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3-Ingredient Sugar Cookies

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  • Prep 20 min
  • Total 4 hr 0 min
  • Servings 20
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Butter, sugar and Gold Medal™ flour are all you need for this quick and easy sugar cookie recipe. The best part? It's a make-ahead and make-it-your-own recipe. After you mix up the dough, shape it into a log and chill before cutting the cookie dough into slices for baking. Decorate the cookies by rolling them in holiday sprinkles before chilling, or drizzle an easy powdered sugar icing over sliced tops after baking. Either way, it makes the perfect holiday cookie. However you complete them, it's a buttery, tender cookie that melts in your mouth with every bite. With easy 3-Ingredient Sugar Cookies, you can save time and focus on the decorating fun.
By Betty Crocker Kitchens
Updated Nov 20, 2020
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Ingredients

Cookies

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 1/4 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
  • 4 tablespoons holiday-colored nonpareils or coarse decorating sugar, if desired

Powdered Sugar Icing Drizzle, if desired

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons milk
  • Betty Crocker™ gel food colors, if desired
  • Holiday-colored nonpareils or coarse decorating sugar, if desired
Make With
Gold Medal Flour

Steps

  • 1
    In large bowl, beat softened butter and granulated sugar with spoon until well mixed. Stir in flour until moistened, using hands to mix if needed (dough will be crumbly). Knead 5 to 10 times or until dough is smooth.
  • 2
    Divide dough in half; shape each half into a log, 5 inches long by 2 inches in diameter.
  • 3
    Spread 2 tablespoons of the nonpareils or decorating sugar on plastic wrap; roll one log in nonpareils to cover. Repeat to cover remaining cookie log in nonpareils. Wrap dough logs tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate about 1 hour 30 minutes or until firm.
  • 4
    Heat oven to 350°F. Unwrap 1 of the dough logs; cut into 1/2-inch slices. On ungreased cookie sheet, place slices 2 inches apart, reshaping if necessary.
  • 5
    Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until edges are set. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Unwrap remaining dough log, and repeat slicing and baking. Cool completely, about 40 minutes.
  • 6
    To make Powdered Sugar Icing Drizzle: In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons of the milk until well blended. If too thick to drizzle, add additional milk, 1/4 teaspoon at a time. Tint with food color. Drizzle over tops of cooled cookies. Sprinkle with nonpareils or decorating sugar. Let stand about 1 hour or until drizzle is set.

Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens

  • tip 1
    Store cookies covered in airtight container. Store cookies with drizzle on top in a covered airtight container with waxed paper between layers.
  • tip 2
    Have fun and get creative with these cookies. Get two different looks with the same recipe. Roll 1 cookie dough log in 2 tablespoons holiday-colored nonpareils, and wrap in plastic. Leave the other cookie dough log plain, and decorate with a colorful icing drizzle after cookies are baked.
  • tip 3
    For best results, bake cookies on middle oven rack, one sheet at a time. Shiny aluminum cookie sheets with a smooth surface and no sides reflect heat and allow cookies to bake evenly and brown properly, so save your rimmed ones for sheet-pan dinner recipes. Allow cookie sheet to cool completely between batches. Otherwise, cookies will spread too much.
  • tip 4
    Cookie dough logs can be wrapped and refrigerated up to 48 hours before baking. To freeze, place wrapped cookie dough logs in freezer until firm. Once dough is firm, make sure ends of plastic are twisted, and place logs in large resealable freezer bag. Freeze up to 1 month. To thaw, let dough stand 30 to 45 minutes at room temperature or until easy to cut into slices. Remove plastic; slice, and continue as directed in recipe.
  • tip 5
    This style of slice-and-bake cookie is a great time saver for the holidays. It's easy to make the dough ahead and then slice off cookies; no shaping of individual cookies or rolling out dough is required.

Nutrition

150 Calories, 9g Total Fat, 1g Protein, 16g Total Carbohydrate, 5g Sugars

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Cookie
Calories
150
Calories from Fat
80
Total Fat
9g
14%
Saturated Fat
6g
29%
Trans Fat
0g
Cholesterol
25mg
8%
Sodium
75mg
3%
Potassium
20mg
1%
Total Carbohydrate
16g
5%
Dietary Fiber
0g
0%
Sugars
5g
Protein
1g
% Daily Value*:
Vitamin A
6%
6%
Vitamin C
0%
0%
Calcium
0%
0%
Iron
4%
4%
Exchanges:
0 Starch; 0 Fruit; 1 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 2 Fat;
Carbohydrate Choice
1
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
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