SPRINGTIME SUGAR COOKIES with BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Springtime Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting

If you love chewy sugar cookies, you are going to ADORE these buttery Springtime Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting!  These are chewy and thick bakery-style sugar cookies that you will fall in love with, bite after bite!  Topped with springtime buttercream frosting flowers, these taste even more special than they look!

This easy sugar cookie recipe turns out perfect sugar cookies that melt in your mouth, and are soft and chewy at the same time.  The best part about these old-fashioned sugar cookies is that they're amazing with Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting, but they're also good plain.  

Springtime Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting

QUALITY INGREDIENTS FOR QUALITY COOKIES...

Explaining why these are the best soft sugar cookies requires that we talk a little bit about cookie science. I think it’s important to understand why these are the best. But…if you don’t care about cookie science, then just scroll through the pretty pictures!

• Butter – a good sugar cookie uses quality butter.  Butter flavored shortening is okay, but to get that traditional sugar cookie flavor, you need butter.  Use unsalted butter to control the amount of salt. If you’re using salted butter, reduce the amount of salt in the recipe by 1/4 teaspoon.
• Sugar – this recipe uses granulated sugar only.  
• Fresh Eggs – eggs provide structure in baking. It’s hard to replace an egg in cookies and still get the right texture.
• Flour – all-purpose flour is the normal cookie flour. You want to add just the right amount so the cookie is dry enough not to flatten out, but not so dry that it crumbles.  A spoonful of cornstarch works with the flour to bind everything together and prevent spreading.  And remember to WEIGH your flour on a digital scale for best results - it really does make a difference in cookies and cakes!
• Leavening – this recipe uses a combination of baking soda and cream of tartar (more on that in a minute).
• Pure Vanilla – for the best sugar cookie results, pure vanilla really makes a difference.  Replace with Pure Vanilla Paste if you like flecks of vanilla in your sugar cookies.  SO GOOD!  

Springtime Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting

WHAT IS THE SECRET TO A SOFT & CHEWY SUGAR COOKIE?

I’ve done so much research and tested so many different recipes to make my soft sugar cookies chewy and not cake-like, and I found the secret ingredients:

Egg Yolk, Cream of Tartar, and Cornstarch!  That’s it!  This is the killer combination for the most perfect, soft and chewy sugar cookies ever!

In baking, eggs provide structure.  Egg yolks add fat, egg whites add the structure.
Two eggs in a sugar cookie is just too much egg - it makes it more cake-like than a cookie.  One egg in this recipe makes a soft sugar cookie, but it’s not chewy. One egg plus an egg yolk is the perfect ratio of egg for the perfect chewy sugar cookies that are still soft and pillowy.

Cream of tartar is normally used with egg whites in meringue, but it's also a great addition to sugar cookie recipes.  When combined with baking soda, cream of tartar acts like a double-acting baking powder.

Combined with the magic of cornstarch, which helps bind everything together and prevents spread, these are the keys to the chewiness of these cookies.

Springtime Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting

SPRINGTIME SUGAR COOKIES with BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

​If you love chewy sugar cookies, you are going to ADORE these buttery Springtime Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting!  These are chewy and thick bakery-style sugar cookies that you will fall in love with, bite after bite!  Topped with springtime buttercream frosting flowers, these taste even more special than they look!!

Springtime Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup (8 oz.) unsalted butter (softened)
1-1/2 cups (320g) granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk (room temperature)
1-1/2 teaspoon Rodelle Pure Vanilla Extract
2-3/4 cups (390g) all-purpose flour (sifted & spooned to measure)
1 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
½ cup granulated sugar (for rolling)
 
VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:  See recipe at Snowflakes & Coffeecakes
 
HOW I MAKE THESE:

1. Set butter and eggs out on counter to come to room temperature.  
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.    
3. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2  to 3 minutes.  BE CAREFUL not to overbeat your butter and sugar, as overmixing will add too much air into the butter.  This air, when baking your cookies, will cause the cookies to rise and then fall flat.
4. Blend in eggs and egg yolk until well blended, add in vanilla.
5. Add half of the flour mixture at a time, and mix on low speed just until combined; add remaining flour mixture and mix until just combined.  
6. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.  This step keeps your cookies THICK and CHEWY!
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Remove the cookie dough from the fridge 10 minutes before you want to start baking, and keep the dough chilled between batches. 
8. Using a medium cookie scoop (OXO 40 – 1-1/2 tablespoon size), roll into balls.  Roll each cookie dough ball in granulated sugar and place on prepared pans, spacing cookies 2 inches apart.  Bake one sheet at a time for about 11-13 minutes - edges should be set and just starting to turn golden brown.  Baking time may vary according to the size of your cookies. 
9. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes on cookie sheet before removing.
10. Prepare Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and add gel food coloring to create your favorite springtime colors.
11. Fill disposable piping bags, add your favorite tips, and pipe large flowers first, followed by medium flowers, and then small flowers. Pipe green leaves using a leaf tip.  Take your time, and have fun!
12. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze.

​YIELD:  36 cookies

NOTES:  These freeze well for up to 2 months – simply layer in single layers on parchment paper – I usually use the same parchment paper that these baked on – simply cut to the size of your container and load it up! 

Originally posted June 2012; revised and reposted April 2020.

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