Make-ahead tips
Wrap the prepared dough with plastic wrap, then heavy foil to freeze for up to a month. For baked cookies, keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 week, or freeze up to 1 month.
Easy Sugar Cookie Variations
Easy pistachio-ginger sugar cookies
Prepare and roll out dough. Cut into shapes. Sprinkle half with a mixture of 1/3 cup finely chopped pistachios and 3 tbsp finely chopped candied ginger. Bake as in main recipe. On day of serving, spread Nutella over plain cookies and top with pistachio-ginger cookies. Makes 48.
Easy vanilla bean sugar cookies
Place a vanilla bean on a cutting board. Run knife tip along bean, slitting it end to end. Scrape out seeds and add them to butter mixture with vanilla. Prepare and bake dough as in main recipe. Makes 96.