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Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Recipe

The classic, easy-to-make sugar cookie recipe has been around since the 1800s.

It’s called “Crisco Cookies,” because they were originally created using Crisco shortening.

The original recipe calls for butter and eggs, but modern versions use vegetable oil.

What Is The Recipe For Pillsbury Sugar Cookies?

Pillsbury was founded in 1885 by William Kellogg (yes, this is the same guy who invented cornflakes).

He wanted to create a company that would be able to compete with the popular brands of the time like Nabisco.

He did so by creating a line of products including biscuits, crackers, bread, cake mixes, and more.

Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Mixes were introduced in 1949.

These days the brand offers three different types of cookie mix: Classic, Original, and Thin & Easy.

All three varieties contain flour, salt, baking powder, shortening, and egg.

However, each one also contains a variety of other ingredients, such as oatmeal, raisins, chocolate chips, nuts, marshmallows, and even dried fruit.

You can check out all of the exact contents of these recipes on their website.

pillsbury sugar cookie recipe

How Do You Make Pillsbury Sugar Cookies?

For our purposes here, we will be talking about making Crisco cookies from a box of Pillsbury brand biscuits.

However, this recipe can easily be adapted to any other type of biscuit dough or rolled cookie dough.

  • 1 cup (250 mL) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup (150 mL) brown sugar
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon (5 mL) vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 mL) baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons (8 mL) salt
  • 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated white sugar

Note: If your biscuits come in individual packages, you may need more than one package of biscuits, depending on how many people you want to feed.

What Are The Ingredients For Pillsbury Sugar Cookies?

Pillsbury makes two types of sugar cookies: regular and light.

They both have different ingredient lists, so we’ll go over each one separately.

  • Regular Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Recipe Ingredients
  • Light Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Recipe Ingredients

Ingredients for Regular Pillsbury Sugar Cookies

  • 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 11/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

Ingredients for Light Pillsbury Sugar Cookies

  • 1 cup (228g) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup (56g) canola or olive oil
  • 13/4 cups (150g) powdered sugar
  • 1 large egg white
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed into 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

If you want to keep things simple, you could substitute all of these items in their respective recipes, but if you like a bit more variety, there are some additional options available!

While this may sound crazy, don’t be afraid to experiment.

You never know what kind of results you might get when mixing up your own dough.

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How Long Does It Take To Make Pillsbury Sugar Cookies?

You can find recipes online for making your own sugar cookies from scratch, but you might be surprised at how fast these store-bought treats come together.

Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Mix comes in three varieties — chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and peanut butter.

To make any one of them, all you need is 1 cup (250 mL) of mix, plus water or milk, depending on what type you choose.

You also need an egg white, which adds structure to the dough.

If you want to add more flavor, you can stir in some vanilla extract or even cinnamon.

A teaspoon (5 mL) of baking soda helps give the cookies their signature crunch.

If you have time, you can let the dough rest overnight before rolling it out and cutting shapes.

But if you don’t have the luxury of doing so, there are still ways to speed up the process.

For example, you could use a food processor instead of mixing by hand, or grate the dough after letting it sit for a while.

Making homemade sugar cookies

The best way to get ahead when making sugar cookies is to start early.

That means prepping everything well before you actually begin baking.

Store-bought mixes usually require little additional preparation beyond adding water or other liquids.

However, if you’re going to try something different, like grating the cookies yourself, then read this article first.

First, prepare the eggs and the dry ingredients.

A standard 12-ounce (375 mL) jar of powdered sugar will do just fine for this step.

Then whisk until smooth, and set aside.

Next, melt the sticks of butter over medium heat.

When the mixture starts bubbling, remove the pan from the stovetop and pour half of the melted butter into another bowl.

Add 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of the flour to the remaining butter and whisk it until no lumps remain.

Pour this mixture back into the pan, then continue stirring until the entire amount of flour is incorporated.

Repeat with the second batch of butter and flour, then return both mixtures to the pan.

Once combined, bring the liquid to a full boil and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow the batter to cool slightly.

Finally, sift the powdered sugar through a wire strainer, and transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

Now that you know the steps involved in making sugar cookies, here’s how long each part takes to complete:

  • Prepare the eggs and dry ingredients: 5 minutes
  • Melt the butter and combine the two batches of flour: 10 minutes
  • Boil the liquid and combine the two batches of flour: 3 minutes
  • Sift the powdered sugar through a strainer: 5 minutes

Once you’ve got everything measured out and ready to go, it’s time to bake!

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

Set aside.

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What Is The Nutritional Value Of A Pillsbury Sugar Cookie?

Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Recipe Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (250 mL) powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1/8 teaspoon almond extract

You will also need 2 1/4 cups flour and ½ cup rolled oats.

What Is The History Of Pillsbury Sugar Cookies?

Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Mix was first sold in 1929 as part of an advertising campaign to promote the company’s new frozen food line.

In the 1930s, it became so popular that Pillsbury developed its own factory dedicated solely to making this product.

By the 1950s, Pillsbury had become one of America’s largest producers of packaged foods.

By the 1960s, however, the popularity of the product began declining, and sales dropped by more than half.

As part of a strategy to rebrand and relaunch their product, Pillsbury decided to create a new version of its famous sugar cookie mix.

They launched the new brand—called Pillsbury Easy Bake Oven Ready To Cook (RTC) Sugar Cookie Mix—in 1969.

Today, the brand continues to be a favorite among consumers who want quick and easy baked goods.

You can purchase Pillsbury RTC products at Walmart, Target, Kroger, Amazon, and other major retailers nationwide.

How Many Calories Are In A Pillsbury Sugar Cookie?

Pillsbury makes two varieties of sugar cookies: Sugar Cookie Original and Sugar Cookie Dark Chocolate Chip. You can find both at grocery stores nationwide. But how much does each one contain? Let’s compare them to see what you should expect from these popular treats.

Sugar Cookie Original

  • Calories per serving: 95
  • Fat grams per serving: 7.5
  • Carbs per serving: 15

Sugar Cookie Dark Chocolate Chip

  • Calories per serving: 120
  • Fat grams per serving: 10
  • Carbs per serving: 20

As you can see, there isn’t too much difference between the two.

They have similar calorie counts and fat content.

However, when it comes to carbs, the dark chocolate chip variety packs more than twice as many servings (20 versus 15).

That extra fiber will help keep your blood sugar level steady throughout the day.

If you want to make sure you get enough nutrients in your cookies without having to worry about overdoing it on carbohydrates, try this whole wheat version of the traditional sugar cookie recipe instead.

What Are Some Variations Of Pillsbury Sugar Cookies?

There are lots of different varieties of sugar cookies out there.

Some people prefer soft, chewy sugar cookies while others like crispy ones.

There are also plain sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, honey graham crackers, ginger snaps, oatmeal raisin cookies, etc.

Pillsbury cookies fall into this category too.

You can buy them pre-made or make your own from scratch.

They come in two forms – rolled and cut.

  • Rolled Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Recipe (from Pillsbury): 2 cups flour 1/4 cup granulated sugar 3 tablespoons baking powder 4 teaspoons cream of tartar 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup shortening at room temperature 1 egg plus 1 tablespoon water mixed together until smooth. Mix all ingredients except shortening together on low speed to blend. Add shortening and mix well. Refrigerate for 15 minutes before rolling out on floured surface. Roll out to 1/8 inch thickness and cut shapes as desired. Bake according to package directions.
  • Cut Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Recipe: 2 ½ cups flour 1 ¼ cups packed brown sugar ½ cup unsalted butter melted & cooled 1 large egg beaten 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon almond extract 1½ teaspoons baking soda dissolved in ½ cup hot milk Mixed together on medium speed until blended. Drop by spoonful onto greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 12 to 14 minutes.

For more information on how to make these types of cookies, check out our guide here.

What Are Some Common Complaints About Pillsbury Sugar Cookies?

While most people love Crisco cookies (and really any kind of cookie), there are a few things you may not like about them.

For starters, if you try to make your own version at home, you may run into problems with the texture or taste.

You might also find it difficult to get the same crisp edges as you would from a homemade batch.

So what can we learn from these issues?

Well, first of all, when you eat one of those pre-made cookies, you aren’t actually eating the ingredients listed on the package—you’re eating whatever happens to be in the bag!

That means the product could have been sitting around for weeks before being sold to you.

In other words, don’t expect perfection every time you bite into a pill-shaped treat.

Another thing to consider is how long the ingredient list will stay accurate.

If you read the label and see that a certain additive was used, then chances are good that it will still be present after months or years of storage.

So while you may think you bought an absolutely perfect set of cookies, the reality is that you only had access to the best ones available during the manufacturing process.

How Do I Store Pillsbury Sugar Cookies?

You can keep your homemade sugar cookies in an airtight container up to two weeks or freeze them for several months.

However, it’s best to eat these treats as soon as possible after baking them—freshly baked cookies will taste better than stale ones.

If you need a last minute treat, try freezing some of the dough in small balls (about 1 tablespoon) before rolling into logs.

You can then slice off pieces when ready to serve.

Just be sure not to overbake the cookies at this point.

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Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Recipe

The classic, easy-to-make sugar cookie recipe has been around since the 1800s.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Recipe
Servings: 4
Calories: 1241kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Oven

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup softened butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions

  • Set oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Hand cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. One by one, add the eggs. Include vanilla.
  • Add salt, baking soda, and flour.
  • Drop heaping tablespoons of mixture onto an ungreased baking sheet. Include sprinkles (optional).
  • Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are barely beginning to brown. Before removing from cookie sheet, allow to cool.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 1241kcal | Carbohydrates: 190g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 204mg | Sodium: 887mg | Potassium: 150mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 119g | Vitamin A: 1537IU | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 5mg
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