Wilton Sugar Cookie Review

This post is partly an Ode to the Men in my family – those beasts with the super-fast metabolisms.  Those omnivores (little “O” here out of respect to my husband) who will gobble up just about anything in their paths.  Yes.  The men do the eating.  And so I do the baking.

I’ve probably spent about 50 bucks by now sending cookies to my little bro out in the Midwest.  He could have purchased like 75 boxes of Oreos with that amount of money, right?  But it isn’t the same as receiving cookies, broken and stale from improper packaging and non-climate controlled mail trucks, is it?  Tell me, despite the cracks and burnt edges, that he likes my cookies better.  Just appease me.  Please.

The recipe below is now going to be my standard rollout sugar cookie recipe.  I usually use this recipe, which is similar in some ways (namely the addition of almond extract).

Why I like it:
-Calls for granulated sugar rather than powdered sugar
-Calls for butter rather than shortening
-Tastes great
-Requires NO chilling
-Recipe is created to withstand multiple rolls, rerolls, cuts, with the addition of more flour
-Bakes quickly

Because decorating cookies can be time consuming, I also like that this recipe has a short mixer-to-oven time.

Wilton Sugar Cookies
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon no-color almond extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

About 3 dozen cookies.

Preheat oven to 400°F. In mixing bowl, cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extracts. Mix flour, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Do not chill dough. Divide dough into 2 balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball into a circle approximately 12 in. wide and 1/8 in. thick. Dip cookie cutter in flour before each use. Bake cookies on ungreased cookie sheet 6-7 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned.

Other Recipes I’ve Used:

Chocolate Sugar Cookies (adapted from here, originally of Smitten Kitchen)
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup lightly salted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
Whisk  flour, salt and baking powder in bowl and set aside.  In bowl of your mixer, add butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and cocoa. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour.  When ready to roll out, preheat oven to 350*.

Roll out cookie dough on floured surface to 1/8″ thickness. Cut into desired shapes, brushing extra deposits of flour off the top. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 8 to 11 minutes until the edges are firm and the centers are slightly soft and puffed.  I adore this recipe.  The ingredients are pantry staples, and the chocolate spin is so tasty.  It does call for chilling, though, so plan ahead.

Sugar Cookies (recipe courtesy of Annie’s Eats)
1 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
1.5 t almond extract
1 t vanilla
1 t salt
2.5 cup flour

Cream butter and add sugar.  Blend in egg, extracts, salt, and flour.  Chill dough until firm.  Roll to desired thickness and cut on a well floured surface.  Baked at 375 for 8-10 minutes.  Do not allow cookies to brown.  These cookies are great for intricate patterns.  As you can see from the list of ingredients, it does not call for a leavening agent (like the baking powder in the Wilton recipe).  I like the puff that the Wilton recipe has (and it does not detract from the recipe’s ability to hold up to cutout shapes) but if you are looking for clean edges, this recipe is the one to go to.  The flavor is similar to the Wilton recipe.

Sugar Cookies (adapted from The Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Cooking)
1 c sugar
1/2 c butter (original recipe says shortening, btw, and this wasn’t my only change to the recipe)
2 eggs
2 T milk
1 T vanilla extract
3.5 c flour
2 tsp baking powder

Cream sugar and butter together until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and milk.  Add vanilla and beat well.  Sift remaining ingredients and add to creamed mixture.  Cover and chill.  Roll out on a floured surface to 1/4″ thickness and cut as desired.  Bake at 375* for 8 – 10 minutes until just golden.  This recipe is my least favorite.  It calls for shortening and chilling.  It also puffs up a lot during cooking.  It tasted nice…but how can a sugar cookie not taste good?  So, unless you have to choose this recipe, move along Betty.