The Best Sugar Cookies and Butter Cream Frosting Recipe. Ever.

This is the sugar cookie recipe our friends and family always ask for. This is my Grandma's Sugar Cookies and Butter Cream Frosting recipe. I crave these cookies all year long - and why not have sugar cookies for every holiday?

People love the sugar cookies that come out of this recipe because they are light, fluffy, and soft. If you do not want soft and fluffy cookies, then this is not the recipe for you. The butter cream frosting is the perfect consistency for spreading. I have yet to find another sugar cookie that tops this recipe, so please, enjoy!

You might also like: my top 10 tips for the perfect sugar cookie

INGREDIENTS

• 2 sticks unsalted butter – softened
• ¼ c. milk
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 cups flour

DIRECTIONS

Mix butter and sugar. I use a fork to mash the two together until evenly mixed.

Add eggs and vanilla, followed by milk, stirring well.

Add dry ingredients - we usually use a little less than 4 cups of flour, because when you are rolling out the dough you use flour which adds to the dough. If there is too much flour it can make them very dry.

Stir until smooth. Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour before rolling and cutting cookies. For fluffier cookies, refrigerate dough overnight.*

Remove dough from refrigerator, and roll out onto floured surface. Remember not to roll the dough out too thin unless you like them thin and crispy.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-11 minutes depending on your oven and what you are cooking them on.

Let cool before frosting.

*While the dough is setting in the fridge, you can make the frosting. If refrigerating overnight, make the frosting right before you're reading to roll, cut, and bake the dough; however, you can make it ahead of time and store in an air-tight container in the fridge a day or two in advance. Simply remove it from the fridge about an hour or two before using it, so that it is not too stiff to spread on the cookies.

Butter Cream Frosting

• 1 stick unsalted butter softened
• ¼ tsp. salt
• Up to 4 tablespoons of milk – start with 2 and go from there
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar- continue to add until the right consistency for frosting, up to 2 cups*

*So, you've noticed that I did not put an amount for the powdered sugar? This is because the amount of powdered sugar you will use depends entirely on the desired consistency of the frosting.

Mix together your softened butter, salt, 2 tablespoons of milk, and vanilla.

Start with 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, and stir in. In 1/4 cup increments, add more powdered sugar and stir, until it's as thick or thin as you like. I recommend somewhere between 1.5 - 2 cups of powdered sugar, total.

If you find that you have added too much sugar and it's too stiff, then add another tablespoon of milk, up to four tablespoons total.

When you are happy with the consistency, separate your frosting into however many colors of frosting you will be using. Once separated, add in you food coloring.

After frosting cookies, leave them in the open air so the frosting can harden just a bit.

We also separate each layer of cookies with waxed paper so they don’t stick together, and add a slice of bread inside of the container, which keeps the cookies moist while the bread dries out.

These cookies also freeze and thaw really well - we've made them up to a month in advance of eating them and kept them fresh by freezing. They'll also store well in an air-tight container for over a week - if you don't eat them all first :)

DOUGH INGREDIENTS

• 2 sticks unsalted butter – softened
• ¼ c. milk
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 cups flour

FROSTING INGREDIENTS

• 1 stick unsalted butter softened
• ¼ tsp. salt
• Up to 4 tablespoons of milk – start with 2 and go from there
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar- continue to add until the right consistency for frosting, up to 2 cups

COOKIE DIRECTIONS
Mix butter and sugar - use a fork to mash the two together until evenly mixed. Add eggs and vanilla, followed by milk, stirring well. Add dry ingredients (tip: we use a little less than 4 cups of flour, because when rolling out the dough you use flour which adds to the dough. This allows for a moister cookie).

Stir until smooth. Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour before rolling and cutting cookies. For fluffier cookies, refrigerate dough overnight.

Remove dough from refrigerator, and roll out onto floured surface. If you want thick and fluffy cookies, roll the dough to about 1/4" to 1/3"; if you want crispier cookies, roll it thinner. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-11 minutes depending on your oven and what you are cooking them on.  Let cool before frosting.

FROSTING DIRECTIONS

The amount of powdered sugar you will use depends entirely on the desired consistency of the frosting (up to 2 cups of powdered sugar).

Mix together your softened butter, salt, 2 tablespoons of milk, and vanilla.

Start with 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, and stir in. In 1/4 cup increments, add more powdered sugar and stir, until it's as thick or thin as you like. I recommend somewhere between 1.5 - 2 cups of powdered sugar, total. If you find that you have added too much sugar and it's too stiff, then add another tablespoon of milk, up to four tablespoons total.

When you are happy with the consistency, separate your frosting into however many colors of frosting you will be using. Once separated, add in you food coloring. After frosting cookies, leave them in the open air so the frosting can harden just a bit.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy!
Ashley

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