Recipe for Sugar Cookie Bars - Cooking With Karli (2024)

FAQs

How to bake sugar cookies evenly? ›

Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving an inch or more of space between the cutouts. This space allows the dough to spread slightly and the hot oven air to circulate around each cookie for even baking.

Easy Add-In: After creating the dough according to the sugar cookie mix instructions, Add 2 tablespoons of sour cream to create a tangier, cakier and all-around more flavorful cookie. Flavor Twist: For a punchier twist, swap the water in the sugar cookie mix instructions for rum, bourbon or coffee liqueur.

Almond Extract: For a twist on the traditional sugar cookie flavor, try adding a small amount of almond extract. Start with 1/2 teaspoon and adjust according to your preference. Citrus Zest: Incorporate the zest of citrus fruits like lemon, orange, or lime into the dough. The zest adds a bright and refreshing flavor.

The longer you chill the dough, the more flavor will develop. The flour will also absorb more of the moisture so the thicker and chewier the final texture will be.

Sugar cookies baked on shiny heavy gauge aluminum pans will come out soft and chewy, with a slight golden color bottom and pale top. Chef Eddy also recommends using parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to prevent sticking and for easy cleanup.

Over-working the dough yields a tough cookie, which is not at all what you want. The very best sugar cookies are soft and tender. → Follow this tip: One of the keys to great sugar cookies is mixing the dry ingredients only until they're just incorporated, and not a second longer.

To avoid this, try using as little flour as possible while preparing to roll your dough. Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.

As a general rule of thumb, you should refrigerate cookie dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. More than that, and you won't see a noticeable difference in the final product. Once the dough has chilled, let it warm up at room temperature until it's just pliable (about 5 to 10 minutes).

How do you keep sugar cookie dough from falling apart? ›

There are a few things you can do if your cookie dough is too dry and crumbly. First, try adding more liquid to the dough. This could be milk, water, or even just additional eggs. If that doesn't work, you could also try melting some butter and adding it to the dough.

Just roll the dough into one inch balls and then coat them in equal parts cinnamon and sugar. Then I press them gently with a glass before baking them according to the directions on the package. That's it!

That over-expanded dough loses its perfect texture. In the case of pie, the crust won't be light and flaky. For cookies, they'll spread out too quickly, tasting doughy and soft instead of full-bodied and chewy.

Transfer the dough, still between the two pieces of parchment paper, to a baking sheet. Chill in the fridge for at least two hours to allow the dough to firm up, and up to three days ahead. Proceed with the recipe as written - such as my easy sugar cookie recipe.

Chilling the dough before baking solidifies the fat, so the cookies spread less in the oven. If you are rolling and cutting the dough into shapes, chilled dough will hold those shapes better when they go into the oven. If you're making drop cookies, they will stay rounder and chewier.

Dough that is not thoroughly mixed will contain bits of unincorporated butter, and when baking, these bits of butter create lots of steam and seep and bubble out of your cookie, creating a misshapen mess along with it. Always mix your dough until these blobs of butter are no longer visible.

If your oven runs too hot or cold, it can affect the baking time and result in undercooked cookies. Make necessary adjustments to ensure the temperature is accurate. Cookie size and placement: Consider adjusting the size and placement of your cookie dough on the baking sheet.

Baking on the wrong rack is a common mistake that people make when baking cookies. The wrong rack can cause cookies to bake unevenly, resulting in burnt or undercooked cookies. To avoid this mistake, be sure to check the recipe to see which rack the cookies should be baked on.

Rotate items halfway through baking

Even if you have just one pan in the oven, rotating it will make sure the heat isn't hitting one particular area harder than another. Ovens can have hot spots, which can be a big contributor to uneven baking and browning if the pan isn't rotated.