Pp who has trouble rolling out chilled dough - don’t chill a ball. When you’ve finished making the dough, put a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan or cutting board. Then put the warm dough on that, cover with another piece of parchment paper, and gently smoosh it with the rolling pin into a sort of disc about an inch thick. Put that in the fridge to chill. When you take it out, you just peel off the parchment and roll out as directed.

Fwiw the same thing when you’re making pie crust. It makes a huge difference.

If you need to let it chill overnight wrap the whole thing well in plastic wrap. See

I use this https://sugarspunrun.com/easy-sugar-cookie-recipe/

but I have not found icing I'm willing to eat so these cookies are more about having fun decorating.

Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I try a new one every year and they all are a PIA. The dough is sticky, it must be chilled several hours or overnight, but then it is like a rock and you can’t roll it out. Once you can sort of roll it out, it sticks to the counter (yes I use flour). I’ve tried rolling on parchment which somewhat helps but then the parchment paper slides all over making it hard to actually roll out. I don’t know if it is me or if they are just a PIA for everyone but no one will say so.

So…please let me know what I am doing wrong or share your recipe that is actually user friendly and doesn’t make me want to go on a rampage with my rolling pin

I seriously wish you were my friend so I can show you what you are doing wrong but it's hard to explain in writing.

If it's hard as a rock cut it into 6 pieces and work it like dough in your hand (it warms it up). Then roll it out.

Sticks, put dusting of flower on surface, hands.

I use Alton Brown’s sugar cookie recipe and never have trouble with it sticking.
I just do a light glaze made of confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice because I hate royal icing. Decorate with sprinkles.

Sally’s Baking Addiction for both cookies and frosting. I roll the dough out between sheets of parchment but probably don’t really need to, just do it out of habit and just in case.

It's so easy to make buttercream icing, that's what I always do and then color it, it's the best cookie frosting to me. It's just butter, vanilla and powdered sugar, many easy recipes available.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I try a new one every year and they all are a PIA. The dough is sticky, it must be chilled several hours or overnight, but then it is like a rock and you can’t roll it out. Once you can sort of roll it out, it sticks to the counter (yes I use flour). I’ve tried rolling on parchment which somewhat helps but then the parchment paper slides all over making it hard to actually roll out. I don’t know if it is me or if they are just a PIA for everyone but no one will say so.

So…please let me know what I am doing wrong or share your recipe that is actually user friendly and doesn’t make me want to go on a rampage with my rolling pin

I'm no baking expert but I chill the dough over night, roll out on a floured counter in very small chunks. I can only cut out 6 or so cookies and then roll out another small chunk. I find breaking it into small pieces more manageable than trying to roll all the dough or a large amount at once. It may not be as efficient and may take longer, but it gets the job done and the cookies turn out great.

+1 yes to all, although I've also taped parchment paper to my counter.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I try a new one every year and they all are a PIA. The dough is sticky, it must be chilled several hours or overnight, but then it is like a rock and you can’t roll it out. Once you can sort of roll it out, it sticks to the counter (yes I use flour). I’ve tried rolling on parchment which somewhat helps but then the parchment paper slides all over making it hard to actually roll out. I don’t know if it is me or if they are just a PIA for everyone but no one will say so.

So…please let me know what I am doing wrong or share your recipe that is actually user friendly and doesn’t make me want to go on a rampage with my rolling pin

+1
You sound like me. All the internet recipes and videos make it look so effortless. I even bought the super expensive Kerrygold butter.

Maybe for shortbread or a butter forward recipe, but that’s a waste for sugar cookies.

Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I try a new one every year and they all are a PIA. The dough is sticky, it must be chilled several hours or overnight, but then it is like a rock and you can’t roll it out. Once you can sort of roll it out, it sticks to the counter (yes I use flour). I’ve tried rolling on parchment which somewhat helps but then the parchment paper slides all over making it hard to actually roll out. I don’t know if it is me or if they are just a PIA for everyone but no one will say so.

So…please let me know what I am doing wrong or share your recipe that is actually user friendly and doesn’t make me want to go on a rampage with my rolling pin

You are not using enough flour in your dough and/or your butter is too soft when you make the dough. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl when mixing. In the DMV, I almost always use the high end of the range if flour is given a range. Measure your ingredients in grams with a food scale. You probably are also measuring incorrectly or have a bad recipe. Chill your dough overnight. Get your dough out 2 hours before you want to roll it. You should be able to squeeze it and sent it with your finger tips before it’s ready to roll. The first roll is a bit tough, but bear down with your weight - your weight behind the rolling pin does the work, not your arms. For the first roll, pat or rub a thin coat of flour on the dough not the counter. Flip/rotate/flour several times with thin amounts of flour. After you roll once, flour will stick to the counter better.

I posted the LilaLoa recipe and it’s not fussy at all. I put in sugar and butter, mix. Add everything else except the flour, mix. Add flour in 2-3 batches, mix. Turn dough out on to a clean counter or cutting board and knead a bit to make a smooth flat disk or rectangle.

Maybe that’s your issue? What shape is your dough when you chill it?

Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I try a new one every year and they all are a PIA. The dough is sticky, it must be chilled several hours or overnight, but then it is like a rock and you can’t roll it out. Once you can sort of roll it out, it sticks to the counter (yes I use flour). I’ve tried rolling on parchment which somewhat helps but then the parchment paper slides all over making it hard to actually roll out. I don’t know if it is me or if they are just a PIA for everyone but no one will say so.

So…please let me know what I am doing wrong or share your recipe that is actually user friendly and doesn’t make me want to go on a rampage with my rolling pin

+1
You sound like me. All the internet recipes and videos make it look so effortless. I even bought the super expensive Kerrygold butter.

Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I try a new one every year and they all are a PIA. The dough is sticky, it must be chilled several hours or overnight, but then it is like a rock and you can’t roll it out. Once you can sort of roll it out, it sticks to the counter (yes I use flour). I’ve tried rolling on parchment which somewhat helps but then the parchment paper slides all over making it hard to actually roll out. I don’t know if it is me or if they are just a PIA for everyone but no one will say so.

So…please let me know what I am doing wrong or share your recipe that is actually user friendly and doesn’t make me want to go on a rampage with my rolling pin

I'm no baking expert but I chill the dough over night, roll out on a floured counter in very small chunks. I can only cut out 6 or so cookies and then roll out another small chunk. I find breaking it into small pieces more manageable than trying to roll all the dough or a large amount at once. It may not be as efficient and may take longer, but it gets the job done and the cookies turn out great.

Ugh. I try a new one every year and they all are a PIA. The dough is sticky, it must be chilled several hours or overnight, but then it is like a rock and you can’t roll it out. Once you can sort of roll it out, it sticks to the counter (yes I use flour). I’ve tried rolling on parchment which somewhat helps but then the parchment paper slides all over making it hard to actually roll out. I don’t know if it is me or if they are just a PIA for everyone but no one will say so.

So…please let me know what I am doing wrong or share your recipe that is actually user friendly and doesn’t make me want to go on a rampage with my rolling pin

I make a lot of royal icing decorated sugar cookies. They never spread and they taste better and look nicer than most I see for sale.

I use the LilaLoa 2.0 Vanilla recipe. I add 2 Tbsp of corn starch before the flour. I only use room temperature eggs. I use Land o Lakes, Challenge, or Wellesley Farms unsalted butter and King Arthur flour. In lieu of vanilla I use 1 tablespoon of “cookie nip”. I use a Cookie Countess 5/16” rolling pin. I chill my dough in fridge for 24hrs and then let it come back to room temp on a cooling rack for 60-90 min before rolling. Even if you follow all of those instructions, it still takes practice. Having your butter the correct softness and getting the flour amount correct for that day’s humidity is learned over time. I measure my ingredients in grams.

I decorate in the style of HolFox or HeySugarRex. I make my frosting with meringue powder and I use powdered food coloring from TheSugarArt.

I use Martha Stewart's recipe for cookies and royal icing. I always use Plugra butter for the cookies.

What's your best homemade sugar cookie recipe? Do you use royal icing as in a glaze or more of a frosting? Icing/frosting recipes too!!


I am currently using the 5-star NYT recipe for sugar cookies. I'll paste it below.

INGREDIENTS
Yield: 2 dozen cookies
2½ cups/320 grams all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup/225 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks),
softened
¾ cup/150 grams granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


PREPARATION
Step 1
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl, and whisk to combine. Set
aside.
Step 2
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter
and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add
egg and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until well combined, scraping the bowl as
needed.
Step 3
Add flour mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. Scrape the bowl and fold a
few times to make sure everything is well combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap,
flatten into a disk, and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
Step 4
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough ¼-inch thick. Use 3-inch floured cutters to cut
out cookies, and transfer to two parchment- or silicone mat-lined baking sheets, spacing
the cookies about 1½ inches apart. Reroll scraps as needed, chilling as needed until firm
before rolling and cutting again. Freeze until very firm, about 10 minutes

Step 5
Bake until golden brown at the edges, 12 to 14 minutes.
Step 6
Let cool a few minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool
completely. Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2
weeks, or frozen up to 3 months.