Go Back
A wire rack filled with decorated Christmas cookies including smiling snowmen with red scarves, candy canes with gold bows, holly leaves with red berries, and colorful knit-texture mittens.

My 20-Year Painted Sugar Cookie Recipe

A sturdy, reliable vanilla bean sugar cookie recipe that I have used for 20 years. It bakes up flat with sharp edges, making it the perfect canvas for painted designs, royal icing, and intricate textures.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup butter softened (room temperature)
  • 1 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk optional, for richness
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions
 

  • Prep: Preheat your oven to 370°F (185°C). Sift the flour and baking powder into a medium bowl and set aside.
  • Cream: In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the softened butter and sugar until soft, pale, and fluffy.
  • Wet Ingredients: Add the whole egg, the extra egg yolk (if using), and the vanilla bean paste. Beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated.
  • Combine: Gradually add the sifted flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed just until a dough forms and pulls away from the sides. Do not overmix.
  • Roll: Divide the dough in half. Place each half between two sheets of parchment paper (or plastic wrap). Roll out to approximately 1/4 inch thickness.
  • Chill: Place the rolled-out dough sheets (still in the paper) onto a cookie sheet and refrigerate for at least 30-60 minutes until firm.
  • Cut: Peel off the top layer of paper. Use cookie cutters to cut out your desired shapes. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. (Re-roll scraps and chill again if they get soft).
  • Bake: Bake at 370°F for 12–14 minutes. You are looking for the bottoms to be lightly golden, but the tops should remain pale.
  • Cool: Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

Notes

Vanilla Bean: Using paste adds beautiful black specks to the dough, but extract works fine too.
Oven Temp: 370°F is the specific temperature I have found works best for setting the shape quickly.
Texture: Adding the extra yolk makes the cookie slightly more tender; omitting it makes for a crisper cookie.