These bakery style sugar cookies are big and thick and delicious, and they keep their shape as they bake. These rolled cookies are decorated with a vanilla glaze and fun confetti sprinkles!
While definitely inspired by the Starbucks™ confetti sugar cookie, mine are a little different. First, they are rolled and cut. I love a rolled sugar cookie. Nice and thick. Secondly, and more importantly, mine are, in my opinion, even more delicious :)
So what makes them Bakery Style? They are big! 3 1/2 inches of sugar cookie goodness. They have fabulous texture, they keep their shape as they bake and the flavour is perfectly sugar cookie. These fun cookies would be great any time of year, but I picture them in a picnic basket or to take to a BBQ. Once set, they travel well, too. Great for little kids and kids at heart!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Butter – When it comes to cookies like this, I like to use the best butter I can get my hands on. Here, that’s a nice 84% butter fat butter. Standard butter is about 80%. That extra bit of butter goodness makes for a fabulous cookie!
Cook’s Notes
I made my cookies 3 1/2-inches in diameter and they were about 1/2-inch thick. I used a pastry ring to cut the rounds. At that size, you’ll get 9-10 cookies. You can certainly make them smaller and get more cookies. You could also make them a bit thinner. Baking time shouldn’t change significantly if the cookies are still 1/2 inch thick but smaller in diameter, but if you go for a thinner cookie, baking time will be less.
These sugar cookies are a great base cookie for decorating, so use your imagination. You can dip the entire top in the glaze and sprinkle with dried flowers. You can use sparkly sugar instead of sprinkles. The sky’s the limit!
Top Tip!
Be sure to measure your flour carefully by stirring your flour first, then scooping into a dry measuring cup and finally, using the flat edge of a knife to swipe the top level with the cup edge. If you typically dip your measuring cup into un-stirred flour, you may end up with several ounces more flour than you should.
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Get the Recipe: Bakery Style Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Dough:
- 3 cups (390 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled
- 1 1/2 teaspoon (ts) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (ts) fine table salt, reduce by 1/4 tsp if you used salted butter
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste
Glaze:
- 1 1/2 cups (195 g) icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste well mixed with 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp water, or vanilla extract mixed with water
Garnish:
- Colourful confetti sprinkles
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter with the white sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the side of the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture and mix until the dough comes together into large, moistened chunks. Remove dough to a large piece of plastic wrap, gather together and flatten into a 1-inch thick disk and wrap well. Refrigerate for at least one hour (you can leave in the fridge several hours before rolling).
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet (or two smaller baking sheets) with parchment paper.
- When chilled, remove dough to a lightly floured surface. Allow to stand a few minutes, then begin rolling into a 1/2-inch thick circle/oval. *Dough will be hard to roll at first. Start at the edges and work it with the rolling pin until it starts to thin. Don't allow to stand at room temperature too long. You want the dough to stay as cool as possible. Cut about eight 3 1/2-inch rounds from the dough and then gather the scraps to cut 1-2 more rounds.
- Place rounds on prepared baking sheets, allowing a little space in between (these don't spread much).
- Bake in preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, or until set and lightly golden underneath. Remove from oven and let stand 1 minute, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- To Glaze: Place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and set aside. Combine all the glaze ingredients in a small bowl (I use a cereal bowl). Beat well with a spoon until smooth. Take your bowl and tip it towards you so the glaze runs to the side closest to you. Take a cooled cookie and dip the top half furtherest from you into the glaze until the glaze reaches the bottom edge of the cookie. Lift cookie out and allow the excess glaze to drip back into the bowl, then place cookie onto the cooling rack. Immediately sprinkle the glazed half of the cookie with sprinkles while the glaze is still wet. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
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Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Hi Jennifer! Can you give a tip on how to adjust for high altitude? Baking is a little more of a challenge in Colorado. Thanks!
Hi Kelly, I have no experience baking at altitude. I have read that more flour may be necessary and possibly less baking powder. I think. Your best bet is to refer to a high altitude baking resource and dial in some basic adaptations that will serve you through all your baking.
What vanilla bean paste do you prefer to use?
Hi Kelli, Not sure if you are Canadian, but if you are, I like the President’s Choice Brand of Vanilla Bean Paste. You can find that in with the spices etc. If not, I will usually pick up the Nielsen Massey Brand. It has gotten so that I only keep the Vanilla Bean paste around. I use it whenever vanilla is called for in place of the liquid extract.
Just made a batch today and finished icing them! Thought I’d surprise the kids when they get home from school! I indulged already! Sooo good! Thank you!
So glad to hear, Jen! Thanks :)
Great flavor, I have found my new go to sugar cookie recipe. I made these to celebrate the 4th of July and cut them out using a star and decorated in red white and blue sprinkles. Everyone loved them. I think next time I may add a little lemon zest or almond extract. Looking forward to Christmas and decorating with the girls.
Glad you enjoyed them, Cathy and yes, they are great for playing with flavours, too :) Thanks!
Such perfect cookies and I love the festive sprinkles!
Thanks Laura :)
YUM! I can hardly wait to make these sweet cookies for book club next week! Thanks for another fabulous recipe, love those cute sprinkles on top too!
Thanks Sherri! Enjoy :)
How did I miss this? Sugar cookies are my hubby’s favorite! And these are just so pretty to look at! Pinned!
Thanks Annie :)
These are so fun Jennifer, and I bet they’re equally as delicious! I guarantee your cookies are way better than anything Starbuck’s could dish out!
Thanks so much, Mary Ann :)
How fun are these with those pretty sprinkles? Guaranteed I’d eat at least three ;)
Thanks Dawn :)
LOVE these Jennifer, in fact I’ve got sprinkle cookies coming up on the blog too, I can never resist anything that’s sprinkled!
Thank Sue and we really do think alike! Can’t wait to see your sprinkles :)
There is no way that anything sold at Starbucks can taste better than anything made by you:) I am willing to bet money on this. These cookies are super cute! I am craving sugar just looking at them.
Thanks Milena :) These cookies were such a nice treat and always fun to eat sprinkles!
My goodness these look fantastic! I have a Starbucks about a mile from our house but I never seem to go. I would rather makes your cookies than buy one anyway ;) Love the size, thickness, and lovely decorations! These are perfect for any occasion.
Thanks Tricia :) When it comes to cookies, go big or go home I say!