Grandma Minnie’s Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies

These Grandma Minnie’s Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies are the kind of treasured family recipe that deserves a permanent place in the holiday baking rotation. They bake up tender and buttery with lightly crisp edges and soft centers, while vanilla and rich cream give the simple dough a comforting, old-fashioned flavor.

What makes these cookies such a keeper is how well the dough works for traditional cutouts. Roll it thin for delicate, lightly crisp cookies, or leave it just a touch thicker for a softer bite. A quick sprinkle of sugar before baking gives the tops a subtle sparkle without needing frosting. I especially like this style of cookie for busy holiday baking because the ingredient list is short, the shapes hold nicely, and a single batch makes enough to fill several cookie tins.

The optional 30-minute chill is worth doing when the kitchen is warm or you’re making detailed shapes; cold dough is noticeably easier to roll and transfer without stretching. These are wonderful for Christmas cookie trays, classroom treats, family gatherings, or simply enjoying with a cold glass of milk.

Love this recipe? Pin it to your Christmas Cookies or Holiday Baking board on Pinterest so you don’t lose it!

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling

1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces

1 large egg, lightly beaten

3 tbsp heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F. Have ungreased baking sheets ready.
2. Combine the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 cup sugar together into a large mixing bowl.
3. Cut in the butter. Add the cold butter. Use a pastry blender or two knives to work it into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs, about 2 minutes.
4. Form the dough. Stir in the beaten egg, heavy cream, and vanilla. Mix just until the dough comes together into a soft ball. Avoid overmixing.
5. Chill if needed. For easier rolling and cleaner cookie-cutter shapes, cover and refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes.
6. Roll and cut. Lightly flour the work surface and rolling pin. Roll the dough to about ⅛-inch thick. Sprinkle the surface lightly with granulated sugar, then cut into shapes with cookie cutters.
7. Arrange the cookies. Transfer the cutouts to ungreased baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between cookies.
8. Bake. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the centers look set and the edges are just beginning to turn pale golden. Avoid letting the cookies brown deeply.
9. Cool. Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cooking Notes

Keep the butter cold: Cold butter helps produce the recipe’s characteristic tender texture. If the dough becomes greasy or very soft while rolling, refrigerate it for 10 to 15 minutes.

Don’t overwork the dough: Mix only until everything holds together. Excess mixing can develop the flour’s gluten and make the cookies tougher.

Watch the edges: These cookies bake quickly. Pull them when the edges are only lightly golden rather than waiting for the entire cookie to brown.

For softer cookies: Roll the dough slightly thicker than ⅛ inch and watch carefully for doneness.

For clean shapes: Chill the dough before rolling and briefly chill the cut cookies if they have softened considerably before going into the oven.

Butter substitution: Salted butter will work; reduce or omit the added salt according to taste.

Nutrition

The original recipe yields approximately 78 cookies, or 6½ dozen. Because these are small cut-out cookies rather than a plated dessert, 1 cookie is an appropriate individual serving unit, with portions adjusted according to occasion. The supplied nutrition information reports 51 calories per cookie.

Estimated Nutrition per Serving

• Calories: 51 kcal
• Fat: 3.0 g
• Carb: 6.0 g
• Protein: 1.0 g

Recipe Science

This is a traditional cut-out sugar cookie built around flour, butter, sugar, egg, and a small amount of heavy cream. Unlike recipes that begin by creaming softened butter and sugar, this method cuts butter into the dry ingredients before liquid is introduced. The technique limits how extensively the flour is hydrated and contributes to the cookie’s tender, slightly short texture.

The butter supplies both flavor and structure, while the egg binds the dough and adds protein that sets during baking. Heavy cream supplies additional moisture and fat, making the dough cohesive enough to roll without requiring much liquid. Baking powder provides modest leavening. Rolling the dough to approximately ⅛ inch allows the cookies to bake rapidly at 200°C / 400°F, producing set centers and lightly colored edges in roughly 6 to 8 minutes.

The dough can be refrigerated before rolling, which firms the butter and makes intricate shapes easier to handle. Completely cooled cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for several days or frozen for longer storage.

Dietary Notes & Health Alerts: Based on the supplied nutrition facts, one cookie contains approximately 2 g saturated fat and 40 mg sodium, both below 20% of the FDA Daily Value thresholds of 20 g saturated fat and 2,300 mg sodium. The recipe does not provide a separate added-sugar value, so an exact comparison with the FDA’s 50 g Added Sugar Daily Value cannot be established from the supplied nutrition data.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Family-Recipe Simplicity: Familiar pantry ingredients create a classic cookie without complicated techniques.
• Excellent for Cutouts: The dough can be chilled for easier rolling and works beautifully with holiday cookie cutters.
• Tender and Buttery: Butter and heavy cream create a richer, softer texture than a lean sugar-cookie dough.
• Big-Batch Friendly: One recipe makes approximately 6½ dozen cookies, making it practical for parties, cookie exchanges, and gift boxes.
• Easy to Customize: Leave them simply sugar-topped or decorate the cooled cookies with your favorite icing and sprinkles.

FAQ

• Do I really need to chill the dough? No. Chilling is optional, but 30 minutes in the refrigerator makes soft dough easier to roll and helps maintain cleaner cutout shapes.
• Why is my sugar cookie dough sticking? The dough may be too warm. Chill it briefly and lightly flour both the work surface and rolling pin. Avoid adding large amounts of extra flour, which can make the finished cookies dry.
• Can I make the dough ahead of time? Yes. Wrap it tightly and refrigerate it, then allow very firm dough to soften just enough to roll without cracking.
• How do I keep the cookies soft? Don’t overbake them. Remove the cookies when their edges are only beginning to turn golden, then transfer them to an airtight container once completely cool.
• Can I decorate these with icing? Absolutely. Cool them completely first so icing or glaze stays neat instead of melting into the cookie.

Conclusion

There’s something especially comforting about keeping a great-grandmother’s sugar cookie recipe in the family rotation, and this simple buttery version is exactly the kind of recipe worth passing along. Cookie baking doesn’t have to be perfect; change the shapes, add icing, or keep that old-fashioned sprinkle of sugar and make the tradition your own.

What cookie-cutter shape would you make first for your holiday batch? Happy baking, and save a warm one for yourself.