Sugar Cookies

By Food & Wine

Updated July 07, 2017

Credit: © Fredrika Stjärne

You'll be sure to impress with these classic sugar cookie recipes including Roll-and-Cut, Ginger Studded and Lemon-Scented.

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Chewy Sugar Cookies

Credit: © Abby Hocking

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Crispy sugar cookies, perfect for decorating for any number of occasions, have their place. But when you want to fill your cookie jar or tuck something in your lunch, a sturdier, chewier cookie is in order. With crispy edges, chewy centers and just a hint of nutmeg, these classic sugar cookies are perfect with a cup of tea or a glass of ice-cold milk.

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Snickerdoodle Sugar Cookies

Credit: Abby Hocking / Food & Wine

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For an extra crisp and sugary crust, try rolling the addictive spiced cookie logs in Demerara sugar before baking.

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Roll-and-Cut Sugar Cookies

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"Roll-and-cut" sugar cookies are made by flattening dough with a rolling pin, then cutting out shapes. The dough recipe here is ideal: durable enough to withstand rolling and rerolling, yet soft enough to cut neatly. The cookies themselves are extremely versatile. They can be simply sprinkled with sugar and baked; or, after they're baked, they can be decorated with royal icing or sandwiched with jam and sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.

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Ginger-Studded Sugar Cookies

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"My father used a lot of ginger in his baking," says Kevin Sbraga. "It adds that burst of flavor that makes you think, Wow." This sweet, candied-ginger dough can be rolled out and cut into any shape or formed into logs and refrigerated for simple slice-and-bake cookies.

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Double-Ginger Sugar Cookies

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F&W's Grace Parisi opts for baking soda instead of baking powder to create delectable holiday sugar cookies that are especially crispy.

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Iced Brown Sugar Cookies

Credit: © Fredrika Stjärne

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"I really like the idea of using white frosting on this cookie, which has a little bit of brown sugar in it for great color, because the contrast between the two is so distinct," says Matt Lewis of Brooklyn's Baked bakery.

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Lemon-Scented Sugar Cookies

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Freshly grated lemon zest brightens up these buttery cookies.

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Candied Orange Sugar Cookies

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Suzanne Goin, who used to work at Berkeley, California's Chez Panisse, adapted these sugar-edged cookies from the Chez Panisse Dessert cookbook.

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Rosemary-Cornmeal Sugar Cookies

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Chef Tim Byres of Smoke in Dallas mixes fresh rosemary into cornmeal cookies, giving them a fabulous savory note. The recipe can be made two ways: as drop cookies or the slice-and-bake kind for a crisper texture.

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