My sugar cookies are my #1 seller in my baking business. It’s a no chill, no spread, no fail recipe.
1 lb butter (half salted half unsalted)
2 cups sugar (granulated)
2 LG eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp almond extract
6 cups all purpose flour
Cream butter and sugar until combined. Add and mix 1 egg at a time. Add extracts. Mix for 1 to 2 minutes until well combined.
Add flour in 2 cup increments mixing only until incorporated. Dough should come together and pull from sides of the bowl as it mixes. Dough should not stick to your finger when you touch it.
I roll between parchment or wax paper so as to not incorporate more flour which allows you to re roll the scraps. I use a jospeh jospeh rolling pin and roll them 1/4 in thick.
Bake at 350 F for 12 mins. 13 mins of the cookies are on the larger size, 11 mins if they are on the smaller size. Bake only until the bottom of the cookie just barely turns golden. This will keep the cookie soft.
This recipe can be halved. The dough and the baked cookies freeze very well.
Hope this helps!
Editing to add my icing:
1- 2lb bag powdered sugar
3 heaping tablespoons of wiltons meringue powder
1 tablespoon vanilla
9+ tablespoons of water
Mix only until combined and smooth. Do not over mix. Add more water to achieve desired consistency. (If you like, you can add tbs of almond flavor as well and just take out a tbs of water. This is what I do.)