Bakery Style Soft Sugar Cookies

Bakery Style Soft Sugar Cookies - made dough June 28, 2020 from Gluesticks

Although I already have a favorite recipe for Sugar Cookies and an even bigger favorite for Brown Sugar Cookies, I think I had pinned this recipe from Gluesticks around the same time as the other two but had never made it before so it seemed like I should try it out.

What I like about this recipe is, as you can tell from the pictures, the cookies don't spread much. Or hardly at all. Which makes them a nice thickness.

The reason they don't spread is the recipe calls for more flour than usual, considering the amount of butter and shortening. The dough was a bit dry when I mixed it up so I did end up adding a little extra vanilla extract. It was still a little dry but I didn't want to add too much liquid or it could affect the composition (spread) of the cookie. So I formed the dough balls by hand and the heat from my hands helped the dough stick together a little better.

Because the dough is more dry and less butter (as displaced by the shortening), you definitely don't want to overbake these. Err on the side of underbaking as these can have a dry mouthfeel even if "perfectly" baked. I underbaked like I usually did and, while the cookies weren't dry exactly, they didn't have as much of the "fudgy" texture an underbaked cookie usually has (see pictures from Brown Sugar Cookies to see what I mean).

The flavor was still good though. The original recipe called for almond extract but I don't like almond extract (almonds yes, almond extract no) so I used all vanilla extract and even a little vanilla bean paste. The upside is these were sturdy cookies so I felt fine vacuum sealing them and adding them to the military care packages I was sending out. These should survive the mail just fine and not arrive as crumbs.

1 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons almond extract (I substituted vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste)
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking powder

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, shortening and sugar until fluffy and well combined. Add egg, vanilla and almond extract. Mix to combine. 
2. Whisk together flour, cornstarch and baking powder in a separate bowl. Add in thirds to butter mixture, mixing after each addition until just combined. Do not overmix.
3. Flour a clean work surface and roll dough into a large ball. Roll out to desired thickness and cut into desired shapes. Line up on a baking sheet, cover and chill for 30-60 minutes, optional but recommended.
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and evenly space chilled cookies. Bake 10-12 minutes. Remove to wire rack and let cool completely.