Father's Day Sugar Cookies Recipe

Course: cookie, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 50

Cook Time: 12

Chill Time: 20

Total Time: 1 22

Servings: cookies

Calories: 400kcal

Author: Becky Hardin

Spoil your Dad this Father's day with these super adorable sugar cookies! Topped with buttercream and decorated with 'Best Dad' stick figures, these cut-out sugar cookies are sure to make his day!

Print Recipe

US Customary - Metric

Equipment

Stand Mixer
Baking Sheet
Rolling Pin

Ingredients

For the Sugar Cookies:

1 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs room temperature
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Buttercream:

1 cup unsalted butter slightly melted
2½ cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Gel Food Coloring black and red

Instructions

Make the Cookie Dough:

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the shortening, sugar, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract together until smooth; about 1-2 minutes.
1 cup vegetable shortening, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 2 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
In a separate medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
3½ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until well combined and the dough starts to stick together, about 1-2 minutes. Do not overmix.
Sprinkle a clean work surface lightly with flour and place about ⅓ of the dough onto the prepared surface to roll out. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin.
Roll out the dough to ⅜-inch thickness and cut out cookies into 3½-inch squares.
Place the cut out cookies onto 1 prepared baking sheet. The cookies can be placed close together on the baking sheet for this step. Place the cookies in the freezer for 20 minutes before baking.

Bake the Cookies:

While the cookies chill, preheat oven to 350°F
When ready to bake, place 6 cookies onto the second baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Let the rest of the dough chill until you need it.
Bake thick-cut cookies for 12-14 minutes; or thinner cookies for 8-10 minutes.

The tops of the cookies shoud look set (no longer wet but not yet brown), and the bottoms of the cookies should be slightly brown. The middle of cookies will still be slightly soft to the touch but will continue baking once removed from the oven.

Repeat with remaining cookies. Let cookies cool completely before frosting.

Make the Buttercream:

In a large bowl, beat together butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
1 cup unsalted butter, 2½ cups powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

If the frosting seems too thick, beat in a tablespoon of water.

Separate the buttercream into 3 smaller bowls to color. Use food coloring to color 2 of the bowls red and black. Stir completely to make sure all color is worked evenly into the buttercream.
Gel Food Coloring

Decorate the Cookies:

Place the colored buttercreams into Ziplock bags and seal. Cut a small opening in the bottom corner of each bag. For background colors, the tips can be cut larger. For frostings you’ll be printing with, keep the tip cut small.
Start decorating with background colors on all cookies. Simply start by lining the outside of the cookie then continue filling in following the shape of the cookie. Work on decorating cookies in layers – first the background color then print and stick figures.

Notes

Becky's Top Tips:

Sugar cookies are so easy to customize. To add a unique flavor, add ½-1 teaspoon of your favorite extract to either the cookie dough or the buttercream frosting (or both!). I like almond, lemon, maple, or orange.
To help prevent the cookies from spreading during baking, it’s important to freeze the cookies for at least 20 minutes before baking.
For soft and thick cookies, it’s recommended to use a rolling pin with thickness rings and use the ⅜-inch thickness ring.
If you aren’t cutting these cookies out thick, you’ll want to reduce your baking time to reflect that (start checking cookies after 8 minutes instead of 12 minutes).
I used a 3½-inch square cutter. Use a similarly-sized cutter for the best results.
If the frosting is not squeezing out of the bag smoothly, roll the piping bag between your hands to warm the frosting a bit, making it easier to squeeze. Do not microwave the frosting to soften it. This will lead to a melted mess!

Storage: Store Father's Day cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Store cookies in a single layer to not squish icing details. Let cookies come to room temperature before enjoying.

Nutrition