This recipe called Giant Sugar Cookies gives you soft sugar cookies perfect for topping with your choice of sprinkles. What makes the recipe special is the combination of butter & oil, confectioners' sugar and cream of tartar. All of these things come together for a cookie with an interesting soft (not cakey) texture and crisp edges. Here's a picture of the texture to give you an idea.
It's a flexible recipe, and I've played with it over the years by using different weights of flour. The weight of 1 cup of flour varies from kitchen to kitchen depending on how much moisture the flour has absorbed and how heavy handed a person is while measuring, so the only accurate way to measure flour is with a scale. Still, most people use volume so I've tested this recipe with a "light" 2 cups (250 grams) and a more heavy handed 2 cups (280 grams) and liked the results of the 280 gram version better. In this case, that's the cookie on top.
And here they are again side-by-side, with the cookie on the right being from the 280 grams flour recipe.
For the oil, the new buttery coconut oil taste particularly good here (and is what I used in the top photos, hence the yellow hue). Also, the orange and lemon are optional, but I like adding a really small bit of each just to round out the flavor. I try not to add so much that the cookie tastes like a citrus cookie. It's supposed to be vanilla with just a hint of orange (and lemon). The cookies in the bottom photo were made a while back, and for that batch I used regular vegetable oil. I think olive oil would be fun to try as well.
Giant Sugar Cookies
2 cups all purpose flour or bread flour (250 to 280 grams)
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter (120 grams)
½ cup canola oil or buttery flavored coconut oil (100 grams)
½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
½ cup powdered sugar (55 grams)
½ teaspoon each – vanilla extract and fresh lemon and/or orange zest (optional)
1 large egg (50 grams)
Sprinkles or sparkly sugar
Whisk flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt together in a medium bowl.
With an electric mixer, beat the butter, oil granulated sugar and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla, lemon zest, orange zest and egg, and beat for another minute, scraping sides of bowl.
With a mixing spoon or heavy duty scraper, stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until well mixed.
Turn dough onto a clean surface and divide into 12 equal size mounds. Chill the mounds of dough for about 20 minutes, then shape into neat balls. Press down slightly so top and bottoms are flat or leave as balls.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil (no need to grease).
Dip tops in sparkly sugar and arrange 3 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake 1 sheet at a time for about 12 to 15 minutes (will vary) or until edges are browned and tops appear set.
Arrange 6 cookies on the sheet and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.
Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Veras Family Cookies says
Wow, these look awfully similar to our cookies. The only difference is the shape and size. We prefer to make spritz cookies that are smaller and shaped like hearts 🙂
Lisa says
Hey Anna!
At the risk of being extremely annoying, and since I can't find a way to contact you via email, I decided to comment here, on a recipe I plan to try, to ask my question.
I read through your files all the time. I just love it and I always get lots of ideas and I've tried many of your recipes (I bake 3-5 times a week). I was wondering if maybe there happens not to be a reason for it, if it would be possible for you to make it so that when someone searches through your recipes, more of them fit on the page? Because your right sidebar goes so long, and when I scroll down viewing recipes by category, they often end less than half way down the page and then there's a clickable "next page". Maybe you prefer this, or it makes the pages come up quicker or something, but I thought that maybe if it's just because it's on some sort of default that you wouldn't mind switching it so more recipes appear on the page?
Just thought I'd ask. Love your blog! Thanks for trying out so many recipes so I have a review and a picture before I try them out myself!
Lisa
Anna says
Debbie, I think you would like these. I measured my flour by scooping and sweeping and used about 9 1/2 oz. If you use that much flour (2 cups, scooped and sweeped) the cookies shouldn't come out too thin. Also, chill the dough as directed.
Mine were thick in the center and thin and crisp around the edges.
Debbie says
These look delicious! I love sugar cookies but the last recipe I made came out really thin and crunchy. Are these more on the soft side? They sure look thick in the pictures!
Katrina says
I often don't clean up right away either! Shhh! 😉
Kitchen Scrapbook says
I don't really like sugar cookies, but my husband LOVES them. And these sound man-sized! 🙂 Nice thing about sugar cookies is that I about always have all the ingredients on hand. So, I might make these for him this afternoon since he's making dinner on the grill for me tonight! I don't have the 'sparkly sugar' (in big granules like that), would regular colored sugar work?
Anna says
Dawn, thanks. I agree 😉
Katrina, my trick is not to clean up.
Katrina says
My mom would love these for her farmer's market sales as she hates rolling out sugar cookie dough! Do these work well frosted? She always does big pink cookies with the sprinkles.
You've been a busy baking Lady, it looks like!
I probably have 5-10 things I've baked over the last month or so that I just haven't been able to get posted, but want to--like those pineapple cheesecake squares. Don't know how you do it!
dawnie says
Those look scrumptious! You got the perfect golden edges!