Anne's Basic Sugar Cookies

Anne's Basic Sugar Cookies

A quick sugar cookie recipe is a lifesaver during the holidays... or on any day. And this method is so simple, I'm a little embarrassed to call it a recipe. It's what you do with it that counts. Roll and cut into your favorite shapes. Or roll balls in coarse sugar before baking. Form the dough into a log, then slice and bake. Turn them into snickerdoodles by adding cinnamon to the sugar. Or give these cookies a completely new look by folding in sprinkles before baking. The possibilities are limitless! Store, lightly covered, at room temperature, for 1 week.
  • Preparation:
  • Cooking:
  • Total:
  • Serves: 16 persons

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Step 1

    Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
  2. Step 2

    Combine cake mix, butter, egg, vanilla, and almond extract in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the mixture comes together into a sticky ball, 30 to 45 seconds.
  3. Step 3

    Roll the dough to 1/4- to 1/2-inch thickness on a lightly floured board with a lightly floured rolling pin. Use cookie cutters to stamp out shapes and place them 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. (You can reroll the dough scraps once and cut out more cookies.) Brush the cookies with egg white and decorate with sprinkles.
  4. Step 4

    Place one pan in the oven at a time. Bake until the edges of the cookies are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes for smaller cookies and 10 to 12 minutes for larger. Let the cookies rest on the cookie sheet for 1 minute, then remove to wire racks with a metal spatula to cool completely, about 20 minutes.