Easy Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies
I’ve made these vanilla bean sugar cookies for years! I love that they are easy to make, come together all in one bowl, and are the perfect cut-out cookie that is ready for festive decorating. These cookies are a riff on my Chai Sugar Cookies from last year, the main difference is that they are flavoured with beautiful and delicious vanilla beans. You can easily substitute vanilla extract here but if you can get your hands on vanilla beans, you’ll love the flavour and the beautiful speckled dough they make.
These cookies are delicious and beautiful without any decorations but I always think it’s fun to throw some sprinkles on cookies at this time of year! You can decorate these however you’d like. I love melting some white chocolate and drizzling it over the cookies or piping it on and then adding some sprinkles or dusting sugar for a pretty and festive cookie.
The best part about these Easy Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies is that the dough freezes beautifully which means you make the dough ahead of time, pop it in the freezer for up to three months, and then defrost it, roll it out, cut it into shapes and bake your cookies off. Easy peasy sugar cookies whenever you want them, is there anything better?!
If you love these Easy Vanilla Bean Cookies, try:
What you need for Easy Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies:
Butter
White sugar
Eggs
Flour
Vanilla beans/vanilla bean paste/vanilla extract
White chocolate for decorating (optional)
Sprinkles for decorating (optional)
How to make Easy Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies:
These cookies come together in just one bowl. I highly recommend using a mixer, either a hand mixer or a stand mixer, this way the butter will be creamed really well and give you the perfect cookie texture! Start by creaming your butter until it’s lightened in colour, we’re going for a super pale yellow and super fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium-high speed.
Once your butter is whipped well, add in your sugar and vanilla bean and continue to beat for 2 more minutes. Add your eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition and beat until you have a smooth batter. Add your flour and sea salt and beat just until it’s incorporated. Do not overmix!! It’s okay if you still have a few flour patches or streaks.
Turn your cookie dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, beeswax wrap, or parchment paper. Wrap your dough up and then refrigerate for at least an hour or until it’s firmed up.
Place chilled, unwrapped dough on a lightly dusted floured counter and roll your dough out until it’s 1/2 an inch thick. Cut out into your desired shapes. Re-roll the leftover dough and cut into shapes.
You can also roll your dough into a log shape before refrigerating it and slice the log into 1/2 inch rounds, instead of using cookie cutters.
Transfer your cookies onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes or until very lightly golden around the edges. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
To ice your cookies, melt white chocolate in the microwave for 30-second increments, stirring every 30 seconds. White chocolate is very heat sensitive, so be careful not to burn the chocolate! Drizzle the white chocolate on the cooled cookies or pipe the chocolate onto your cookies. Decorate with sprinkles and enjoy!
To make your own piping bag, simply add your melted chocolate to a ziplock bag, squeeze to chocolate to the bottom corner and cut a small tip off the corner and you have a piping bag!
Lastly, when you make these Easy Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies, be sure to leave a comment on Instagram! Above all, I love to hear from you and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favourite!
Easy Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies
Author: ElizabethServings: 24-36 cookies
Ingredients
1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 vanilla bean's seeds (or 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or extract)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups all purpose flour
Instructions:
1. Cream butter on medium-high for 3-4 minutes or until it's pale yellow and fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla bean and beat for another 2 minutes.
2. Add the egg and beat until well combined.
3. Add the flour and sea salt and beat just until combined. Avoid overmixing, a few flour streaks are fine!
4. Wrap the dough in a piece of plastic wrap/beeswax wrap/parchment paper. Refrigerate for at least an hour or until firm.
5. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
6. Lightly dust your counter with flour and roll the dough out until it's 1/2 inch thick. Cut your cookies out and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.
7. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until very lightly golden around the edges. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.
8. Drizzle cookies with white chocolate or pipe designs on them and decorate them with sprinkles. Enjoy!
