Star Sugar Cookies

These rolled sugar cookies hit the sweet spot between crisp edges and a slight tender chew in the middle. The combination of granulated and powdered sugar is what does it: granulated gives crisp browning, powdered sugar adds tenderness and that fine-textured melt-in-the-mouth quality you don’t get from one sugar alone.

Cream of tartar is the secret ingredient that often gets overlooked. It activates the baking soda and adds a subtle tang reminiscent of snickerdoodles, keeping these from tasting flat or one-dimensional.

Chill the dough overnight if you can. Two hours is the minimum, but a long rest in the fridge lets the flour fully hydrate, the fats firm up, and the flavors deepen. The cookies hold their shape better when you cut and bake from cold dough.

The recipe gives two options. Roll thin, cut with cookie cutters, and decorate for festive occasions. Or roll into balls and flatten for everyday cookies. Both versions work from the same dough, your call.

Keep an eye on the oven. These go from pale to overdone fast, especially with the high sugar content. Pull them when the edges are just starting to brown and the centers still look slightly underdone.

Pro Tips

• Dip cookie cutters in flour between cuts so they release cleanly.
• Roll dough between two sheets of parchment to skip excess flour and prevent sticking.
• Reroll scraps once for clean cookies; twice and they toughen.
• Decorate with royal icing once cooled completely; warm cookies melt the icing.
• Stays fresh in airtight container 5 days, or freeze decorated cookies up to 2 months.

Variations

• Add 1 teaspoon almond extract alongside vanilla for a classic bakery flavor.
• Sprinkle with colored sugar before baking for an easy decorated finish.
• Sub butter for margarine if you want richer flavor; the recipe accepts either.