How Ree Drummond Ensures Her Sugar Cookies Are Soft Every Time

Ree Drummond is a popular Southern-style chef known for sharing her simple homestyle recipes like monkey bread, chicken pot pie, and extra soft sugar cookies. If you're been on the hunt for easy cookie recipes for beginners, sugar cookies are a solid option since they require a specific yet basic list of ingredients. However, the amount of each ingredient you use determines the resulting texture of these mouthwatering treats.

In order to recreate Ree Drummond's extra soft sugar cookies, a moisture-rich cookie dough is essential. To achieve the right amount of moisture in your own copycat recipe, use a decent amount of butter and eggs. For reference, Drummond uses a full cup of butter and two eggs in her crowd-pleasing recipe.

Since butter is partially composed of water, the combination of water and fat keeps your dough moist and subtle. Additionally, eggs have water, fat, and protein, which not only gives your cookies a tender crumb, but also holds all your ingredients together amidst preparation.

Beyond these two primary ingredients, baking powder and granulated sugar also contribute to the softness of Ree Drummond's sugar cookies. The use of baking powder, which is the combination of baking soda, cream of tartar, and cornstarch, gives cookies just the right amount of rise while granulated sugar (when creamed with butter) adds air to your dough. With the right blend of ingredients as well as mindful preparation, you're left with perfectly chewy and soft sugar cookies.

Once your dough is prepared, use sugar and salt and roll your cookies in a salty-sweet coating for an unforgettable flavor. Unlike many common cookie recipes, Drummond's sugar cookies are only chilled for 15 minutes. Simply, roll, chill, and slightly flatten each cookie ball before baking. To ensure extra soft results, use a larger scoop to form bigger cookies.

Sizable portions take longer to bake which often leads to an extra soft interior. Depending on the size of your cookies, avoid over-baking by consistently checking their progress after 12 to 15 minutes. Pull your cookies out of the oven when they turn slightly golden in color and allow them to rest on the hot baking sheet for an additional five minutes.

When it comes to toppings, the easy way to incorporate unexpected flavors into your sugar cookies is through homemade frostings, glazes, and extras like sprinkles or candy. To keep your sugar cookies soft after baking, Drummond recommends storing any leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days at room temperature.

Once you've mastered Drummond's popular recipe, feel free to play around with the suggested ingredients. Swapping out a portion of granulated sugar for brown sugar can be beneficial since brown sugar contains additional moisture from molasses. Also, an extra egg yolk adds extra fat which can make homemade sugar cookies even more tender and soft.