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–+ servings

Soft and Chewy Vanilla Sugar Cookies

Tender, bakery-style vanilla sugar cookies with a crackly sugar coating and rich vanilla flavor in every bite.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 9 minutes
Total Time 24 minutes
Servings: 1
Course: Baking, Desserts
Cuisine: American
Calories: 126
Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour 240 g; spoon and level it or weigh it for the best texture
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, 113 g, softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup powdered sugar 120 g
  • 1 large egg room temperature is best
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil 56 mL
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste 21 g; vanilla extract works too
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100 g, for rolling

Method
 

  1. Warm the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and cover a big sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Leave it off to the side.
  2. Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl with a whisk, then set the bowl aside.
  3. Put the softened butter and powdered sugar in a big bowl and beat them with a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle on medium-high until the mixture looks pale and airy, roughly 2 to 3 minutes.
  4. Shut off the mixer and add the egg, oil, and vanilla bean paste. Beat on medium until the wet mixture comes together, pausing to push down anything clinging to the sides of the bowl.
  5. Turn the mixer down to low and tip in the dry mixture in two rounds, letting the first round mostly blend in before adding the rest. Mix only until the dough comes together. It should feel plush and only lightly tacky, easy to release from a cookie scoop, and it firms up once it hits the sugar.
  6. Pour the granulated sugar into a small bowl. Scoop rounds of dough (a #50 scoop makes even, standard-size cookies) straight into the sugar, then use your fingers to coat each ball completely. Arrange them on the prepared pan, leaving room for 8 cookies per pan.
  7. Bake 8 to 9 minutes, pulling them out when the edges have just set. Let the cookies rest on the pan for 2 to 3 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Keep leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Nutrition

Calories: 126kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 1.3gFat: 6.2gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 85mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 8g

Notes

Weighing your flour is the single best way to avoid a tough, heavy cookie. Two cups spooned and leveled should weigh 240 g.
Let the egg sit on the counter for 30 minutes first if you can, since it blends into softened butter far more smoothly.
No vanilla bean paste on hand? Swap in 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract, or scrape the seeds from 2 vanilla bean pods. Only paste or fresh pods leave those pretty little flecks.
A #50 cookie scoop keeps every dough ball the same size so the cookies bake evenly in about 9 minutes.
Chilling is not required, but if your kitchen is warm and the dough feels greasy, pop it in the fridge for 15 minutes before scooping.
Baked cookies freeze beautifully for up to 3 months. Freeze unbaked dough balls too, but skip the sugar coating first: thaw them overnight in the fridge, roll in sugar, and bake as directed.
For a bakery-style finish, press a few extra sugar crystals onto the tops right before baking and serve the cookies alongside cold milk or hot coffee.

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