Description
Learn to bake my favorite soft Pink Sugar Cookies! This recipe brings back sweet memories and is perfect for any occasion. Simple steps for a delightful treat.
Ingredients
Scale
- Cookie Base Essentials:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- Flavor & Color Boosters:
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2–3 drops pink gel food coloring
- Icing & Finishing Touches:
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2–3 tbsp milk (any kind)
- Sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Cream the Butter & Sugar:: Okay, first things first, get that room temperature butter and granulated sugar into your mixer. Beat them together until they’re light, fluffy, and look like a cloud. This usually takes me about 3-5 minutes, and I love watching it transform. This step is where you build the airiness for your cookies, so don’t rush it! I’ve definitely under-creamed before, and the cookies turned out a bit dense, which is just sad.
- Add Egg & Vanilla:: Next, crack in that large egg and pour in the vanilla extract. Keep mixing until everything is well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, because you don’t want any rogue bits of unmixed butter hiding! This mixture should be smooth and fragrant. I once forgot to scrape the sides, and some patches of dough were just… different. Learn from my oops, always scrape!
- Mix in Dry Ingredients:: Now for the flour. Add it in slowly, mixing on low speed until just combined. Overmixing here is a no-no; it develops the gluten too much, making your cookies tough. We want soft, remember? The dough will be thick, a little crumbly, but should hold together when pressed. Stop the mixer as soon as the flour disappears, seriously!
- Color the Dough:: Time for the fun part: add a tiny drop of pink gel food coloring. Mix it in until you get that lovely, uniform pink hue. You can always add more if you want a deeper color, but start small! I once added too much and ended up with almost red cookies, which was a surprise, but still tasty. This is what gives our pink sugar cookies their signature look!
- Chill & Roll:: Wrap your dough in plastic wrap and chill it for at least 30 minutes. This is crucial! Chilled dough is easier to roll and helps prevent your cookies from spreading too much in the oven. I’ve been impatient and skipped this step, and let me tell you, my cookies became one giant, flat, pink blob. Not my finest moment, but lesson learned!
- Bake & Cool:: Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out your shapes and bake on parchment-lined baking sheets for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are just barely set. Don’t overbake! They should still look a little soft in the middle. Let them cool completely on a wire rack before icing. These cookies will firm up as they cool, promising that delightful chewiness.