Thin and Crispy Sugar Cookies
Thin and Crispy Sugar Cookies are a Tate's style crunchy cookie that are deliciously easy (it's a no-chill no-roll drop cookie dough.)
Servings: 36 cookies
Equipment
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature, soft butter is important for these cookies to spread properly. See my post on How to Bring Cold ingredients to Room Temperature for tips. DO NOT USE MELTED BUTTER.
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 large egg, room temp if possible
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 vanilla bean, seeds only
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour*
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Note: the parchment paper is important for preventing sticking, and getting the right texture in these cookies. Don't substitute silicone mats.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with electric beaters, cream together the 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature and 1 1/2 cups white sugar until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Be sure to get any butter off the bottom of the bowl and get that incorporated as well.
- Add the 1 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and seeds of 1 vanilla bean to the butter mixture, and mix until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour*, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp baking soda
- Add the flour to the bowl and mix on low until everything is combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to get everything well incoporated. Note: do not chill this dough at this point ~ you want it soft so it spreads in the oven.
- Scoop the cookie dough into balls a little more than 1 tablespoon, and roll them into a ball. Roll each dough ball in granulated sugar for a light crunch. Place evenly on your cookie sheet, leaving about 2-3 inches between each cookie to allow for spreading in the oven.
- Use the back of a small glass to gently press down on each cookie to partially flatten them to about 1/2 inch thick. This helps them spread evenly and prevents doming. (I like to coat the bottom of the glass with a bit of sugar before each press.
- Bake for about 14-15 minutes until the cookies are starting to turn golden brown in spots. I highly recommend doing a couple of test cookies to determine the best time for your oven. Give the pan a sharp rap on a hard surface immediately after removing from the oven. This will help flatten them.
- Allow to partially cool on the baking sheet, they will be soft and delicate when they come out of the oven but will crisp up as they cool. Then transfer to a baking rack to completely cool.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Do not refrigerate, as that can cause cookies to soften.
Notes
*I formulate my recipes using US standard cups and measure my flour with the fluff, scoop and level method. If you use weight, my flour weight for this recipe is 240g.
We tested and retested these cookies and feel that they are just perfect. They bake up reliably uniform, with that thin, crisp texture you're looking for. They are buttery with a toffee/caramel flavor, and not greasy at all. We love 'em!
If the air in your kitchen is humid the cookies can soften overnight. See post for fixes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cookie · Calories: 102 kcal · Carbohydrates: 13 g · Protein: 1 g · Fat: 5 g · Saturated Fat: 3 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g · Trans Fat: 0.2 g · Cholesterol: 19 mg · Sodium: 83 mg · Potassium: 10 mg · Fiber: 0.2 g · Sugar: 8 g · Vitamin A: 165 IU · Calcium: 3 mg · Iron: 0.3 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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