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 Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Calories: 161 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 (15.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1 large egg white
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
• sugar sprinkles for decorating

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

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

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.

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.

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.