With crisp edges, thick centers, and room for lots of decorating icing, I know you’ll love these soft cut-out sugar cookies. Use your favorite cookie cutters and try my classic royal icing.
Originally published on my website in 2014, this recipe is a massive fan favorite. You’ll also find the recipe in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
This is my flagship recipe for cut-out sugar cookies. I’ve made them at least 38577 times (imagine all the butter), so I figured it’s time to share new recipe tips, a video tutorial, and more helpful information.
Why You’ll Love These Sugar Cookies
- Soft, thick centers with slightly crisp edges
- Irresistible buttery vanilla flavor
- Leave plain or flavor with extras like maple, cinnamon, and more
- Hold their shape
- Flat surface for decorating
- Stay soft for days
- Freeze beautifully
Sugar Cookies Video Tutorial
Overview: How to Make Sugar Cookies with Icing
- Make cookie dough. You only need 7 or 8 ingredients. With so few ingredients, it’s important that you follow the recipe closely. Creamed butter and sugar provide the base of the cookie dough. Flour and egg give the cookies structure, and vanilla extract adds flavor. I almost always add a touch of almond extract for additional flavor and highly recommend that you try it too! Baking powder adds lift, and salt balances the sweet. So many *little ingredients* doing *big jobs* to create a perfect cookie. By the way, I also have a recipe for chocolate sugar cookies!
- Divide in two pieces. Smaller sections of dough are easier to roll out.
- Roll out cookie dough. Roll it out to 1/4 inch thick. If you have difficulty rolling out dough evenly, try this adjustable rolling pin. Speaking from experienceโit’s incredibly handy!
- Chill rolled-out cookie dough. Without chilling, these cookie cutter sugar cookies won’t hold their shapes. Chill the rolled-out cookie dough for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
- Cut into shapes. If you need suggestions for cookie cutters, I love Ann Clark brand. (Not sponsored, just a genuine fan!) Some of my favorites include this heart set, dog bone, snowflake, snowman, leaf, and a pumpkin. I also use and recommend these heart cookie cutters.
- Bake & cool. Depending on size, the cookies take about 11โ12 minutes.
- Decorate. See my suggested icings below. I also have a tutorial on how to decorate sugar cookies with even more helpful decorating tips.
Have a little flour nearby when you’re rolling out the cookie dough. Keep your work surface, hands, and rolling pin lightly floured. This is a relatively soft dough.
The Trick Is the Order of Steps
Notice how I roll out the dough BEFORE chilling it in the refrigerator? Thatโs my trick and you can see me doing it in the video tutorial in this post.
Let me explain why I do this. Just like when you’re making chocolate chip cookies, to prevent the cookies from over-spreading, the cookie dough must chill in the refrigerator. Roll out the dough right after you prepare it, then chill the rolled-out dough. (At this point the dough is too soft to cut into shapes.) If you chill the cookie dough and then try to roll it out, it will be too cold and difficult to work with.
I also divide the dough in half before rolling it out, and highly recommend you do the same. Smaller sections of dough are simply more manageable.
Another trick! Roll out the cookie dough directly on a silicone baking mat or parchment paper so you can easily transfer it to the refrigerator. (Parchment paper will slide around on your counter, so I always place a piece of parchment paper on top of a silicone baking mat to roll the dough without slippage.)
Pick up the sheet of parchment with the rolled-out dough on top, transfer it to a baking sheet, and place it in the refrigerator. You don’t need to make room for two baking sheets in your refrigeratorโsimply stack the pieces of rolled-out dough on top of each other, with the parchment paper in between.
How Thick Do I Roll Sugar Cookies?
These sugar cookies remain soft because they’re rolled out pretty thick. Roll out the cookie dough to about 1/4 inch thick or just under 1/4 inch thick. Yes, this is on the thicker side and yes, this produces extra thick and soft cookies. If rolling out cookie dough doesn’t sound appealing, try my drop sugar cookies instead.
Sugar Cookie Icing
I have 3 sugar cookie icing recipes, and you can choose whichever works best for you.
- Favorite Royal Icing: This royal icing is my preferred sugar cookie icing because it’s easy to use, dries within a couple of hours, and doesn’t taste like hardened cement. (It’s on the softer side!) I make it with meringue powder. Meringue powder takes the place of raw egg whites, which is found in traditional royal icing recipes. It eliminates the need for fresh eggs, but still provides the same consistency. You can find meringue powder in some baking aisles, most craft stores with a baking section, and online. The 8-ounce tub always lasts me a good while. The trickiest part is landing on the perfect royal icing consistency, but I provide a video in the royal icing recipe to help you.
- Easy Cookie Icing: This easy cookie icing is ideal for beginners. It’s easier to make than royal icing because you donโt need an electric mixer and the consistency won’t really make or break the outcome. However, it doesnโt provide the same sharp detail that royal icing decorations do. It also takes a good 24 hours to dry.
- Buttercream: This cookie decorating buttercream is also excellent for beginners. You can tint it any color you like, flavor it, and spread it on with a knife or use piping tips. It soft-sets after a few hours, meaning you can carefully stack the cookies for storage.
The pictured heart-shaped cookies are decorated with my royal icing using Wilton piping tip #4. If you’re not into piping tips, you can simply dunk the tops of the cookies into the icing, like we do with these mini animal cracker cookies. ๐
Sugar Cookie Tips & Tools
Before I leave you with the recipe, let me suggest some useful sugar cookie tools. These are the exact products I use and trust in my own kitchen:
- Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer)
- Baking Sheets
- Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Sheets
- Rolling Pin or this Adjustable Rolling Pin
- Food Coloring: Liquid food coloring can alter the consistency of the icing, so I recommend gel food coloring. For the pictured cookies, I used a few drops of dusty rose and 1 drop of sky blue. This Americolor Soft Gel Paste Color Kit is great to have if you do a lot of decorating and want to have a variety of colors on hand.
- Piping Tips/Squeeze Bottle: If you’re using royal icing, I recommend Wilton piping tip #4 for outlining and flooding. This is a wonderful basic piping tip to have in your collection. If you’re using my easy glaze icing, I recommend using a squeeze bottle.
- Piping Bag: If you’re using royal icing and a piping tip, you need a disposable piping bag or reusable piping bag.
- Couplers: Couplers are handy if you have multiple colors of icing and only 1 tip, and need to move the tip to the other bags of icing.
- Cookie Cutters: I like this heart-shaped cookie cutter, but you can use any shape you desire!
For even more recommendations, see this complete list of my favorite cookie decorating supplies.
Here’s What You Can Do With This Dough
- Christmas Sugar Cookies
- Striped Fudge Cookie Sandwiches
- Snowman Cookies
- Cinnamon Roll Cookies
- Stained Glass Window Cookies
- Valentine’s Day Cookies
- Maple Cinnamon Cut-Out Cookies
- St. Patrick’s Day Cookies
- Easter Cookies
- Fireworks Cookies
- Watermelon Sugar Cookies
And if you’re craving sugar cookies with a little extra tang, try my cream cheese cut-out cookies with Nutella glaze.
Print
Soft Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours (including chilling)
- Yield: 24 3-4 inch cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
With crisp edges, thick centers, and room for lots of decorating icing, I know you’ll love these soft sugar cookies as much as I do. The number of cookies this recipe yields depends on the size of the cookie cutter you use. If you’d like to make dozens of cookies for a large crowd, double the recipe. This recipe is also in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flourย (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed for rolling and work surface
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional, but makes the flavor outstanding)*
For Decorating
- Royal Icing, Easy Glaze Icing, or Cookie Buttercream (royal icing is pictured)
- Assorted sprinkles
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until the mixture is light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract (if using) and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. The dough should be soft. If it seems too soft and sticky for rolling, beat in 1 more Tablespoon of flour.
- Divide the dough in half. Place each portion on a piece of lightly floured parchment paper or a lightly floured silicone baking mat. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use a bit more flour if the dough seems too sticky. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly 1/4 inch thick.
- Lightly dust one of the rolled-out dough portions with flour. (This prevents sticking.) Place the second rolled-out dough portion, still on the parchment paper, on top of the first. Cover the dough tightly andย refrigerate it for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Carefully remove the top piece of dough from the refrigerator. If it’s sticking to the bottom, run your hand under it to help remove it. Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes. Gather the scraps, reroll, and continue cutting until all the dough is used. (Note: It doesn’t seem like a lot of dough, but you get a lot of cookies from the dough scraps you reroll.) Repeat with the second piece of dough. Arrange the cookies 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 11โ12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are very lightly browned and set. If your oven has hot spots, rotate the baking sheets halfway through bake time. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before decorating.
- Decorate the cooled cookies with royal icing, easy cookie icing, or cookie decorating buttercream. Feel free to tint any of the icings with gel food coloring. See post above for recommended decorating tools. No need to cover the decorated cookies as you wait for the icing to set. If it’s helpful, decorate the cookies directly on a baking sheet so you can place the entire baking sheet in the refrigerator to help speed up the icing setting.
- Enjoy cookies right away or wait until the icing sets to serve them. Once the icing has set, these cookies are great for gifting or shipping. Store plain or iced cookies covered tightly at room temperature for up to 5 days. For longer storage, cover and refrigerate for up to 10 days. If decorated with cookie buttercream, cover and store decorated cookies at room temperature for up to 1 day, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Plain or decorated sugar cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Wait for the icing to set completely before layering between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-safe container. To thaw, thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. You can also freeze the cookie dough (before rolling it out) for up to 3 months. Prepare the dough through step 2, divide in half, flatten each half into a disc (like we do with pie crust), wrap each disc in plastic wrap, place both wrapped discs in a freezer-safe container, and freeze. Thaw the wrapped discs in the refrigerator overnight, then bring to room temperature for about 1 hour. Roll out the dough as directed in step 4, then chill the rolled-out dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour before cutting into shapes and baking.
- Special Toolsย (affiliate links):ย Electric Mixer (Handheldย orย Stand Mixer) |ย Baking Sheetsย |ย Silicone Baking Matsย orย Parchment Paperย |ย Wooden Rolling Pin or Adjustable Rolling Pinย |ย Heart-Shaped Cookie Cutterย |ย Americolor Soft Gel Paste Color Kit | Piping Bags (Disposableย orย Reusable) | Couplersย |ย Wilton Tip #4 | Squeeze Bottle
- Room Temperature: Room-temperature butter is essential. If the dough is too sticky, your butter may have been too soft. Room-temperature butter is actually cool to the touch. Room-temperature egg is preferred so that it mixes quickly and evenly into the cookie dough.
- Flavors:ย I love flavoring this cookie dough with 1/4 teaspoon almond extract as listed in the ingredients above. For more flavor, use 1/2 teaspoon. Instead of the almond extract, try using 1 teaspoon of maple extract, coconut extract, lemon extract, or peppermint extract. Or add 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon. If using lemon extract, you can also add 1 Tablespoon lemon zest.
- Icing: Use royal icing, easy cookie icing, or cookie decorating buttercream. See post above to read about the differences.
- Can I Double the Recipe? Yes. Double all of the ingredients and divide the dough into 3 or 4 portions in step 3.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Can you please tell me the essential tools Iโll need to make decorated cookies. I have some things from yrs ago but I know I need more.
Iโd appreciate it! TY
Hi Donna, we have an entire post with our Top Recommended Cookie Decorating Supplies. Hope this helps. Happy baking!
Cookies are soft, chewy, and delicious. Definitely have that delicious buttery vanilla crumb that the recipe mentions. Way tastier than the bricks you usually bite into when you eat a sugar cookie. My only disappointment was that they didn’t bake with that smooth, uniform finish I wanted in order to decorate. The tops of the cookies aren’t smooth and even, if that makes sense? I’m using these for a cookie decoration activity, so I’m a bit bummed. I’m absolutely positive it’s my fault – it’s definitely something I did, not the recipe – so I’m still rating the recipe 5 stars. Bravo! Definitely trying again.
Love these cookies! I had some trouble this time though. In step 6, stacking the rolled out dough to chill 2 hrs failed miserably for me and I needed to re-roll and begin again as it came apart in pieces (both stuck to the paper, despite flouring). I wonder if my parchment paper is no good? Itโs the only new thing in this attempt.
A little more flour will help for next time!
Will do – thanks! Happy New Year!
Every Year My mom and I look for a an excellent cookie recipe, until this year we never found one for sugar cookies that did not turn hard shortly after decorating and definitely not a week later, until now. Its been a week and we just finished our last cookie and it is still as soft as the day we made them.
Thank you for publishing such great recipes!
Delicious recipe!
This is the most easiest and the best recipe for sugar cookies. Instructions were easy to follow especially for a first timer. Love it.
Super easy to make , I didnโt put them in the fridge and they still turned out great! Just rolled the batter little by little on a non stick parchment paper with a lil flour on the rolling pin and worked great!
I made 2 giant cookies: a snowman and a Christmas tree. I received a lot of compliments from friends regarding the taste ode of the cookie; they said it was great. My decorating of the snowman was iffy, as I had never decorated a cookie like that before. However, the Christmas tree looked excellent.
OMG!! Sally as soon as I made these and tryed eating them omg they were delicious I really love your baking and how all your ingredients that are mixed together turns out
Thank you!! Your the !BEST!
The best sugar cookies I have ever had! I did the recipe using grams, which I had never done before and they turned out amazing. I have never had so many compliments on my cookies before!
These truly are the best sugar cookies! For years I have stayed away from making sugar cookies because I never got them right, but Sally gave me the confidence to try again. They came out perfect and the royal icing is delicious without being overly sweet. Already planning on making these cookies for the next holiday!
These are a winner! I have made sugar cookies for Christmas for the last 5 years, despite having plenty of people in my life telling me โIโm not a huge fan of sugar cookiesโ. But this year Sallyโs sugar cookies with buttercream frosting had my most difficult to please guests coming back for seconds and thirds! I was even asked for the recipe. The almond extract really makes the difference with these. And after years of trial and error Iโve come to find style is not better than substance โ royal icing be damned, a basic buttercream wins out every time!
Perfect cookie recipe. Easy and very simple to decorate. Our first year making them and won’t be our last!
Fantastic recipe and very easy to follow like all of Sally’s recipes are. The dough doubled easily! This is definitely my new go to sugar cookie recipe.
The family’s Christmas favorite! We use your royal icing recipe, too. The texture is always so soft and like Sally says, very easy to handle when rolled out on parchment or the baking mat.
This is an excellent sugar cookie recipe. This one will be part of my regular rotation.
This is my favorite recipe! Iโve made it at least 2x a year since 2022. Iโve seen others comment about the dough being dry, but Iโve always found it to be moist, soft, and delicious! Iโve found it helpful to make sure the butter is soft and let it cream well with the sugar to incorporate a lot of air before moving onto next steps. I also cover it in parchment or plastic in the fridge when cooling.
For the Sallyโs team – thank you for a great recipe! Iโm wondering if there are any substitutions that could allow me to make this recipe without butter? I have a family member who is lactose intolerant and Iโd love to try a dairy free version based on this recipe as we love it so much!
Hi Liz, we havenโt tested plant-based butter ourselves, but several readers have reported doing so with success. Your results may be different, but let us know if you give it a try!
This was the worst recipe. Literally so dry, couldnโt even roll the cookies out. It just crumbled everywhere. Just threw away the dough. Youโre better off just buying a tube of premade dough cause you are wasting your time and ingredients with this recipe
Then youโre not doing it right.
Because you but it in the fridge too long and you are supposed to cut the shapes first
Super Fun and easy to make also delicious. (and Meg you just put the dough in the fridge too long)
We make this recipe every year for Christmas – works great!
First cookie recipe that holds it shape when I use my snowflake cookie cutters. Nice and soft and no crisp edges.
Coming back to leave another 5* review because they are that good. My kid’s teacher said I should open a bakery! Mine definitely don’t come out pretty enough to sell but I thought I would pass along the compliment.
Tip: follow the recipe to the letter, weigh your ingredients, use an oven thermometer, and don’t skip the optional almond extract. It gives them that something special that makes them outrageously good. It was always my mom’s secret cookie ingredient and no one could figure out why her cookies were so much better than everyone else’s.
I used this wonderful sugar cookie recipe to make Christmas tree cookies
for my churchโs Christmas Eve service. They turned out excellent! The tips I followed and it was great. I love the idea about rolling the dough and dividing them in two and leaving them on the parchment paperand after they have chilled then you cut them.
My daughterโs partner is allergic to eggs. I substituted the large egg with 1/4 cup of club soda. The cookies held their shape and tasted wonderful!
The flavor of these cookies is absolutely delicious . The chocolate cut out cookies are as equally delicious.
I have made this recipe in the past and I always have an issue with the cookie spreading. Not sure what I am doing wrong. Any suggestions ?
I did place cut out cookies in the freezer to chill them before baking
Thanks.
Hi Katharine, so glad you enjoy these cookies! Here are our best tips to prevent cookies from spreading. Hope it helps for your next batch!
Worst recipe ever!
I know itโs not popular, but is there a trick to get the cookies to have more of a snap and be harder like the ones individually wrapped hand decorated that are sold at Target and HEBโฆ
Hi DP, you could try adding an extra minute or two to the bake time. Hope this does the trick!
Back again for the holiday stand by best cookie recipe!
I love this recipe, but every time I make it I end up adding an extra egg because the dough is so dry it wonโt stick together. I havenโt seen any other comments of anyone experiencing the same thing. Iโm spooning the flour and everything but not sure what Iโm doing wrongโฆ?
Hi Alannah, we wonder if the dough hasn’t been mixed enough? If you are spooning and leveling your flour (here’s more on how to properly measure baking ingredients), then it shouldn’t be an issue of too much flour in the dough. Or is your butter a bit too cold, preventing it from properly creaming with the sugar? Here’s more on how to cream butter and sugar, which is an important step for this particular recipe. If you find the dough is still too dry, try to keep working it together with your hands. It should come together with the warmth from your hands. We hope this helps!
These cookies are truly amazing!! I’ve used it 10+ times and it’s never failed me. Absolutely amazing cookies everytime.
Great cookies! Crispy and not too sweet – smooth and easy to decorate.
Hi can I freeze the dough for a couple days until I am ready to bake them? Or do they need to be baked the day I make the cookie dough?
Hi Julie, yes you can. See the recipe Notes for freezing instructions.