This easy sugar cookie recipe is made with basic ingredients and is easy to roll out to make cut-out sugar cookies of any shape. They bake up soft and chewy, and are perfect for decorating for any occasion.
Hi hi! I am just popping in to share this super easy recipe for sugar cookies! I have been meaning to put a cut-out sugar cookie recipe on my site for forever, and this year I finally got around to developing what is, to me, the best sugar cookie recipe. These are a great holiday cookie recipe, but you can make sugar cookie dough any time of year, and cut it out any shape you want - just a good, solid, versatile sugar cookie.
These sugar cookies are the perfect vehicle for all sorts of things - whether you finish them with a simple cookie icing and some sprinkles as I did here, or get fancy with your favourite royal icing, these make the perfect base sugar cookie to use for every occasion.
If you would like a bar version of this recipe, my sugar cookie bars are also so good.
I am PICKY when it comes to cookie recipes, but I LOVE this one.
I hadn't gotten around to posting an easy roll out sugar cookie recipe here on my site for a long time because I am picky. I feel like there are so many recipes out there on the internet for homemade sugar cookies, in order to add mine to the lineup, it had to be incredibly well tested and be exactly what I wanted it to be, which is:
- Super easy to make. I don't mind having a chill time in a sugar cookie recipe, but I want the rest of the process to be simple and not too fussy. I developed this recipe so you roll the dough straight out after you make it, and it chills between two pieces of parchment paper, all ready to cut out.
- Tastes delicious. This was a difficult balance between getting something that was as close in taste to a buttery shortbread recipe as possible, while still being easy to work with. The key is to add lots of vanilla and use a high quality butter.
- Texture. I wanted a soft sugar cookie recipe with a good amount of chew - something that's not too crisp, but can also stand up to a good cookie icing. These sugar cookies have just a teeny bit of baking powder in them to help with the texture.
- Easy to make ahead. Often sugar cookies are made for a special occasion, so I wanted to make a recipe that was super easy to make ahead of time - you can break up the workload for this easy sugar cookie recipe over a few days if you like, and make the actual assembled cookies themselves up to a few days in advance.
This recipe is perfect for a freezer stash
The great thing about this easy sugar cookie recipe is that it is able to be prepared in advance. There are a couple of ways to break up the workload for these cookies if you would like!
- Make the sugar cookie dough ahead of time. Sugar cookie dough can be made and stored in the fridge in parchment paper for up to three days before you cut out the dough and bake.
- Store the cut-outs in the freezer. Once you have cut out the shapes, you can flash freeze them and store in the freezer, then bake from frozen. See more on this in my how to make sugar cookie dough post.
- Make the cookies in advance and store at room temperature. The baked sugar cookies will store up to a week at room temperature in an airtight container, so they can easily be made ahead.
- Freeze the baked cookies. If you want to freeze the baked cookies themselves, you can also do this - I personally prefer them freshly baked, but you can freeze them if you like!
How to get super clean cuts on cookies.
Sugar cookie dough can be a little finicky to work with, but the best way to mitigate this is to chill your dough. Rolling out the dough while it is warm means that it is easy to roll out, and easy to get a nice even thickness, but then chilling it down means that you get a nice sharp cut out on your cookies.
As you are cutting out the cookies, if your dough starts to warm up too much or is too hard to work with as it is soft, just pop it back in the fridge for 10 minutes or into the freezer for 5 minutes to let it firm up, then remove it and keep cutting.
The best cookie cutters for a nice clean finish!
You can use whatever cookie cutter you like to cut out these easy sugar cookies. I have a set of round cookie cutters which I like to use (they are also the same set that I use to scoot my chocolate chip cookie recipes)
This sugar cookie recipe works with all kinds of cookie cutters - keeping the dough cold means it works well for more detailed designs too.
Cookie Decoration Ideas
There are many ways to finish off sugar cookies - you can use your favourite royal icing recipe, drizzle them with melted chocolate, or use a super simple sugar cookie icing - mine has two ingredients and is great for when you've run out of steam, or you just want something simple and delicious to decorate your sugar cookies with.
My sugar cookie icing is just that - a quick stir together icing that dries solid and is great for an easy decorating option if you can't quite muster the energy for royal icing! It is also amazing for decorating cookies with kids.
I decorated these cookies a few ways - covering some fully in sprinkles by covering the surface of the cookie with icing and then dipping in sprinkles, or piping an edge of icing then sprinkling, and decorating a few using a piping bag and the easy icing recipe.
Basically you do you here!
❤️ Made this recipe and love it? ❤️
I would LOVE for you to leave me a review and star rating below to let me know how you liked it! Also, please make sure to tag me on Instagram!
Answers to your baking questions
Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:
- baking in grams
- adjusting oven temperatures
- what kind of salt to use
- and many more!
I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!
How to make Easy Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 20 servings 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This easy sugar cookie recipe is made with basic ingredients and is easy to roll out to make cut-out sugar cookies of any shape. They bake up soft and chewy, and are perfect for decorating for any occasion.
Ingredients
- 170g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 180g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg (50g not including shell), at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 310g All-Purpose Flour
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 3g (1 tsp) kosher salt (see notes above recipe for using other salt)
Instructions
- Place the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream together on medium high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, stopping to scrape down the edges a few times to ensure the mixture is fully combined. This step can also be done in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer.
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix well to combine.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Flour the top lightly and pat gently into a rectangle shape with your hands.
- Top with a second piece of parchment paper, and roll to a thickness of 0.25" / 6mm.
- Transfer the dough, still between the two pieces of parchment paper, to a sheet pan. Chill in the fridge for at least two hours to allow the dough to firm up, and up to three days ahead.
- When you are ready to bake the sugar cookies, preheat the oven to 325°f /165°c with a rack arranged in the middle of the oven. Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove the top sheet of parchment paper from the cookie dough. Cut out shapes of your choice using the cutters of your choice, and arrange on the prepared baking sheets, leaving a little room for spreading and arranging by size if you are using multiple sizes of cutters - small cut out sugar cookies together and larger ones together etc.
- Once you have cut out your cookies, place the baking sheets with the cut out dough on them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to firm up slightly.
- Re-roll scraps of dough by pressing them together, flouring lightly, then rolling the dough out between two sheets of parchment again. Chill or freeze for 10-15 minutes before cutting out more cookies.
- Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes, until they are set around the edges and just beginning to go golden. Different sized cookies may need more or less time depending on their size, so check after 12 minutes for doneness.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Notes
If you only have salted butter, that is fine, just omit the salt from the recipe.
For more notes on making sugar cookie dough, including how to add sprinkles to the dough, see my post - how to make sugar cookie dough.
For icing suggestions, see my post on sugar cookie icing
Can you freeze sugar cookies?
Yes - if you want to freeze the baked sugar cookies, layer the cooled cookies with parchment paper in an airtight container, then freeze for up to three months. Defrost at room temperature before eating. If you want to freeze before baking, freeze the cookies on a baking sheet to preserve their shape then transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. As the recipe already has you freeze the cookies there is no need to alter the baking time or temp - just bake as directed.
Flavor variations for Homemade Sugar Cookies
The great thing about this sugar cookie recipe is that it is super versatile - you can mix and match as you like! I covered a bunch of flavour variations in my post on how to make cookie dough, including how to make a funfetti version of these sugar cookies.
How do you roll out sugar cookie dough?
I roll out my sugar cookie dough between two pieces of parchment paper. I use pre-cut paper (16.5" x 12.25" / 42x32cm), and the dough, rolled to the correct thickness, should almost fill the space between the two sheets.
I also use rolling pin guides, which are silicone strips which lay down either side of the dough and the rolling pin presses down onto them to help the dough be rolled to an even thickness.
Can I re roll the scraps?
Yes, you can press the scraps of the sugar cookie dough together after cutting and re-roll. However, be aware that the more you work the dough and add extra flour, the tougher it will be and you may not get a nice neat surface. I like to use small cutters to cut out little pieces of dough to make the most out of each roll out - they make very good snacks!
Using cookie stamps / printed cookie cutters
I tried this during the recipe testing process, and it works super well - you just have to make sure that the dough is well chilled (make sure you give it the full 2 hours chill time called for in the recipe).
You can then cut out using your cookie stamps as you would with a regular cutter. Make sure that you dust them lightly in flour and the dough is nice and cold. The key to keeping the pattern in the cookie is to make sure that it is super solid and frozen when you bake them - I would give them at least 30 minutes in the freezer before baking.
I used snowflake cutters and some super cute christmas cutters, along with some really cute patterned plunger cutters which gave a cookie shape but with a really cute top on it. I have also done a valentine's version using these heart shaped cookie cutters. I went for a really easy option with the stamped cookies and gave them a simple glaze made with 150g powdered sugar and 35g lemon juice. I let the cookies stand for 5 minutes when they came out of the oven, then painted them with the glaze and left them to cool and set. It's a super easy way to make really cute but easy cookies.
Comments
Shannon B. says
Either I used too much flour or the dough was very crumbly. I didn't have a large enough cookie sheet to transfer the single layer of dough without it breaking, so I chilled it for two hours as is, and found this to be an even more thin, difficult cookie dough than my normal holiday cut out dough. This dough made very thin, almost shortbread-like cookies.
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! Hmmm sounds like something went wrong as they definitely shouldn't be crumbly, sounds as if you also rolled it out a little too thin. Did you make the recipe by weight?
Sarah says
Love this recipe! Easy. Consistent. Delish! Great for the kids to decorate with royal icing
EmtudoDreamer says
Is there a secret ingredient or technique that can take these basic sugar cookies to the next level and make them truly unforgettable?
Erin Clarkson says
Nope they are just sugar cookies - don't make them if you don't want to 🙂
Katelyn Baquero says
Forgot to mention that I made these by hand without a mixer because I don’t have one and they turned out just fine.
Alicia says
I tripled the recipe to make a large batch for a group cookie decorating activity and they were a hit! Perfect for decorating and so tasty. I cut them with shapes and stored in the freezer until it was time to bake. They came out wonderfully. Best recipe I’ve used. Thank you! 😊
Julia says
Perfect recipe for decorating Christmas cookies! A hit with kids and adults alike. Perfectly sweet with a soft but sturdy texture. Yum!
LL says
This is my go to simple sugar cookie recipe. Easy to make. Doesn't create a ton of dishes. I always have the ingredients in my pantry.
AG says
I made these for the holidays and they were amazing! followed the recipe exactly. LOVE the tip about rolling when soft and then chilling. Not too sweet and held their shape great! Making them again for my kid's birthday party this weekend.
Liv says
Another unforgettable, next level recipe from Erin. Mixed these by hand, still turned out perfectly. The notes on chilling were very helpful. Great lil recipe to have up your sleeve (or in your freezer) to easily impress friends.
Krissie says
Yum these are really delish! I’ve never made sugar cookies before because I couldn’t be bothered icing them, but I added sprinkles to the dough instead (as you’ve suggested) and the kids absolutely loved them, and I really enjoyed the vanilla flavour of them too. I used a DF butter (as my 2 year old is DF) Naturli, and they turned out really nice. Thanks heaps for sharing your wonderful recipes
Bronwyn says
Babysitting hero! Super quick cookie recipe that allowed me to make the dough ahead of time, chill and take with me for my neice and nephew to go rough making all the shapes they wished!
Thank you for the tip of popping them back in the freezer before baking. They kept their shape so well. The kiddos and I then had a blast icing them, including some terrible colour mixing to the horror of my perfectionism.
Thank you again for a solid recipe 🥰
Scarlett says
I have made these sugar cookies probably a dozen times now and they are the best. I go a bit harder on the vanilla than the receipe calls for but they turn out perfectly every time and I always get people raving about how good they are and quite often people ask me what bakery I purchased them from and are always shocked when I tell them I have made them! I will not make a different sugar cookie recipe because these ones are just genuinely that good.
Carmen says
Best sugar cookies ever! Often sugar cookies are bland or boring but these are delicious even without icing. Half the batch never even made it to icing in our house! As long as you weigh the ingredients properly, I can't see why there would be any problems. I don't really bake and I had no trouble at all! Thank you for the effort you put into perfecting the recipe ❤️
Melissa says
So easy and yum! Made a 2x batch of these in the evening, into the fridge then cut out and baked fresh the next day. Perfect little treat for the Matariki weekend!
Charlotte Wyatt says
We love this recipe. My 3 year old loves using different shape cutters and decorating the cookies with lots of colours. I make a simple icing with: icing sugar+milk+food colouring.
It’s a good hour of entertainment. We have to make this recipe every week!