Simple Whole Wheat Sugar Cookies

Name: Simple Whole Wheat Sugar Cookies
Prep time: 70 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 1 lb. unsalted butter; 2 cups sugar; 2 eggs, beaten; 2 tablespoons milk or almond milk; 6 cups whole wheat pastry flour; 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt; 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 4 cups / 400g powdered sugar (just shy of a full bag); 2 egg whites*; water to thin (~1 tablespoon - 1/4 c.)

This is the recipe I use anytime I want perfect sugar cookies. Great flavor, and the dough is a dream to work with.

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This is the recipe I use anytime I want perfect sugar cookies. They bake up beautifully with nice structure and a hint of snap when you break them in two. Especially true if you can wait that extra minute or two before taking them from the oven. So they have time to shift from just-plain-baked to golden, crisp, and toasted. The dough is an absolute dream to work with. And the flavor? They have just the right amount of salt to counter the sweet.
Simple Whole Wheat Sugar Cookies
This recipe makes enough dough to yield plenty of cookies, with dough left over to freeze. I typically run out of energy before I run out of dough. I thought I'd posted this recipe long ago(!), but a search through the archives proved me wrong! I'm also including the icing I like.

Icing

As far as icing goes, I have a lot of thoughts. ;) I have a base recipe I use and then tweak it from there. Sometimes, I like my icing somewhat translucent, like a wash - so I add more water. Other times, I want it more opaque, so I leave it as written (below). I always like it to be a bit matte, and not hyper-glossy, so that's what you'll get here. Also, have fun with natural colors. You could do tiny hot-pink dots on the trees pictured with some raspberry powder plus a bit of the icing added to it. I like saffron for yellow, matcha for green, etc. Play around!

Simple Whole Wheat Sugar Cookies

Pro-tip! Keep your eyes peeled at yard sales, flea markets, and the like for special cookie cutters - that's where you'll find the gems. I have a bin of favorites that I can go to each time I make cookies.

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Simple Whole Wheat Sugar Cookies

4.09 from 37 votes

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To get some of the texture you see in the photos, roll out your dough, and then roll a textured bottle or stamp across the dough before stamping out shapes (and be sure to chill the dough pre-bake). *Also, as noted below, this recipe does feature raw egg in the icing. The standard disclaimer recommends children, pregnant women, the elderly, and anyone with an immune system disorder should avoid eating uncooked egg because of salmonella risk. You can substitute water or milk, or even buttermilk for the egg white called for in the icing if you avoid raw egg.

Ingredients

1 lb. unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons milk or almond milk
6 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Matte Icing:

4 cups / 400g powdered sugar (just shy of a full bag)
2 egg whites*
water to thin (~1 tablespoon - 1/4 c.)

Instructions

Let the butter soften at room temperature in the bowl of a stand mixer. When soft, beat until billowy and light. Add the sugar, and mix again until well integrated. Add the eggs and milk, and mix until uniform in color. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl, then gradually stir into the butter mixture, either by hand, or with the mixer on low. Divide the dough into four, shape into flat disks, wrap in parchment or plastic, and refrigerate for an hour or two.
When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F. Roll out the dough onto a well-floured (or powdered sugared) countertop to 1/4-inch thick. Cut into desired shapes and arrange on parchment (I reuse the parchment I wrapped the dough in earlier), leaving 1/2-inch between cookies. Chill again in the refrigerator (or freezer) for a few minutes (optional, but the shapes end up with more definition if you do). Bake for 8-10 minutes, until toasty around the edges. Rotate once along the way if your oven has hot-spots. Cool on a rack completely, and proceed with icing.
To make the icing, whisk together the powdered sugar and egg whites* until smooth and silky. It takes a few minutes. Reserve a bit of this mixture if you like a more opaque icing. You can thin with water from here depending on your preference. You can also add any coloring you like at this point. Use a brush to paint the icing on the cookies, allow to dry completely, store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Notes

Makes 5-6 dozen small-medium cookies.

Serves

Prep Time

1 hr 10 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

1 hr 20 mins

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nutrition info nutrition info

November 30, 2020

If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it - tag it #101cookbooks on Instagram!

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4.09 from 37 votes (36 ratings without comment)

Comments

Can’t wait to try! Are these also in one of your cookbooks? I think I have four of them now 🙂

Naomi Sachs

Hi Naomi – no, these aren’t in any of my books. But thank you for your ongoing support. It is much appreciated!

Heidi Swanson

What a great recipe these cookies came out perfect thank you!

Alison Estrop

Thanks Alison!

Heidi Swanson

Oh Heidi thank you so much for posting these! I’m mega excited to try my hand at all that you posted. Happy Holidays!

Moe

What’s not to like! Delicious!!

Susie

I’m excited to try making these. I’ve yet to come across some decent whole wheat sugar cookie recipes. These look promising!

Donna

Have you ever tried these with a GF all-purpose flour? Like the one you can get at Costco? I’d love to make these for a GF cookie exchange next week.

Melissa Robertson

I haven’t – but let me us know how it goes Melissa!

Heidi Swanson

If I wanted to make these for a cookie decorating party, what would be the best method? How far in advance can I make the dough and freeze it? Can I thaw the dough the day of and roll out the cookies, or would it be better to bake the cookies the day before and keep them in an airtight container? I’m probably overthinking this but I’ve amazingly never made sugar cookies before.

Val

Hi Val – you can make the dough a few weeks in advance, wrap it well (double-wrap), and freeze. And, yes, to thaw and roll the day of.

Heidi Swanson

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