Sunday, December 18, 2011

Drop Sugar Cookies

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I think sugar cookies are one of the best cookies on the face of the planet. They are simple, sweet, and completely addictive. And while rolled sugar cookies are great, sometimes I want sugar cookies without all the fuss. These drop sugar cookies are so easy, and if you do any baking at all, you probably already have everything you need in your kitchen.

The ground nutmeg is totally optional. My mom put nutmeg in the sugar cookies she made when I was a kid, so for me sugar cookies aren't quite right without it. You can leave it out if you want--they will still be amazing.

As always, these cookies are formulated for my high altitude (5000+ feet), but will also work at lower altitudes.


Drop Sugar Cookies
printable recipe

1 cup butter, cold and cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups all-purpose flour

1. Heat your oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and eggs, mixing well and scraping the sides of the bowl after each. Add the salt, baking powder, nutmeg, and flour; mix well, scraping the sides of the bowl once. Set aside for 15 minutes.

3. Using a cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed and still look underdone (they will set up as the cool). If you let them brown they won't be as soft after they cool.

Makes 36 cookies.

40 comments:

  1. Hi Tiffany,

    Just found your blog when I was searching for a drop sugar cookie recipe--love what I'm reading. I might have to spend a few minutes on the computer this evening to read through all your past posts!

    Did you create this recipe yourself?

    Rebekah

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  2. @Rebekah--Welcome! I'm so happy you found my blog :) Yes, this is my own recipe. After moving to Utah from California I found that none of my cookie recipes worked at my new high altitude. Instead of giving up (I was so frustrated!) I worked on coming up with my own recipes that can take the altitude. Enjoy my blog! :)

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  3. Hi again Tiffany,

    I wanted to come back to your blog and tell you how wonderful these drop sugar cookies came out for me. For years I've been searching for sugar cookies that had just the right amount of chew and crispness, and yours have been my favorite. And they're so much easier to make than the roll out! So thank you so much for sharing your recipe.

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  4. @Rebekah--I'm so thrilled you tried the recipe and that they worked out so well for you! Thanks so much for letting me know :)

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  5. I used your recipe tonight and they turned out well. I used my small scoop but did not flatten the mound. I thought they may spread in the oven since the recipe didnt mention to flatten the cookie. They did not spread much. I baked them at 350 but in a convection oven and did 4 minutes then rotated the pans and 4 minutes more. And i let them cool on the pan. The cookies were very cute, little mounded bites. They were slightly crispy on the edges and chewy in the middle. I would bake them a minute or two more next time. Otherwise, they worked great here in Denver.

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    1. I'm so glad they worked for you :) They should have spread a bit, though. It almost sounds like your cookies had a little too much flour. If you're up for an experiment, try weighing your flour next time--each cup should be 5 oz--and see if they spread a little instead of staying mounded. Thanks so much for your comment! I love hearing from people :)

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  6. great cookies! Just made a double batch, that I plan on decorating!!! thanks for posting these!!!

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    1. Thanks for stopping back to tell me how they turned out! So glad they did, and you're so welcome :D

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  7. Just made these cookies and they turned out wonderful! Super fluffy and moist :)

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    1. Yay! Thanks so much for coming back and telling me how they turned out!

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  8. I made these cookies a few weeks ago and I'm coming back to get the recipe again - my very picky father in law couldn't get enough of them and they turned out super soft and fluffy. My husband compares them to loft house which he LOVES! I used cream cheese frosting with them. I am going to make some the normal drop way and then try to firm up the dough and try them as rollouts :)

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    1. Happy Monday, Anon! I'm doin' a happy dance for your cookies! Thanks for letting me know how they turned out :) To roll them out you will need to add more flour, so keep that in mind. Good luck!

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  9. Hi,

    I want to try this recipe. I'm from Ohio. Do you think I need to do any adjustments to the recipe?

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    1. I don't think so. A friend who lives in CA (almost sea level) made them and said they were great. I'd love to hear how they turn out :)

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  10. Hi Tiffiny!

    I made these cookies for Santa this past Christmas. No crumbs left on the plate! ;)Luckily I made extra for the family! Absolutely my favorite cookie! Thanks for sharing!!!

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    1. Whoo-hoo! Thanks for coming back to tell me--and you're very welcome! :D

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  11. I just finished baking up a batch for the first time. I weighed my flour (15oz) and my butter (8oz), and found that the cookies did not spread out as they apparently should. I baked them for 10 minutes in a 350F gas oven in the middle of the oven. I then used a cookie stamp to flatten them before baking on a rack which I lowered one level. They took 8 minutes then. They taste wonderful both ways. I am in southern California and this is my story and I am sticking to it.

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    1. Siena, you're not the first person to have the not-spreading issue. I actually dreamed about it after I read your comment (lol...I probably have issues ;) and I wondered if you used a cookie scoop, so the dough had a flat side, or if you rolled the dough into balls. In my dream (and after I woke up) I wondered if that would make a difference, as I always use a scoop. I also wondered if your lower altitude would make a difference. I'm going to experiment a little and see if I can replicate them *not* spreading. It's also possible that my 3 cups of flour weren't actually 15 oz (a reason why I should just weigh everything). I'm also going to have a friend in Gilroy, CA make them so I can see what happens there. Thanks for your comment!

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  12. Thanks for this recipe, we moved to high altitude and none of my recipes worked well, even with modification. These came out great! I did do 1\2 ts of salt instead of 1\4 because we use unsalted butter. They where great!
    Can't wait for the book! :-)

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  13. Thanks for your recipe. My husband and son give it two thumbs up!!

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    1. You're so welcome--Thanks for coming back and letting me know!

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  14. Hey, I tried this recipe multiple times and it was absolutely delicious!
    btw...can you check out my blog?
    http://thereviewsister.blogspot.com/

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  15. Thank you so much for this recipe!!! My family voted these the best cookies I've ever made!!

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  16. Just wanted to let you know that I just made half of this recide in Florida about 5 feet above sea level and it went 100% perfectly. They spread and are completely delicious. Thank you! :)

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    1. Yay! Thanks for letting me know about sea-level results! So glad they worked out for you :)

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  17. LOVE these cookies. My new GO-TO now that I don't have to do cut-outs

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  18. Just made these in Chicago! So good! I used pumpkin pie spice instead of nutmeg and they are yummy! Good to enjoy on this -50 degree day. Will be doing them again!

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  19. we have been making these cookies for about a month now, every once in a while, it is an amazing recipe for here in Utah! They taste amazing and come out really good everytime, thank you so much for posting this recipe!

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    1. I love to hear from people who try my recipes, thanks for coming back to share your results :)

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  20. Just thought I would report back :)

    I made these today for a fundraiser. I reduced the flour to 13.5 oz. and sifted it, based on the comments about people having trouble with cookies not spreading. Also increased the vanilla to 2 teaspoons and did not use the nutmeg (though I am interested to try it). They were perfect and my son, who got to be the taster, asked for them for his birthday. Given that his birthday is not until the end of October, this seems like a pretty big thumbs up.
    Oh yeah, I used a #30 scoop (1 oz) and the old glass in the sugar trick to press them down to ensure they spread enough. They have a great texture and were perfectly done at 10 minutes.

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    1. Thanks so much for coming back! And for all the details ;) Comments mean a lot to bloggers :) I'm so glad they turned out for you. Thanks again!

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  21. I don't usually post on blogs. But I have to say these are fantastic cookies. Very fast and easy and delicious. My husband said these are the best sugar cookies he has had. He said "It's the perfect mixture of sweet and salty". They are chewy on the inside and just a little crisp on the outside. Very good recipe! Thank you!

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    1. Thank you for leaving your comment! I am thrilled they turned out so well for you :D They are one of our favorites!

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  22. I just made these cookies. They are delicious ! Thank you so much for the fantastic recipe !

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  23. I have always shied away from baking sugar cookies at Christmas, too fussy! After a huge success at high altitude with your chocolate chocolate chip cookies, I made these babies today. Gave them the requisite red & green embelishments and wish I could post a photo. So beautiful and easy as could be! Only addition was a scant 1/2 tspn of lemon extract. Hubby said they are the best sugar cookies he's ever had and I completely agree! Many thanks for this recipe and blog Tiffiny!

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