When I think of Christmas, I think of making cookies. I’m not entirely sure why, as I’m typically snatching up panettone, stolen, and pies by the armful. Cakes and pies typically fill my oven, not cookies. But there’s something about the Christmas cookie tradition that always tugs at my heart. I want to be in the kitchen all day and make tons of cookies.
Mom tells me all the time about spending a day baking cookies with her mother-in-law and sister-in-law before I was even born. They made all different kinds, enjoying the day and the efforts of their labor. Unfortunately those in-laws, my grandmother and aunt, are no longer with us and I’ve never had one of those cookie baking days. Recently one of our family friends went over to a sick friend’s house to make cookies with her. This woman makes thousands of cookies every year and wouldn’t have been able to do it without this friend’s help. Now that is the Christmas spirit truly at work. Cookie traditions seem to bring out the best in people.
Mom and I bake together all the time, and I want to make sure we do our fair share of cookie baking this holiday season. Not all in one day, though. There are some impracticalities with the whole making five different kinds of cookies in one day. There simply aren’t enough bowls, cookie sheets, cooling racks, and utensils in my kitchen. There’s not enough oven space, not to mention tummy space. One recipe, two on a super energetic day, leaves me exhausted and ready for a break from the kitchen. Don’t worry, even though I won’t be making them all on one day, I’ll be posting quite a few cookie recipes and Giant Sugar Cookies are the perfect place to start.
I love sugar cookies, but so often I buy one at a bakery or try a recipe and am so disappointed. They’re too dry or cakey or bland. Not these cookies. These have a crunchy border with a soft, almost gooey center. They scream classic sugar cookie texture and taste with tons of vanilla. And they are seriously giant, as the name suggests. I believe a cookie must be huge in order to be enjoyable, but if you like smaller cookies, make them smaller, just watch the bake time very closely. This Christmas I’m going to curl up on the sofa watching Elf for the millionth time and enjoying a Giant Sugar Cookie, thinking of the next batch of cookies that will hit the oven. Maybe one day I will go for the full day of cookie baking, but until then, I’m happy with these.
Don’t forget to enter the giveaway of King Arthur Flour and cupcake liners!
Giant Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 10 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar, until light and fluffy. I did this by hand, but a hand mixer would work too. Add vanilla and egg and mix until once again light and fluffy. Mix in half of the flour, followed by the sour cream, and the remainder of the flour. Mix until just combined.
- Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop batter onto cookie sheets, 5 cookies per sheet. Divide any remaining batter among the cookies. Sprinkle liberally with sugar. Bake for about 15 minutes, rotating after 10, until the edges are set and very lightly brown. I recommend baking one sheet of cookies at a time. Cool completely on pans. May be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days or frozen wrapped in parchment and foil and placed in a zipper bag for up to 4 months. Thaw at room temperature for about an hour.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart
my little laura, now 20 years of age, maybe we should get together, with my daughters, your mom and my granddaughters and make this a festive affair next Christmas, since, I miss doing this w/ my girls..what do you think, sweetie?
That sounds like a great plan, Rita. A big day of baking will put us all in the holiday spirit 🙂
Oooh they’re so ginormous! I love big cookies 😀 Thanks for linking em up girl!
★★★★★
Big cookies are the best! So cool that you’re having a link party. I am thrilled to be a part of it 🙂
I, too, love sugar cookies and these would certainly not disappoint.
These are the best sugar cookies. You would love them, Debbie 🙂
Goodness…these looks really really good! I mean, it’s a sugar cookie! And it’s ginormous!! YES! I’ll have a dozen, please. 🙂
★★★★★
Thank you, Kate! What could be better than a huge sugar cookie, right?
Thaws are really good.
Thanks! I love them too 🙂
Giant cookies are hilarious! I can’t stop laughing just looking at that one huge cookie that occupies a whole dinner plate.
I love giant cookies. They taste so much better than small ones 🙂 I also find them easier to bake, as there’s more wiggle room in baking times.
Yummy!
I just want to dunk these into a canister of frosting and savor every bite : )
Oh, no, now all I can think about is topping these with frosting. That is such a good idea 🙂
OOOh the soft gooey center sounds delicious! I like how they’re giant sized like the bakery kind!
Cookies pretty much have to have a gooey center for me to love them. I’m not a crunchy cookie girl. Thanks for saying they look like bakery cookies 🙂 Very kind!
Laura, these sugar cookies are beyond perfect. They look SO soft, buttery, and so chewy. I LOATHE the hard, crumbly sugar cookies you can find at the store. In fact, I hardly ever favor “crunchy” cookies over soft ones. What a perfect recipe – they don’t even need sprinkles!
Thank you, Sally! They are pretty perfect cookies. I am all about soft cookies too 🙂 I’m sure sprinkles would jazz them up a bit!
I love sugar cookies.
Me too! Nothing better than a huge, soft sugar cookie!
There’s a recipe for chewy sugar cookies in the C.I. cookbook that I have wanted to try – and now the Martha recipe and your cookies have me interested.
yes to all of this: a crunchy border with a soft, almost gooey center. They scream classic sugar cookie texture and taste with tons of vanilla!
These are the ultimate sugar cookie, Averie! I always rely on Martha Stewart recipes and they pretty much never disappoint. I think you’d be happy with this recipe, as I am super picky about my sugar cookies and I cannot get enough of these.
Of course when you mentioned you had a great sugar cookie recipe…I had to come! These look amazing! I will definitely have to give them a try and test drive them on my family soon! Pinning!
I hope you try and enjoy the cookies, Renee. They are one of my all-time favorite cookie recipes. I know you’ll love them as well 🙂