Adorable Butter Chick Sugar Cookies (Printer-friendly)

Buttery yellow sugar cookies shaped like chicks with cute faces. Perfect spring dessert in 30 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Cookie Dough

01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
04 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
05 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Decoration

08 - Yellow food coloring
09 - 3/4 cup powdered sugar
10 - 2 tablespoons milk
11 - Black decorating gel or mini chocolate chips
12 - Orange decorating gel or candy

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
03 - Beat butter and granulated sugar in a separate bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, mixing until fully incorporated.
04 - Gradually blend dry ingredients into butter mixture until smooth dough forms.
05 - Add yellow food coloring a few drops at a time, kneading until dough is evenly colored throughout.
06 - Roll dough into 1-inch balls. For each chick, place one ball as the body and a slightly smaller ball on top as the head, pressing gently to attach.
07 - Place cookies on prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between each.
08 - Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Cool completely on baking sheets.
09 - Whisk powdered sugar with milk until smooth. Brush glaze over cooled cookies for shine, if desired.
10 - Create eyes using black decorating gel or mini chocolate chips. Form beaks with orange decorating gel or candy pieces. Allow decorations to set before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The dough comes together in one bowl without any fancy equipment or technique
  • Kids can literally help with every single step and feel like real pastry chefs
  • These buttery sugar cookies taste as good as they look, unlike some decorated treats that are all frosting and no flavor
02 -
  • If your dough feels sticky and warm, pop it in the fridge for fifteen minutes or these little chicks will spread into puddles in the oven
  • The second you see edges turning golden, get those cookies out because they keep cooking on the hot baking sheet
  • Gel food coloring is absolutely worth the extra trip to the store, liquid coloring will throw off your dough consistency
03 -
  • Weigh your flour instead of scooping, because too much flour makes these dry and crumbly instead of buttery and tender
  • Room temperature ingredients are not optional here, cold butter will not cream properly and your cookies will not puff up right

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