When I make sugar cookies, this is the only recipe I use. I'm convinced there is no better. The taste is out of this world, and the dough rolls and keeps its shape beautifully.
Yield: 24cookies
Ingredients
3cupssifted all-purpose flour
1cupsugar
2cups4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2egg yolks
Zest of one medium lemonabout 1 1/2 teaspoons
Icing and decorations of your choiceif desired
Instructions
Cream sugar and butter together in a large bowl, beating until well incorporated.
Add the egg yolks and lemon zest. Beat until well mixed.
Sift the flour over the wet ingredients, and mix just until combined.
Knead together very gently until it forms enough of a ball to plop onto a piece of plastic wrap. Work the dough just enough to get it to stick together, but be careful not to overdo it. Honestly, I get so paranoid about overworking the dough that I pile the crumbs onto the plastic wrap, fold it up around the mound, and press it together that way.
Completely wrap the dough with the plastic wrap.
Chill dough for three hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Roll out dough - I go as thin as 1/8 inch, but I prefer about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into shapes, adding additional flour as necessary to avoid sticking.
Place cookie shapes on a cookie sheet (no need to grease) and bake for about 8 minutes, just until the cookies start to turn pinky beige around the edges.
Let cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet, then move to wire rack to cool completely.