Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies

You won’t get too far into my home before I offer you something I just baked.

And if you were to come over right now, I would give you a pretty plateful of these old-fashioned sugar cookies as soon as you step through the front door.

If I must confess, I love giving people cookies!

While I have been known to make multiple loaves of zucchini bread for bachelorette parties and huge meat and cheese plates for holiday events, cookies are the ideal size to present as a gift to a loved one.

Each one is small, precious, and special – an edible, tangible token of my appreciation!

Adapted from Martha Stewart’s version, this particular recipe will have you requesting multiple tokens from me!

Soft and chewy, you’ll savor each bite, down to the last little crumb.

Crowned with sanding sugar sprinkled on top right before baking, this sweet treat reigns supreme with a little crunch and a lot of sparkle.

And with a tablespoon of lemon zest, the subtle citrus fragrance seamlessly merges with the sweet and creamy butter.

Armed with a hardworking KitchenAid mixer, I’ve been baking many batches of these sugar cookies lately – you would think I’d run out of people and places to send them!

But with this recipe (or, well, any delicious cookie recipe), you can never bake too many! You’ll always think of someone who will enjoy one, two, three, or a whole dozen.

They hold up well for sending in care packages to family members who live miles away, for trading in cookie exchanges with your local friend group, or for leaving a dozen or two in the break room at work.

But there’s also pure enjoyment in eating them at home when they’re freshly baked, still warm, and irresistibly melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

So stop by and ring my doorbell – sit down, share a steamy pot of tea with me, and enjoy another batch that’s just about ready to come out of the oven!

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Cooking by the Numbers…

Step 1 – Prep

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two half-size baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

Set out the butter to soften at room temperature as you measure the other ingredients, or place in the microwave in a heatproof bowl and heat for a few seconds.

Measure out the granulated, brown, and sanding sugars separately.

Measure out the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Place in a separate small bowl and whisk together until the ingredients are completely incorporated.

Crack two large eggs in a small separate bowl, and check for any rogue bits of shell!

Grate the zest from one lemon, reserving the fruit for another recipe.

Step 2 – Cream the Butter and Sugar

You can use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer for creaming the butter with the sugar.

Combine the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and lemon zest in your stand mixer bowl. Beat at medium-high speed, creaming the ingredients together until the mixture is pale and fluffy.

This will take about 1 to 2 minutes.

Step 3 – Add the Eggs

Add one egg to the creamed butter mixture and mix on low speed until fully incorporated. Add the other egg and mix again at low speed until fully incorporated.

Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula and mix briefly for a few seconds to fully incorporate all of the ingredients.

Step 4 – Add the Dry Ingredients

Working with one cup at a time, add the dry mixture to the bowl. Mix at low speed just until combined and repeat with the remaining flour mixture.

Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula and remix briefly.

Do not overmix, to prevent a tough dough from forming.

Step 5 – Portion and Shape

Scoop out the dough with a 2-inch cookie scooper and place each mound on the prepared baking sheets spaced about 2 inches apart from each other. There will be about 8 portions per baking sheet.

Slightly push the dough portions down with a spatula or your hand to get a flattened surface. You only want to push down lightly, to prevent the mounds from spreading excessively as they bake.

Does the dough seem very soft when you’re portioning the mounds? They may spread too much if the dough is very soft. After pressing them down but before coating them in sugar, they would benefit from a small chill time on the baking sheets in the refrigerator to firm the dough. Chill them for no more than 10 minutes.

Fill a small bowl with water. Dip a pastry brush in the water and lightly brush the tops of each flattened dough mound with a very thin layer of water.

Sprinkle the tops with a thin and even layer of sanding sugar.

The thin layer of water will help the sanding sugar stick to the surface of each mound, creating a well-distributed layer of sugar that will bake beautifully in a thin and crunchy crust on top.

Step 6 – Bake

Transfer the baking sheets to the oven and bake until the dough portions have spread and are slightly puffy, about 15 to 17 minutes.

The edges should not look dark – that is a sign they are overbaked!

Depending on the heat distribution of your own oven, you may want to rotate the baking sheets halfway through the bake time, at about 6 or 7 minutes.

Step 7 – Cool and Serve

Immediately remove the baking sheets from the oven.

Let the cookies cool on the sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring them to cooling racks to cool completely.

They will be puffy as soon as they come out of the oven, but they will flatten slightly as they cool.

Enjoy every bite!