Plain and Simple Sugar Cookies Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (2024)

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Weight Watchers Recipe of the Day: Simple Sugar Cookies

Here's a great plain and simple sugar cookie recipe I hope you'll try. With each passing year, I find myself drawn to recipes that are simple and delicious. And this these old-fashioned sugar cookies totally fit the bill.

Plain and Simple Sugar Cookies Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (1)

Plain and simple sugar cookies

I've found - through lots of trial and error - that the healthiest thing I can do is treat myself to a freshly baked cookie once in a while because it satisfies my sweet tooth. I naturally control my consumption of sweets by holding out for things that are only homemade and delicious.

If you have trouble controlling yourself around freshly baked cookies, be sure to make them when you have lots of people around to share them with!

Skinny on Plain + Simple Sugar Cookies

These sugar cookies contain the most basic of ingredients and come together in minutes. I was able to mix them and bake them in less time than it would have taken me to run to the store for cookie dough.

Plain and Simple Sugar Cookies Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (2)

Simple Low-Fat Sugar Cookies

Everyone who tries them loves them. And they're versatile too. These cookies are delicious on their own with a cup of tea or glass of milk. They are also a wonderful accompaniment to ice cream or fresh fruit.

Simple Sugar Cookie Recipe Variations

And the recipe can be modified lots of different ways (be sure to adjust your Points if making any additions or substitutions)...

  • Feel free to stir ½ cup of nuts, raisins, or coconut into your Sugar Cookie Dough
  • Or add a little lemon, orange, or lime zest
  • Or make Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies by adding ½ cup of miniature chocolate chips

This recipe is from The Supper Book (affiliate link) by Marion Cunningham, who also authored The Fannie Farmer Cookbook (affiliate link) I received as a wedding gift more than 25 years ago.

The directions say that the recipe makes about 50 cookies. When I make them I usually end up with about 36. It's a testament to just how much larger our serving sizes have gotten through the years. And probably explains—at least partly—why we keep getting larger!

The cookbook says to bake the cookies 8 - 10 minutes, but I find it usually take mine about 12 minutes to be done - probably because I make mine a bit larger.

I love these cookies made with 2 teaspoons of grated lemon zest added to the dough.

Plain and Simple Sugar Cookies Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (3)

Simple Sugar Cookies - 3 WW Freestyle SmartPoints

How Many Calories and WW Points in these Cookies?

According to my calculations each cookie has 66 calories and:

3 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
3 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
3 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
2 *PointsPlus (Old plan)

To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!

If you like these WW friendly cookies, be sure to check out my other easy cookie recipes including Enlightened Wheaties Cookies with Coconut, Sugar-Free Apple Almond Cookies, Easy Chocolate Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies, Strawberry Shortcake Cookies and Molasses Cookies

If you've made this Simple Sugar Cookies, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.

Plain and Simple Sugar Cookies Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (4)

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4.83 from 17 votes

Plain & Simple Sugar Cookie Recipe

Simple + Delicious Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies with 3 Weight Watchers Freestyle SmartPoints

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time12 minutes mins

Total Time27 minutes mins

Servings (adjustable): 36

Calories: 66

Author: Martha McKinnon | Simple Nourished Living

Ingredients

  • 1-½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon milk or cream

Instructions

  • Position one of your oven racks in the middle and preheat your oven to 350F degrees. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. Alternatively, use ungreased cookie sheets for baking these easy sugar cookies.

  • In a small bowl (affiliate link) whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well blended and set aside.

  • In a large mixing bowl (affiliate link) beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer (affiliate link) on medium speed until light and fluffy. (This will take several minutes.)

  • Add the egg, vanilla, cream or milk and beat thoroughly. (Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula (affiliate link) if necessary, to make sure all ingredients are well blended.)

  • Add the flour mixture and with the mixer on low speed, stir until the mixture is just blended.

  • Arrange by teaspoonfuls on the prepared cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart.

  • Bake, one cookie sheet at a time on the center oven rack, for 8 to 12 minutes until lightly golden around the edges.

  • When done, remove from the oven and transfer the cookies with a spatula to wire racks to cool completely.

  • Repeat with the remaining dough, being sure to allow cookie sheets to cool completely before using them again. (I often rinse the backsides under cool water to speed up the process.)

Recipe Notes

My Cooking Notes & Variations
This recipe is from The Supper Book (affiliate link) by Marion Cunningham, who also authored the old Fannie Farmer Cookbook I received as a wedding gift more than 25 years ago.

The directions say that the recipe makes about 50 cookies. When I make them I usually end up with about 36. It's a testament to just how much larger our serving sizes have gotten through the years. And probably explains - at least partly - why we keep getting larger!

The cookbook says to bake the cookies 8 - 10 minutes, but I find it usually take mine about 12 minutes to be done - probably because I make mine a bit larger.

I love these with a 2 teaspoons of grated lemon zest added to the dough.

Serving size: 1 cookie

Click here to see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site.

3 *SmartPoints (Green plan)

3 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)

3 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)

2 *PointsPlus (Old plan)

Nutrition Facts

Plain & Simple Sugar Cookie Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 cookie)

Calories 66Calories from Fat 24

% Daily Value*

Fat 2.7g4%

Carbohydrates 9.7g3%

Fiber 0g0%

Protein 0.8g2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: homemade sugar cookies, plain sugar cookies, soft sugar cookies

Did you make this recipe?Mention @simplenourishedliving on Instagram and tag #simplenourishedliving - we love to see your creations!

Source: The Supper Book (affiliate link) by Marion Cunningham

*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.

More Plain & Simple Sugar Cookie Recipes from around the Web

Plain and Simple Sugar Cookies Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (5)Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.

A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.

She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.

A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.

More about Martha McKinnon

This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!

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Plain and Simple Sugar Cookies Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (2024)

FAQs

What to add to sugar cookie mix to make it better? ›

Mix in tasty ingredients

Take plain sugar cookies up a notch with exciting mix-ins like chocolate chips, rainbow sprinkles, toasted chopped nuts, chopped dried fruit or M&M's. Add these after blending your butter and egg into the sugar cookie mix. This is our favorite hack for holiday Pillsbury cookie dough.

Why does the sugar cookie recipe use powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar? ›

Powdered sugar has a teeny bit of cornstarch in it to keep it from clumping and that plus the powdery consistency of confectioners sugar keeps the cookies soft and tender. Cream of Tartar – in addition to baking soda keeps these from spreading AND keeps them soft.

What if I put too much butter in my cookies? ›

Too much butter makes cookies turn out just as you'd expect: very buttery. This batch of cookies was cakey in the middle, but also airy throughout, with crispy edges. They were yellow and slightly puffy in the middle, and brown and super thin around the perimeter.

What happens if you add too much sugar to sugar cookies? ›

Sugar sweetens the cookies and makes them an enticing golden brown. Adding too little sugar can affect the taste and texture of cookies. Adding too much can cause them to be brittle. Take your time creaming the sugar and butter together at the beginning.

What can I add to cookie dough to make it taste better? ›

You can upgrade your cookie dough by adding spices to it, said Tracy Wilk, lead chef at the Institute of Culinary Education. This can lead to a warm, spicy cookie. To do so, combine ground cinnamon, ginger, and sugar, and then roll your balls of cookie dough in the mix before baking.

What happens if I use regular sugar instead of powdered sugar in cookies? ›

"This means, cup for cup, there would be more sugar in a cup of powdered sugar than in a cup of regular sugar." In addition to inconsistent measurements, regular sugar won't dissolve and mix as well into recipes like frosting and icing. You'll end up with a grainy, unappealing texture.

What does cream of tartar do to sugar cookies? ›

What Does Cream of Tartar Do in Cookies? Cream of tartar makes cookies chewy, as it precludes the sugar in the dough from crystalizing, which would lead to crispiness (ie: the opposite of chewiness).

What happens if you only use granulated sugar in cookies? ›

Using granulated white sugar will result in a flatter, crispier and lighter-colored cookie. Granulated sugar is hygroscopic, so it attracts and absorbs the liquid in the dough. This slows down the development of the gluten (flour), which makes the cookies crispier.

What happens if you over cream butter and sugar for cookies? ›

Over-creamed butter and sugar adds in too much air and alters the final texture – typically to be more gummy and dense. Sometimes over-creaming can produce cakes, cupcakes, or cookies that collapse upon baking or while cooling if the mixture is well and truly over-creamed (where it looks like curdled milk).

Why do my homemade cookies taste like flour? ›

Improper flour measurement is the #1 cause of your cookie dough being too dry or the cookies tasting like flour.

What thickens cookie dough? ›

Soft – Dough that's “soft” or “runny” can be thickened by adding one or two tablespoons of flour to your mix. This will help keep your batch from “Spreading” and coming out of the oven looking like flat, not-so-cookie-like puddles.

How do you make box cookie mix taste better? ›

No one will even suspect they're store-bought (and we won't tell anyone!).
  1. Add brown sugar. ...
  2. Experiment with extracts. ...
  3. Mix in different candies and snacks. ...
  4. Add espresso or coffee grounds. ...
  5. Deepen the flavors by refrigerating the dough. ...
  6. Salt before baking the cookies. ...
  7. Reduce baking time for extra soft cookies.

What can I add to sugar cookie mix that is too dry? ›

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.

How to fix bland cookie dough? ›

Add more sugar or sweetener: If your cookies are too bland, adding more sugar or a natural sweetener like honey or maple syrup can help.

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