How to Bake Simple Sugar Cookies

A kid-friendly guide to mixing, rolling, and baking classic sugar cookies from scratch. HowTo: Family Edition: family how-tos that actually help.

1. Cream the butter and sugar. Ask a grown-up to preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). In your large bowl, mix the softened butter and sugar together until the mixture looks light and fluffy.
2. Add the wet ingredients. Crack the egg into the bowl and add the vanilla extract. Mix everything together until it is smooth and well-combined.
3. Mix in the dry ingredients. Slowly add the flour and baking powder to the bowl. Stir until a soft dough forms. If it gets too hard to stir, use your clean hands to press the dough together.
4. Roll and cut. Lightly dust your counter with flour. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Use your cookie cutters to press out fun shapes.
5. Bake. Place your shapes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Ask a grown-up to put them in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are just barely golden.