Toaster-Oven Make-Ahead Sugar Cookies
By America's Test KitchenPublished on January 18, 2022
Time
45 minutes (15 minutes from frozen)
Yield
Makes 24 cookies
Ingredients
Before You Begin
The number of cookies you can bake at one time will depend on the size of your baking sheet.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line large and small rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in bowl.
- Place 1½ cups sugar and cream cheese in large bowl. Whisk in warm melted butter (some lumps of cream cheese will remain). Whisk in oil until incorporated. Whisk in egg, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Using rubber spatula, fold in flour mixture until soft, homogeneous dough forms.
- Spread remaining ⅓ cup sugar in shallow dish. Working with 2 tablespoons dough at a time, roll into balls, then roll in sugar to coat. Space desired number of dough balls at least 1½ inches apart on prepared small sheet; space remaining dough balls evenly on prepared large sheet. Using bottom of greased dry measuring cup, press each ball until 2 inches in diameter.
- Bake small sheet of cookies until edges are set and beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
- Freeze remaining large sheet of cookies until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer cookies to 1-gallon zipper-lock bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Bake frozen cookies as directed; do not thaw.
Time
45 minutes (15 minutes from frozen)Yield
Makes 24 cookiesIngredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
Everyone loves a fresh baked good. Using your toaster oven to make cookies allows you to prepare your dough and then only bake exactly as many cookies as you want hot and ready for snacking, whether it’s one cookie or six. Freeze the rest of the dough in disks so you can pop them into your toaster oven anytime you want to be 15 minutes away from a warm sugar cookie. While we wanted these cookies to be quick, we also needed them to have the hallmark chew of a sugar cookie. Knowing that the right proportions of saturated and unsaturated fats can enhance chewiness, we replaced some of the butter in the recipe with oil. This gave good chew but the cookies were cloying. To mitigate the sweetness, we added cream cheese. This contributed a tang that provided a counterpoint to the sugar without compromising the texture. As a bonus, its acidity enabled us to include baking soda as an additional leavener, resulting in a beautiful crackly surface. The final dough will be slightly softer than most cookie doughs. For the best results, handle the dough as briefly and as gently as possible; overworking the dough will result in flatter cookies.
Before You Begin
The number of cookies you can bake at one time will depend on the size of your baking sheet.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line large and small rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in bowl.
- Place 1½ cups sugar and cream cheese in large bowl. Whisk in warm melted butter (some lumps of cream cheese will remain). Whisk in oil until incorporated. Whisk in egg, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Using rubber spatula, fold in flour mixture until soft, homogeneous dough forms.
- Spread remaining ⅓ cup sugar in shallow dish. Working with 2 tablespoons dough at a time, roll into balls, then roll in sugar to coat. Space desired number of dough balls at least 1½ inches apart on prepared small sheet; space remaining dough balls evenly on prepared large sheet. Using bottom of greased dry measuring cup, press each ball until 2 inches in diameter.
- Bake small sheet of cookies until edges are set and beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
- Freeze remaining large sheet of cookies until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer cookies to 1-gallon zipper-lock bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Bake frozen cookies as directed; do not thaw.
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