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.
These are my favorite sugar cookies with icing. I shared the recipe on Sally’s Baking Addiction several years ago and published them in my cookbook as well. 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 7-8 ingredients. With so little ingredients, it’s important that you follow the recipe closely. Creamed butter and sugar provide the base of the cookie dough. Egg is the cookie’s 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! Flour is an obvious addition, 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 make chocolate sugar cookies too!
- 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 or just under 1/4 inch thick. If you have difficulty evenly rolling out dough, 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 shape. Chill the rolled out cookie dough for at least 1-2 hours and 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 12 minutes.
- Decorate. See my suggested icings below.
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 above.
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.) Don’t chill the cookie dough and then try to roll it out because it will be too cold and difficult to work with. I 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. Pick it up, put it on a baking sheet, and place it in the refrigerator. If you don’t have enough room for two baking sheets in your refrigerator, stack the pieces of rolled out dough on top of each other.
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 TWO 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 1-2 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 awhile. 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.
The pictured hearts 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 I do with my 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 you can see this full 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 Stars
- 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.
PrintSoft Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours, 45 minutes (includes cooling)
- 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.
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 (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 or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional, but makes the flavor outstanding)*
For Decorating
- Royal Icing or Easy Glaze Icing (royal icing is pictured)
- Assorted sprinkles
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. 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 completely smooth and creamy, about 2 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 up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Dough will be a bit soft. If the dough seems too soft and sticky for rolling, add 1 more Tablespoon of flour.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Place each portion onto a piece of lightly floured parchment paper or a lightly floured silicone baking mat. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use 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 doughs with flour. Place a piece of parchment on top. (This prevents sticking.) Place the 2nd rolled-out dough on top. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours and up to 2 days.
- Once chilled, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Carefully remove the top dough piece from the refrigerator. If it’s sticking to the bottom, run your hand under it to help remove it—see me do this in the video below. Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Repeat with 2nd piece of dough. (Note: It doesn’t seem like a lot of dough, but you get a lot of cookies from the dough scraps you re-roll.)
- Arrange cookies on baking sheets 3 inches apart. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. If your oven has hot spots, rotate the baking sheet halfway through bake time. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
- Decorate the cooled cookies with royal icing or easy cookie icing. Feel free to tint either icing 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 stick 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 for sending. Plain or decorated cookies stay soft for about 5 days when covered tightly at room temperature. For longer storage, cover and refrigerate for up to 10 days.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Plain or decorated sugar cookies freeze well up to 3 months. Wait for the icing to set completely before layering between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-friendly container. To thaw, thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. You can also freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months before rolling it out. Prepare the dough through step 3, divide in half, flatten both halves into a disk as we do with pie crust, wrap each in plastic wrap, then freeze. To thaw, thaw the disks in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature for about 1 hour. Roll out the dough as directed in step 4, then chill rolled out dough in the refrigerator for 45 minutes – 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 it’s quickly and evenly mixed into the cookie dough.
- Flavors: I love flavoring this cookie dough with 1/2 teaspoon almond extract as listed in the ingredients above. For lighter flavor, use 1/4 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 or my easy cookie icing. See post above to read about the differences.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Hi Sally. Could I easily double this recipe, or should I make two separate batches?
Doubling works wonderfully– I do it all the time when I need a larger batch.
This were the best sugar cookies I’ve ever had I didn’t refrigerate them cause I didn’t have time to but they were AWESOME
I love Sally’s baking addiction and have made countless recipes from her website. I have particularly made this recipe over 20 times and they come out perfect every single time. They are a real crowd please and so so easy to make. Thank you Sally!!
Hi sally! I understand if you cannot respond to my comment but I was wondering if you could give me any advice on how to make these lemon flavored? I have a request for that flavor.
Thanks!
Hi Maddie, See recipe note #3 about adding flavors. Enjoy!
Long time cookie baker and this is my favorite sugar cookie ever!
Can this dough be colored using gel or some other coloring, and if so, could you recommend type, amount of coloring and where in the process it should be added?
Thanks!
You can! I recommend gel food coloring instead of liquid since you won’t have to add as much for brighter colors. How much you add depends on the shade of the color you wish to achieve. You can add it in step 3. Enjoy!
So good!
Thank you sally! My first attempt on sugar cookies and they came out great. However, my dough was very oily. I mean VERY! They even bleeds out the dough. I had to add couple of tbs of flour and even blot it with some paper towels. What did i do wrong? I also used 1/2 tsp of almond extract and it came out too strong for my liking. Will definitely reduce it next time. Please advise!
Hi MaryJane, Be sure that your butter (real butter, not margarine) is room temperature and not too soft. Here is what room temperature butter means. You can definitely use only 1/4 tsp of the almond extract next time!
You’re right. I made my second batch: It’s hot and humid here, so I only put the butter 10 mins in my kitchen counter and use it straightaway. I also use cold egg. They were less greasy but still looks grainy. And they were crumbly because of the grainy dough. However, if i knead and roll again the scraps, they were almost smooth and looks like the one you’ve made. Should I knead the dough to make it smooth? Thank you for replying me 🙂
It’s simple to make and really holds it’s shape. I baked it a bit longer because people from my culture likes drier cookies and it was almost finished before the next batch came out of the oven. It’s sooooo delicious that it’s addictive. My first success baking sugar cookies, I’ll definitely make lots of dough and store it for when guests come over☺️☺️. Thanks a might, Sally!
So far they look good, I’m pretty sure I won’t get a response before I put them in the oven, but what temperature do I bake them at, haha?
I think that’s a good idea. maybe use a larger mixer for the flour mixer so you don’t have a flour explosion (:
Hi! Just wondering what you could substitute for almond extract, would almond essence or emulsion be ok?
Hi Ash, You can simply leave it out if you wish. Or take a look at your bottle, if it says imitation extract/essence then it can be used 1:1 or it will say that it is a concentrated form of pure extract in which case you want to use a smaller amount.
I am a regular sugar cookie maker, and actually do it as a side profession, so needless to say I’ve gone through my fair share of recipes… and I’m just here to say; THESE ARE THE BEST. This has been my go-to recipe every time since I’ve found it. They hold their shape, bake evenly, and stay flat for beautifully decorating. The texture and flavor are great, not to mention stays soft for days. I always get compliments on how delicious they are.
To anyone making these for the first time, definitely read through the notes and tips, it really makes a world of difference, and your life easier.
Thank you so much Sally!
Delicious cookies and easy-to-follow directions. Thank you for the recipe AND the video!
Hi Sally! My husband gushed over these cookies, saying twice (not once) “These are the best cookies you have ever made”. And he’s not a gushing kind of guy! My only problem was that after being decorated, the cookies became quite soft (which is a good thing!) but—they began to easily crack and became fragile. So my recommendation would be if you’re going to make these the day before an event (as I did) definitely store them in one single layer so they have less chance of breaking. But, the cookies and your royal icing recipe was a win-win!
Thanks again!
Will these work with a buttercream? Or is it more like a “christmas” cookie? If I do it with a buttercream with it kind of be like a lofthouse style cookie? Pls respond, I hope to make these with a strawberry buttercream today!
Hi Anna, these sugar cookies would be wonderful topped with buttercream! You could also try my soft & cakey sugar cookies.
tysm! Just made them, came out wonderful!
Hi Sally! I love your soft sugar cookie recipe! It is my go to! Do you have any suggestions for substituting the sugar with Stevia Granulated white sweetener? I have never baked with artificial sweetener so I was wondering ho wit will effect this cookie recipe. Thanks!
Hi Melissa, I have not tried this recipe with a sugar substitute so I’m unsure of the results. Let me know if you try it!
Hi Sally,
Thank you so much for this recipe! My kids love it! I like the texture and the sweetness is just right.
I just have one question, what can I substitue meringue powder with and what would be the measurement?
Hi Valerie, Meringue powder takes the place of raw egg whites, which is found in some royal icing recipes. I don’t have a recipe using egg whites but I do have an easy glaze icing you can use instead.
AMAZING!! My first time making sugar cookies and I didn’t regret it
We made these with Dairy-Free butter and they turned out great!
My cookies puffed up and lost their shape 🙁 Any tips to prevent that?
Hi Brooke, Make sure you are rolling your cookie dough out and then chilling it! It’s important for the dough to be very cold when going into the oven so that it holds it’s shape.
I must tell you that I make these cookies for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Spring and Fall. Decorating accordingly: trees, hearts, butterflies and leaves. Everyone loves them! Some get sprinkles only, some get icing and sprinkles. It is my favorite sugar cookie recipe with its soft chewiness!
This recipe was AMAZING !! I did have a problem though when I took the cookies out the oven and let them cool. They tend to harden quickly is there a way I can prevent this from happening?
This is the best sugar cookie recipe I have used for cutouts. They turned out beautifully – the perfect amount of crunch and softness.
I made these! Omg they are soooooo good!!!!! Thank you! i used refined coconut oil instead of butter. does it effect the taste?
These look super cute!
Love this recipe!!! Thank you so much
I would like to ask should you cover cookies setting with royal icing and can they sit overnight on the table to complete dry thank you again God bless stay safe
I don’t comment often. I love Sally’s recipes and this is my go to sugar cookie recipe and this time I used her frosting recipe also and my cookies taste and look amazing. If I could post a picture of the cookies I would. Keep up the great work on these recipes.
Perfect! The cookies held their shape without spreading. Also, the taste is spot on, love the almond extract. I followed your recipe exactly. Thanks for another winner!
I have made these before and they are so good! I have such a craving for them now but all I could find at the store in these strange times is Sugar in the Raw. Can I sub in Sugar in the Raw for the granulated sugar? How bad will it be?!
Hi Kristen! So glad you enjoy these sugar cookies. Sugar in the Raw won’t cream into a smooth and creamy texture like finer granulated sugar. The cookies may spread more as a result.
Wonderful recipe! So do the cookies still have a soft/fresh taste to them once they are frozen? I was wanting to make them ahead for my daughters birthday and just wanted to get some feedback.