Welcome to eating season! I’m embracing it wholeheartedly with this cookie recipe. Who doesn’t want to bake cookies with cold weather and dark afternoons? There’s nothing like some freshly baked cookies to make the evening brighter.
Although I am a fan of traditional sugar cookies, where you roll out the dough and cut out shapes, I also have a fondness for this version. These cookies are incredibly tender and are best topped with a buttercream frosting. Consider them really short cupcakes.
Not only do these provide a moist and delicious cookie, but they also require less time and effort. There is no floured counter to prepare (or clean afterward), and you don’t have to worry about how thick or thin each cookie is. Just grab a small scoopful of dough, roll for a moment, and the cookie is formed.
Of course, you still can decorate these cookies to your heart’s content. Get the eating season going with a batch of freshly baked cookies!
Soft sugar cookies
Makes 36
Cookie dough
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
Frosting
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 Tablespoons milk
food coloring, if desired
Make the cookies
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl.
Beat for 2 minutes on low speed using paddle attachment or hand mixer.
Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until combined.
Add yogurt and vanilla, mixing until incorporated.
Add baking powder, soda, salt and flour. Mix on low.
Form dough into a ball the size of a walnut.
Place on a baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between cookies.
Flatten balls of dough slightly.
Bake for 12 minutes. (They will not be golden.)
Cool completely.
Make the frosting
Combine butter, 2 cups powdered sugar, and vanilla; mix well.
Add milk, as needed, 1 teaspoon at a time.
More sugar can be added if you prefer a sweeter frosting.
Frost cookies, as desired.
Featured Photo: Soft sugar cookies. Photo courtesy of Michele Pesula Kuegler.