Sugar Cookies Without Brown Sugar

The sugar cookie is a classic rivaled only by the chocolate chip. Everybody loves them and everybody has their go-to recipe.

The goal is a pillowy soft, light-textured cookie packed with flavor. If you are still searching for your standby sugar cookie recipe, search no more. 

This recipe is simple and straightforward but, if you have any sugar cookie experience, you know that it does require a bit of effort and precision to achieve the perfect cookie.

There’s risk of a cookie too dense and thick, or going completely flat across the cookie sheet, or simply being “sweet” without any real flavor.

I suggest reading through the description here before jumping to the recipe. With the details below you should be able to troubleshoot any potential hiccups. 

Let’s begin! 

Making Sugar Cookies Without Brown Sugar

Preheat your oven to 375 F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. 

Gather your 8 simple ingredients. Flour, baking powder, salt, butter, sugar, egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract. 

In a medium-sized bowl mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the softened butter and sugar. Mix really, really well. Place the mixer on a medium-high speed and let it do its thing for at least 3 minutes, up to 5 minutes. 

It is important that your butter is at room temperature. The best way to achieve this is to set it out the night, or hours before you begin baking.

If you are in a tight spot and need soft butter quickly, cut it into cubes, and place it evenly across a plate.

Microwave in 7 seconds increments, keeping a very close eye and flipping the cubes after each time segment. When using a microwave there is a fine line between softened butter and melted butter. You do not want melted butter. 

The butter and sugar are the base of the recipe, when these are combined, add the egg and both extracts. Mix well, scraping the bowl if needed.  

A room temperature egg is best here, bringing structure to the cookie without affecting the temperature of the butter. 

The vanilla and almond extracts are flavor superstars. You could use just vanilla, of course, a half tablespoon would do, but I highly encourage the bit of almond extract. It adds the next level of depth and deliciousness. 

Slowly add the dry mixture with the mixer on low. Scrape the bowl as needed between additions. 

Your dough should be soft and delicate, you will want to avoid handling it too much to maintain this texture. 

Fill a small bowl with sugar and scoop globs of dough into the bowl. I use a teaspoon and make a generous scoop, which makes small cookies. You can adjust your scoop to achieve your desired size. 

Gently roll the ball of dough around in the sugar and then your hands to make a small ball and place on the cookies sheet. Repeat this step until all the dough is gone. 

Carefully press each ball of dough with a flat surface, such as a drinking glass, to flatten them slightly. 

Place in the oven and bake for about 9 minutes, checking to catch them when the edges are just turning brown. Pull them out and let them cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack. 

Making The Best Sugar Cookie Icing

While the cookies cool, mix together an easy icing. The variations for icing these cookies are nearly endless.

Here I chose just powdered sugar, vanilla, a pinch of salt, and heavy cream. Mixing gently with a fork a nice soft and smooth glaze will form. 

Some other icing variations I recommend include adding a tablespoon of bourbon, cocoa powder, orange or lemon juice (and their zest if you enjoy that!), or a spice mixture of cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg. 

Icing is very forgiving and you can always add more of something to achieve your desired flavor. Have fun with it! 

When the cookies have cooled completely, place a piece of parchment paper under the wire cooking rack and dip them in the icing. You can also scoop the glaze over each cookie, a smooth glaze will achieve the same effect with either method.

How To Make Sugar Cookies Without Brown Sugar

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. 

In a medium bowl mix the flour, baking powder, and salt with a whisk. 

Step 2

In the bowl of an electric mixer add the butter and sugar. Cream them together on high until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.

Turn the mixer on low and add the eggs and both almond and vanilla extracts. Scrape the bowl as needed.

Step 3

With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture. Scrape the bowl and beat again for 30 seconds.

Step 4

Fill a small bowl halfway with sugar. With a small scoop, drop globs of dough into the sugar and gently roll them into balls before placing them on the line cookie sheet. 

Step 5

Use a flat surface, such as a drinking glass, to gently press down on each ball of dough. 

Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes, watching for the edges to be slightly golden and the centers are just barely set. Cool almost completely on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire cooling racks. 

Step 6

For the glaze, combine the ingredients in a small bowl, adjusting as needed to reach a runny, smooth consistency. 

Step 7

Dip each cookie in the glaze, or spread it over the top. Let it sit a while on the wire cooling rack. 

Once the icing has hardened, enjoy your delicious sugar cookies!

Up Next: Best Ever Cupcake Icing