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 experience—it’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 11–12 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? That’s 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 refrigerator—simply 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 don’t need an electric mixer and the consistency won’t really make or break the outcome. However, it doesn’t 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. 🙂
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 flour (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 and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). 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 11–12 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 Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Wooden Rolling Pin or Adjustable Rolling Pin | Heart-Shaped Cookie Cutter | Americolor Soft Gel Paste Color Kit | Piping Bags (Disposable or Reusable) | Couplers | 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: 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
I would like to add ube to this recipe. Can you advise me on how much and what other adjustments… Like no vanilla or almond extract? I hate to leave those out.
Hi Lucinda, we haven’t tested this recipe with ube, so unfortunately we can’t offer much advice on how to do so without trying it first ourselves. You may want to search for other recipes to see how they incorporate it. If you decide to do any experimenting, please do let us know how it goes!
How long can the frosting sit at room temperature? And will it harden if I put it into small sauce containers? I’d like to make cookie decorating kits for my daughter’s classroom.
Hi Yen, are you talking about the royal icing or the cookie decorating buttercream or the easy glaze icing?
All three please
Hi Yen, here are those three recipes for you (each will have storage instructions): royal icing, easy cookie icing, cookie decorating buttercream.
I’ve noticed none of the recipes state whether or not you are using a convection (fan) oven. Can you confirm? I’m not sure whether to use the fan function but at a lower temperature, or stick to a non-fan setting.
Hi Fanella! We always recommend conventional settings for baking (not convection/fan). The flow of air from convection heat can cause baked goods to rise and bake unevenly and it also pulls moisture out of the oven. If you do use convection/fan settings for baking, lower your temperature by 25 degrees F and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake.
Delicious that’s the only word delicious
Delicious that’s all delicious
Could I add sprinkles to the dough? I’ve got some Halloween sprinkles and cookie cutters I’d like to use. I made several batches of these last holiday season and they were amazing!
Hi Brittany, you can definitely add sprinkles to this dough before rolling it out. So glad you love these sugar cookies!
Hi! I plan to make these, and your chocolate sugar cookies, for a Halloween event. However, I am making a bunch and don’t want to do royal icing or anything that takes a long time to set up. Do you have a glaze recipe I can drizzle over these? Something similar to the drizzle on your maple brown sugar cookies (one of my faves, BTW)? And if I’m asking, something I can flavor with different extracts? TIA!!
Hi Jennifer! We would recommend our easy cookie icing, although it does take 24 hours to fully set. If you do just a very thin layer/drizzle, it may set a bit faster.
I made these for my friends and they said it was absolutely scrumptious!
If I forgot to cover the dough while it was chilling over night is it okay? I sprinkled it with a bit of water and covered it again in hopes it will reverse being dried out.
Hi Riley! It should be fine, it may have taken on some of the “fridge flavors” from other things in your fridge, but we can’t say for sure!
Would these taste good as is or must you frost them? I want to use them for Coraline button cookies.
They taste great without icing!
Great recipe, easy to follow!
Has the oven temp always been 350? For some reason I’ve been doing 325 because I’m positive it was 325 at one point.
Hi Ashley! These cookies have always been baked at 350 degrees. We find it to be just right for this particular recipe, however you can certainly bake at a lower temperature, keeping in mind that it will take a few minutes longer for the cookies to bake through.
I absolutely love this recipe! I add 1 teaspoon of cardamom powder, and it gives it such an earthy, delicious flavor.
Hi, out of curiosity, why roll out the dough before putting into the fridge? Could I not just seran wrap the dough and chill, and roll out afterwards?
This is my go-to sugar cookie recipe ! Can I add cocoa powder to make a chocolate version ?
These are fantastic sugar cookies! Follow everything she details and you’ll have success.. We even used the royal icing and it was our first time! Excellent instructions. Thanks Sally!
This is the second time I’ve made these cookies! The first time I used buttercream and the second time I followed your royal icing recipe recommended for these and I have to say, the royal icing was so much better. You’re right, it isn’t too hard at all and compliments the cookie so well. I made a batch and stacked them in a box to take to my sister in a different state. They were amazing. So addictive. I will use this recipe forever. Also, I didn’t make a single adjustment and I followed along exactly and everything turned out as described.
Hi, I was wondering if this recipe can be made with brown butter. Would using it affect the structure or texture of the cookies?
Should work well, S.M!
Thank u so much for the recipe I used it to make a pillbury dupe of the pumpkin sugar cookies and they came out perfect
Can I make just the dough and let it sit out for a few hours, and then refrigerate it for the two hours afterwards? Will the dough be ruined??
Thank you for this recipe! I’ve never made cookie icing/glaze before? Which one did you use for the picture and which would you recommend I use?
Hi Christina, The pictured cookies were made with royal icing. You can read more details about each option, and what they are best for, in this post How to Decorate Sugar Cookies.
I wanted to trust the process of this recipe but that didn’t end well. I’ve worked in a bakery before but couldn’t for the life of me remember the recipe for the sugar cookies and this had decent reviews but after following it to the dot, the so-called dough came out like cake batter. After cooking they simply fell apart. Would not recommend at all.
Your explanation is easy to understand. This motivates me to keep learning. It? rare to find such clear writing online.
can I use brown sugar instead of white?
Here’s our brown sugar cut-out sugar cookies, jj!
thank you!
Does the icing hold up? Can I stack, put in a bag without it getting everywhere?
They look so good!
How many cookies does the recipe make?
Hi Teva, this will yield 24 3-4 inch cookies
My cookies expanded and misshaped whilst baking. Had very high hope but will have to try another recipe
Hi V, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. Make sure you’re starting with room temperature butter – it’s much cooler than most think and can have a big impact on cookies spreading. The best tip is to make sure your dough is cold going in the oven. If it’s getting warm while cutting out the shapes, just place your cut out cookies back in the refrigerator before baking. Also, if your oven has hot spots, rotate your cookie sheet about half way through bake time to promote more even baking. Hope these tips help for next time!
Any suggestions for packaging/mailing to college student
Hi Penny, here’s everything you need to know about how to ship cookies.
Has anyone ever used egg replacer instead of an egg? I’m going to try it today and see.
Hi Stacey, We haven’t tested these cookies with an egg substitute, but there are many out there you could try. Please report back with your results if you try something!
I’ve made them without egg, I used aquafaba for structure
I used Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer and it worked fine
Delicious! I made these for baby shower party favors, dipped in white chocolate with freeze dried strawberries on top. The cookie holds it’s shape well but is soft when you bite into it. I might possibly add a tad more salt next time, but otherwise they worked like a charm. Thank you!
Made these for a grandson’s birthday party and they were a hit. These will definitely be made again and again and again. Everybody loved them. I iced them with Sally’s Royal Icing recipe and it worked perfectly. I have never iced cookies before, but always wanted to try it.
EASY very delicious Sugar Cookies
Best advice on rolling, then refrigerating !!
Will always now do that.
Yummy
Make some today. ‘!!
I love this recipe! I’ve been using it for years! Thinking of trying it as one large cookie sheet cake. Have you tried this? And does it hold up well?
Hi Britni, we can’t see why not! Depending on the size of your pan and if you want it to be a little softer, you could also use the sugar cookie crust from this Fruit Pizza.