The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe (in the world?)

I stumbled upon my favourite Sugar Cookie recipe (possibly the best) last summer when I made a special batch of birthday cookies. I'm usually a cake in a box or cut and cook pilsbury kinda girl, but I decided I wanted to make something from scratch this time around. They turned out amazing and they were such a hit with the birthday boy and his mom, that I decided to label it a keeper. Ever since, they have been my staple cookie that I bake for special occasions. I can't take credit for the actual recipe as I found it on a different blog by Lucy : http://myediblememories.net/

Birthday TOOLkies

Lucy's Favorite Chewy Sugar Cookies  (makes 5-6 dozen 2" cookies)  

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt (use 1/2 tsp if using unsalted butter)
1 cup salted butter, softened
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Directions:
1. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

2. In another bowl, cream softened butter with sugar until fluffy. Add one egg at a time and stir until incorporated. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts.

3. Gradually add the flour mixture into the batter, stirring until well-mixed. Don't be afraid to stir it a lot. (Stirring the dough well will develop the gluten in the flour, which is important for chewy cookies!) When everything is incorporated, the dough will be heavy and slightly sticky. Cover it up and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. When the dough is done chilling, scoop out balls of dough about the diameter of a quarter, and place them on foil-lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart from one another. 

5. Grease the bottom of a flat glass and gently flatten the dough balls until they are small discs about 1/3 inch thick. This will help your cookies spread evenly instead of mounding in the middle.

6. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges are just very slightly starting to become a golden-brown. Immediately remove from oven and let sit on the cookie sheet to finish baking for another 2 minutes. While cookies are still warm, remove from foil using a spatula and finish cooling on a cooling rack. They will be perfectly chewy starting from the moment they are cool enough to eat, until they are all gone :)

**I always use a royal icing finish, but it is not needed. They are still delicious without!

                  

             OM NOM NOM!!!!