweet icing. In this blog post, we’ll uncover the secrets to creating these delectable cookies, from understanding the crucial ingredients to mastering the step-by-step instructions. Whether you’re a baking enthusiast or a novice in the kitchen, our guide will ensure your sugar cookies are nothing short of perfection.
Understanding the Ingredients in Big Bakery-Style Sugar Cookies?
- Sugar Cookie Basics: The foundation of any good sugar cookie recipe lies in its core ingredients. Flour, butter, shortening, sugar, eggs, and leavening agents are the building blocks that ensure a delicious and tender texture. The butter and shortening adds richness, while the sugar contributes sweetness and aids in creating the cookie’s delightful texture. Eggs act as the binding agent, and the vanilla extract infuses the dough with a wonderful flavor. To ensure consistent results, be precise in measuring your ingredients.
- High-Quality Ingredients: Don’t compromise on quality! Opt for premium butter, fresh eggs, and top-notch vanilla to enhance the overall taste and consistency of your cookies.
Essential Tools for Making the Best Bakery-Style Sugar Cookies
- Kitchen Aid Mixer: Although a hand mixer works well, the Kitchen Aid Mixer makes baking much easier. If you bake often, I recommend investing in a good mixer. Be on the lookout as these mixers go on sale usually during the holidays.
- Hand Mixer: Invest in a good hand mixer, especially when mixing up cookies. In addition it’s a great tool for whipping up small batches of frosting. They are light, portable and easy to use.
- Invest in good, baking sheets: Using the right baking sheets make a huge difference when baking cookies. For all my cookies, I use the Doughmakers baking sheet. These are the best cooking sheets and I highly recommend them. Its pebbled design promotes even baking and cooling. It’s so easy to remove your cookies and the sheet is extremely light weight too. Plus, it doesn’t rust. A great gift for the baker in your family!
- Wire racks: if you haven’t invested in a wire racks I recommend you buy one. Placing your baked goods on wire racks help with both cooling and eliminating carryover baking.
- Thin spatula: a thin spatula will help you to remove your cookies from the baking sheet with ease. It will also help eliminate cookie distortion when removing!
- Food Coloring: If you are adding color to your frosting, I recommend using the AmeriColor Soft Gel Food Coloring and the Wilton Gel Food Coloring. However, I find that the Wilton dries up more quickly and sometimes I find lumpy, little flakes in the frosting that need to be removed. Overall, AmeriColor tends to be vibrant in color and smoother in texture.
Baking Time and Temperature
To achieve that golden-brown perfection, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake the cookies for approximately 12-15 minutes, or until the edges turn a light golden brown. Keep a close eye on them as baking time may vary depending on the size of your cookies and your oven’s calibration. Remember that they continue to cook slightly after being removed from the oven, so avoid overbaking to maintain the chewiness.
Mastering the Frosting
No bakery-style sugar cookie is complete without a luscious frosting. For the perfect frosting, you’ll need softened butter, powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, pure vanilla extract, and food coloring if desired. Achieving the right consistency is key – you want the frosting to be spreadable but not too runny. Start with a small amount of cream, then gradually add more until you reach the desired consistency. Once your frosting is ready, place in a piping bag or use a knife or a small offset spatula to spread it over the cooled cookies.
Decorate Like a Pro!
Let your creativity soar as you decorate your cookies like a pro. Use piping bags with various tips to create intricate designs or simply place the icing over the cookies with a spoon for a more casual look. Add colorful sprinkles, edible pearls, or even small fondant shapes for an extra touch of charm. The possibilities are endless, so have fun experimenting and making your cookies truly unique.
Tips for Perfecting Your Bakery-Style Sugar Cookies
- Experiment with Flavors: While traditional vanilla sugar cookies are delightful, don’t hesitate to get creative with flavor variations. Add a touch of almond extract or lemon zest for an exciting twist. You can also incorporate cocoa powder for chocolate sugar cookies or a hint of cinnamon for a warm, spiced flavor.
- Avoid Overmixing: When combining the wet and dry ingredients, be mindful not to overmix the dough. Overmixing can lead to tough cookies, and we want them to be irresistibly soft and chewy. Mix the ingredients until just combined for the best results.
- Customizable Icing: To make your cookies even more personalized, divide the frosting into separate bowls and add food coloring to create a spectrum of vibrant colors. From pastels to bold hues, your cookies will be as visually stunning as they are delicious.
- Drying and Storage: Once your cookies are beautifully frosted and decorated, allow them to air-dry for at least 1-2 hours to set. To store them, place the cookies in a single layer in an airtight container with parchment paper between each layer. Properly stored, your cookies will stay fresh and delightful for up to one week. Freeze unfrosted cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Share the Joy: Big bakery-style sugar cookies are perfect for sharing. Gift them in decorative boxes or cellophane bags tied with ribbons for special occasions or as heartfelt presents to friends and loved ones. Your thoughtfulness will be appreciated, and the cookies will undoubtedly bring smiles to everyone’s faces.
Big Bakery-Style Sugar Cookies-Ingredients
For the Sugar Cookies
- 1/2 cup butter (softened)
- 1/4 cup shortening (Crisco)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Frosting
- 6 tbsp butter (softened)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2-3 tbsp heavy whipping cream
Instructions
For the Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat butter for 3 minutes. Add shortening and beat for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
- Pour in pure vanilla extract and add the egg and beat until incorporated.
- In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the mixer and beat on low until a soft dough forms.
- Use a 1/4 cup to measure out your dough. Roll dough into a balls and place evenly on the baking sheet. Use your hand to slightly flatten the dough ball.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are just starting to turn brown.
- Remove baking sheet from the oven and let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then move to a wire rack and cool completely.
Frosting
- Beat butter until creamy.
- Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and one tbsp at time of the heavy whipping cream. Beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. The heavy whipping cream will add a nice fluffiness to the mixture.
- If coloring the frosting, add a few drops (or more depending on how dark you want the color) of the desired color and mix until it is fully incorporated into the frosting.
- Use a piping bag to pipe on the frosting or use a knife or small offset spatula to frost the cookies.
- Add sprinkles, nonpareils, etc. to the top.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. Place in the refrigerator to ensure maximum freshness. To freeze, place unfrosted cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
You’ve got this! It’s your turn to make these irresistible cookies!
Congratulations! You’re now ready to master the art of baking these Big Bakery-Style Sugar Cookies. Understanding the importance of top-notch ingredients and following our step-by-step instructions has brought you to this sweet victory. So, gather all of your baking tools, unleash your creativity, and let the magic begin. Remember, practice makes perfect, so don’t hesitate to try out different techniques and experiment with various icing designs.
So, preheat your ovens, get your aprons on, and let the sweet aroma of freshly baked sugar cookies fill your home. Happy baking! And remember…
Life’s too short to eat bad food!
For other delicious cookies try:
Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
Copycat Chocolate Crumbl Cookies
Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
Big Bakery-Style Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment or hand mixer
- Baking Sheets
- Wire racks
- thin spatula
Ingredients
For the Sugar Cookies
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/4 cup shortening Crisco
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Frosting
- 6 tbsp butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2-3 tbsp heavy whipping cream
Instructions
For the Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat butter for 3 minutes. Add shortening and beat for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
- Pour in pure vanilla extract and add the egg. Beat until incorporated.
- In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the mixer and beat on low until a soft dough forms.
- Use a 1/4 cup to measure out your dough. Roll dough into a balls and place evenly on the baking sheet. Use your hand to slightly flatten the dough ball.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are just starting to turn brown.
- Remove baking sheet from the oven and let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then move to a wire rack and cool completely.
Frosting
- Beat butter until creamy.
- Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and one tbsp at time of the heavy whipping cream. Beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. The heavy whipping cream will add a nice fluffiness to the mixture.
- If coloring the frosting, add a few drops (or more depending on how dark you want the color) of the desired color and mix until it is fully incorporated into the frosting.
- Use a piping bag to pipe on the frosting or use a knife or small offset spatula to frost cookies.
- Add sprinkles, nonpareils, etc. to the top if desired.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. Place in the refrigerator to ensure maximum freshness. To freeze, place unfrosted cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
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