Difficulty: Easy
Yield: approximately 30 cookies
Nutrition per Serving (1 of 30 servings): Calories 134, Total Fat 6 g, Saturated Fat 4 g, Carbohydrates 18 g, Dietary Fiber 0 g, Sugar 10 g, Protein 1 g, Cholesterol 22 mg, Sodium 48 mg
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes (including cooling)
Active Time: 25 minutes

Indulge in these irresistible sugar cookies with their lightly crisp edges and luxuriously chewy centersa perfect balance created by extra sugar and a hot oven blast. For holiday magic, roll the dough in sparkling colored sugar and watch them shine!

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus extra for rolling
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg

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Set oven racks in the upper and lower thirds and preheat to 375F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
With an electric mixer on medium-high, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla and egg; mix until combined. Gradually beat in flour mixture on medium-low until incorporated.
Pour sugar into a small bowl. Scoop heaping tablespoon dough portions, roll into balls, coat in sugar, and place 2 inches apart on sheets (bake in batches).
Bake 12-14 minutes until bottoms and edges are lightly golden. Cool on sheets briefly, then transfer to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough. Store in an airtight container up to 3 days.

Pro Tip for Perfect Flour: Spoon flour into the measuring cup and level offnever scoop from the bag to avoid dense, dry cookies.