These easy Sugar Cookies come together quickly using basic ingredients and yield perfect results, every time!
Sugar Cookies are a favorite because of their mild, unassuming flavor.
This Sugar Cookie recipe is simple, timeless, and classic, just like the cookie itself. The beauty of the sugar cookie is its simplicity; there isn’t an ingredient in them to dislike. Don’t love chocolate, nuts, fruit? No problem! You won’t find any of those in a basic sugar cookie – but the recipe is so versatile you can add them to mix it up.
Sugar cookies are one of the easiest cookies to customize for any occasion or holiday like these Christmas Sugar Cookies or Bomb Pop 4th of July Cookies. They’re simple enough for kids to decorate by themselves at a school party, but they can be dressed up for an elegant affair with icing, sugar crystals and embellishments.
These are not cutout sugar cookies – they’re too soft for that! They’re packed full of sweet, buttery flavor and can be dropped, pressed or iced. The options are endless, but the result is the same. An amazing sugar cookie, every time!
If you’re looking for other fool-proof cookies that are pretty to share, try my Cinnamon Cookies or Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies. They are both so simple to make, and the results are just so good!
Table of Contents
About These Sugar Cookies
- Basic Pantry Ingredients
- Simple, No-Chill Recipe
- Versatile
- Customizable
- Perfect for Any Occasion
What Makes Soft Sugar Cookies
These sugar cookies are pillowy soft with a delicate crumb. When dropped, they rise to perfection and look so beautiful in all their simplicity. They’re not too thin, not too thick, and keep incredibly well.
2 Leavening Agents
The combination of baking soda and cream of tartar make this bakery style sugar cookie incredibly soft.
Creaming Butter and Sugars
The creaming technique also gives these cookies their soft texture. When you cream butter and sugar together, it aerates the mixture, creating volume. The result is irresistible! For the softest sugar cookies, I use all white granulated sugar. You can substitute a couple tablespoons of it with brown sugar for a hint of caramel flavor and deeper color.
Properly Measuring Flour
If you add too much flour, the cookies will become dry and hard. It’s best to sift flour for the softest cookies. You need just enough to support the moisture from the butter, eggs and vanilla.
Don’t Overbake
When you overbake cookies, they become chewy and hard. It’s not only important to make sure you don’t bake them too long inside the oven, but when they’re removed as well.
Cookies are done when the edges are just set and not yet golden in color. It’s essential to allow cookies to cool 1 minute on a cookie sheet to fully set and then transfer to a wire baking rack. Air circulates around and under the cookies to properly cool.
Cookies continue to bake on a hot cookie sheet when removed from the oven. If you don’t transfer them, the bottoms will overbake and become crunchy.
Tools You Need
- Sifter – For sifting flour to keep it light
- Mixer – Stand or handheld
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Rubber spatula
- Baking sheet
- Parchment Paper – For easy clean up
- Optional: Medium Cookie Scoop – The best way to keep your cookies the same size, but you can also use a spoon
- Optional: Drinking Glass – To lightly press tops of cookies before baking
Sugar Cookie Ingredients
- Flour – Sifted for light, fluffy cookies. Learn more about Baking Measurements here, including how to measure flour.
- Salt – Even sweet cookies need a touch of salt for the perfect flavor. Omit if using salted butter.
- Baking Soda – The leavening agent that helps these cookies rise. Read this post about baking soda vs baking powder to learn how leavening agents work.
- Cream of Tartar – A secondary leavening agent that has a mild, tangy flavor.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter for the best flavor. Soften to room temperature before creaming to get the perfect bake.
- Sugar – White granulated sugar sweetens to perfection while offering a little texture.
- Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract will give you the best possible flavor.
- Eggs – 2 large eggs give the dough moisture and help bind ingredients together.
Variations
- Extract – Use almond, orange, or lemon extract to change the flavor profile.
- Brown Sugar – Substitute 2 tablespoons of white granulated sugar with brown sugar for a hint of caramel flavor and color.
Overview | How to Make Sugar Cookies
The full printable recipe is below
- Prep – Preheat oven and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine Dry Ingredients – Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar for an even rise. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar – Cream until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, to aerate and create a perfect texture.
- Add Vanilla and Eggs – Stir until just combined.
- Combine – Gradually fold dry mixture into wet mixture. Fold gently and evenly to maintain light, fluffy texture.
- Make Dough Balls – Use cookie scoop or teaspoon to make 1 1/4″ dough balls for pretty, consistent cookie size. Drop onto cookie sheet.
- Bake – Bake until just set, about 8 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
These cookies are so versatile! You can drop, press or ice!
Drop Method
The drop method is exactly what it sounds like – just form the dough into 1¼” balls and drop them onto a cookie sheet! It’s easier than rolling out the dough and cutting it into shapes, and you’ll end up with delicious round sugar cookies, perfect for decorating.
The key to this method is making sure your dough balls are all the same size so cookies bake evenly. Using a medium cookie scoop works best, but you can use a spoon to scoop out the dough as well.
Pressed Method
- Drop 1¼” balls of dough onto a cookie sheet.
- Fill a small bowl with sugar.
- Dip the bottom of a drinking glass into the sugar, then lightly press it into the top of a cookie dough ball, pressing until the cookie is slightly flattened.
- Repeat for each cookie.
This method will give you flatter, level cookies. The sprinkling of sugar on top is the perfect amount of extra sweetness, and crunch especially if you don’t plan to frost or ice your cookies after baking.
Iced Method
Sugar cookies are known for their delicious and beautiful icing! To ice sugar cookies, first bake your cookies and allow them to cool completely. (Please note these are not cutout sugar cookies). You can use the pressed or drop method for your iced sugar cookies. It’s completely up to you.
These cookies are suitable for delicious buttercream or fluffy cream cheese icing! Anything you can spread on! Bonus points for adding a few sprinkles!
How to Decorate Classic Sugar Cookies
- Use white granulated sugar (with pressed method) for a light glow.
- Use sparkling sugar (with pressed method) for crunch. Clear adds a little sparkle while red and green are perfect for Christmas, pink for Valentine’s Day and an assortment of pastels for Easter.
- Use non-pareils (round sprinkles).
- Ice with buttercream and writing icing to make snowmen, add hearts, etc.
- Fold sprinkles into the dough just before baking.
Tips
- Use softened butter – Room temperature butter is essential for no chill doughs because while you want the cookies to spread, you don’t want them to be flat, a result of melted butter.
- Use pure vanilla – This is the main flavor in these cookies, and you want it to stand out. Pure vanilla is always better than imitation!
- Don’t over mix – Blend until just combined.
- Use a cookie scoop – A medium-sized cookie scoop will give you the most uniformly shaped and sized cookies. This isn’t just for looks. The cookies need to be the same size so they can all bake at the same rate.
- Don’t overbake – These sugar cookies are supposed to be soft. Remember that cookies will continue to bake a bit even after they’re removed from the oven.
To Store
- At Room Temperature – Bring to room temperature. Store in an airtight container up to 5 days. Should cookies become hard or crunchy, add a slice of bread. The cookies will absorb the moisture and become soft again.
- Freeze – Bring to room temperature. Store stacked in an airtight container and place in a freezer bag to prevent odors from seeping in. Store up to 6 months frozen. Bring to room temperature to enjoy.
Sugar cookie dough is chilled when you have cut out shapes and want them to keep their shape, without spreading. These cookies are round and are designed to spread and rise a little, so they don’t need to be chilled.
If you don’t plan on frosting or icing your cookie, you can dip the dough into sprinkles or sugar (or use the press method above). Bake as directed and the sugar or sprinkles are baked right into the cookie. If you are icing or frosting your cookie, you can add sprinkles or sugar on top of the icing or frosting before it sets.
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More Easy Cookie Recipes
- Funfetti Cookies
- Marshmallow Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- New Year’s Cookies
- Bomb Pop 4th of July Cookies
- Champagne Cookies
- Cookies n Cream Cookies
Classic Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 4½ cups all purpose flour, sifted
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 cups unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk flour, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar to combine. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add vanilla and eggs. Mix until just combined.
- Gradually fold dry mixture into wet mixture.
- Scoop or roll into 1¼” balls (medium cookie scoop). Drop onto cookie sheet. Optional: press a glass into sugar and press each cookie.
- Bake 8 minutes. Allow to cool 1 minute. Transfer to cooling rack.
Notes
Tips
- Don’t over mix
- Use a cookie scoop for consistent size and shape
- Don’t overbake
Decorations and Variations
- Use white granulated sugar, sparkling sugar or non-pareils to press.
- Top with buttercream and use writing icing.
- Fold sprinkles into the dough just before baking.
- Use almond, orange, or lemon extract to change the flavor profile.
- Substitute 2 tablespoons of white granulated sugar with brown sugar for a hint of caramel flavor and color.
To Store
- At Room Temperature – Bring to room temperature. Store in an airtight container up to 5 days. Should cookies become hard or crunchy, add a slice of bread. The cookies will absorb the moisture and become soft again.
- Freeze – Bring to room temperature. Store stacked in an airtight container and place in a freezer bag to prevent odors from seeping in. Store up to 6 months frozen. Bring to room temperature to enjoy.
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