Basic Sugar-Cookie Dough

Name: Basic Sugar-Cookie Dough
Yield: Makes enough for our 4 varieties of cookies
Ingredients: 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature; 2 cups sugar; 2 large eggs; 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract; 2 teaspoons salt; 5 cups all-purpose flour

Recipe photo courtesy of Antonis Achilleos

Here's one of the best-kept secrets of professional bakers: It takes only one cookie dough to produce a beautiful assortment of holiday cookies. Use this dough to make Santa's Snowflakes, Orange Spritz, Chocolate-Raspberry Thumbprints, and Hawaiian Snowballs.

Source: Martha Stewart Living, December 2003

Makes enough for our 4 varieties of cookies

Yield

Ingredients

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons salt
5 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, vanilla, and salt; mix on medium speed until combined. With mixer on low speed, add flour in 2 batches, mixing just until incorporated.
2. Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Place each on a piece of plastic wrap; flatten into disks. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or up to 1 week.

Cook's Notes

Use a kitchen scale to quarter the dough precisely, as called for in these recipes. Each piece should weigh just under 1 pound.

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Reviews

208

How would you rate this recipe?

208

matthewleedunn

4 JUL, 2018

Horrible! Not sure if the proportions are incorrect or if something is just missing. Had to throw it away they smelled and tasted horrible! Followed the recipe exactly. I found this recipe using Microsoft Cortana... maybe a bad call? Use google! I'm sure the search results will be based on frequency of use or something other than matching the key words "sugar cookie". Do. Not. Waste. Your. Flour.
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wefflebean

1 DEC, 2014

Too crumbly, I couldn't use it at all. I'm not sure what happened I followed the directions exactly..
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Ellen C

12 JAN, 2014

Results are flavorful, rich and buttery. Good recipe and consistent results. I used the dough for standard holiday cookies and for jelly thumb prints. I baked both at 375. The rolled sugar cookies took less time overall to bake because they were thinner.
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anickh

1 AUG, 2012

this makes awesome sugar cookies. i use this recipe A LOT, so trust me Everyone, you'll love it!!!after the dough has been refrigerated for at least an hour, the dough needs about an extra 1 cup flour for rolling out and cutting out into shapes. roll out about 1/2" thick (on your floured surface) and cut dough into shapes using cookie cutters. Bake cookies for apx 8 min at 350. remove cookies from cookie sheets immediately after cookies come out of the oven so that the bottoms don't brown.
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Sudeak Brown

21 JUN, 2012

Made them for my two best kids in the whole wide world brook,and stinker man
Reply
MissFurniture

10 FEB, 2009

Why is the dough crumbly?
Reply
meadow1ark

22 DEC, 2008

The recipe calls for 2 TABLEspoons of vanilla. Usually a cookie dough has 1 to 2 TEAspoons. I've made the recipe with 1 TABLEspoon and it seems to be a little too strong. I haven't baked it yet. Any comments on this?
Reply
glmom

22 DEC, 2008

Here is a fantastic conversion site http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/tools.measures/Measures.cfm 113.4g=1 stick
Reply
chicagomama

17 DEC, 2008

one stick = 1/4 pound or 8 tablespoons. not sure what that would be in grams, but I am sure there is an online conversion tool somewhere.
Reply
Fchc

17 DEC, 2008

Can someone please let me know how much a 'stick' of butter weighs! I have some cup measures but in Uk we buy butter in 250g packs. Thanks!
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