Favourite Girl Scout Cookies
Classic Girl Scout-style trefoil shortbread cookies with butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Roll-and-cut sugar cookies for the trefoil cutter, makes 4 dozen.
YIELD
48 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
10 minREADY
3 hrsA homemade riff on the classic Girl Scout trefoil shortbread cookie, the buttery, vanilla-scented sugar cookie that gets steamrolled by Thin Mints in popularity but quietly outlasts every flashier flavor in the cookie tin. This is a roll-and-cut dough, perfect for trefoil cutters or any shape you’ve got on hand.
The overnight chill is non-negotiable for clean cuts. Two hours minimum, overnight ideally. Cold dough holds its edges through the cutter and the bake; warm dough spreads into blob-shaped cookies that lose all their character. If the dough warms up while you roll, slide the sheet back into the fridge for 15 minutes before baking.
Keep them pale. The point of a trefoil cookie is the soft, sandy crumb and the buttery vanilla flavor. Light browning at the edges is fine; deep brown means overbaked, and you lose the tender shortbread quality that defines the cookie.
Pro Tips
- Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to skip the floured surface; less flour worked in means more tender cookies.
- Re-roll scraps gently and only twice; over-rolled dough turns tough.
- Sprinkle the unbaked cutouts with sanding sugar for sparkle if not glazing.
- Cool completely on the rack before stacking; warm cookies soften and lose snap.
Variations
- Add 1 teaspoon almond extract along with the vanilla for a more classic shortbread flavor.
- Drizzle cooled cookies with melted chocolate for a dressed-up version.
- Sandwich two cookies with raspberry jam for a Linzer-style treat.
Ingredients
Directions
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add milk and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy.
Combine flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Chill at least 2 hours or overnight.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness. Cut with trefoil cookie cutter or cutter of your choice.
Place cookies on ungreased baking pans. Sprinkle with sugar if desired.
Bake at 350℉ (180℃) F for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.
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