Sugar Cookies Recipe
These giant Sugar Cookies are soft, chewy, and rolled in sugar with perfectly crisp golden edges and rich buttery flavor in every bite.
Ingredients
- 1 cup softened unsalted butter
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup sparkling or turbinado sugar for coating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325° F.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add in the butter and 1 ¼ cups of sugar. Mix on low to medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes. The sugar should be mixed in, and it should start to look creamy. Stop and scrape the bowl halfway through the process with a rubber scraper.
- In the meantime, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium-sized bowl and set it aside.
- Return to the mixer. Once the butter and sugar are creamed, add in the vanilla extract and mix until fully incorporated.
- Next, add 1 egg and mix it in. Stop and scrape the bowl. Mix in the last egg. Stop and scrape the bowl.
- Now add in the dry ingredients that you sifted together in 3 batches. Don’t add the next batch until the last batch is mixed. I usually stop and scrape the bowl again after adding the second batch.
- Once the last batch is added and just mixed in, set the speed to medium and let it mix for 20 to 30 seconds to ensure everything is incorporated.
- Chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes.
- Next, use a 2 to 2½-ounce scoop to portion the chilled dough. Gently shape each scoop without packing it too tightly — this is key — then roll in sparkling sugar and place on a baking sheet tray lined with parchment paper. You will get 6 per sheet tray. These are big cookies. Place the remaining cookie dough in the fridge until the first batch is done baking.
- Bake on a middle rack at 325° F with no fan for 15 minutes. Cool on a rack completely before eating.
Notes
Chilling the cookie dough takes time, but it's crucial. We want puffy and soft cookies, and that comes from chilling the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking. This will cool down the warm butter in the dough and prevent the cookies from spreading in the oven.
Room temperature ingredients: Taking butter and eggs out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before mixing the dough is perfect. Room-temperature ingredients are so much easier to work with and always result in evenly baked desserts.
Don’t overmix: Mixing the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients in 3 separate batches prevents the cookie dough from being overworked and keeps the baked cookies soft and tender.
12 Big Cookies, we’re staying true to the humongous Potbelly’s cookies. Use a 2- to 2 1/2-ounce cookie scoop to shape the dough into large cookie dough balls.
For smaller cookies, roll the cookie dough balls with a 1 to 1 1/2-ounce cookie scoop
Make-Ahead: These cookies are the absolute best the same day they’re baked, while they’re still extra soft. To prep ahead, refrigerate the dough or freeze the shaped cookie dough balls in a sealed container until ready to bake.
How to Store: Keep the baked cookies covered at room temperature for 2 or 3 days. To store them even longer, refrigerate for up to 5 days. They freeze well for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 348kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 4gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 347mgPotassium: 44mgFiber: 1gSugar: 29gVitamin A: 512IUCalcium: 14mgIron: 1mg