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
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
Hi i love this recipe i have made a few batches now and they have turned out great.
I was just wondering could I use this to make a big cookie 1? Thankyou
Hi C, You can use this recipe for one large cookie! The bake time will be longer so just use your oven light to keep an eye on it and be sure to let it cool completely before trying to move it so that it doesn’t break. Hope it turns out well for you!
Which butter do I use there’s a lot of them but with different taste I just wanted to see which one was best
Hi Linda, you’ll want to make sure you’re using sticks of unsalted butter (not spreadable butter found in small containers). They typically come in packages of four sticks (2 cups) of butter and can be found with the other dairy products at your local grocery store. Hope this helps!
Hi Linda. Just a fellow baker chiming in here. I find that there is a difference in butters. I much prefer European butter for baking because it has a lower moisture content, and because it has a more distinct flavor. My fave is Kerrygold, but unless you get it on sale it’s kinda pricey. Other good ones are Plugra and President. Your local stores may have other brands as well. Just make sure you choose sweet (unsalted) butter. BTW, if you go with President, be sure to note that a bar is 7oz, not the 8oz that we usually expect to find. Good luck!
Can you use powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar?
These cookies are great! I’ve made them four times now for birthday parties and they are always a hit! Thank you, Sally!
Is it possible to make this recipe with cake/ pastry flour instead of all purpose?
Another perfect recipe. Easy and I love the almond extract too!
Sally,
These are the best sugar cookies…hands down. I made onesies for a shower, bunny’s for Easter and now donuts for my granddaughters 1st birthday. Thanks for all the tips and hints.
I’ve used this recipe for a while and the taste is amazing but I always have spreading issues. Any suggestions? Thanks!!!
Hi Liz, happy to help! Make sure the cookie dough is sufficiently chilled. There is plenty of flour to soak up the butter, so over-spreading shouldn’t be an issue unless the dough is not chilled OR the dough is rolled too thin. Make sure you keep it on the thicker side.
Thank you for your quick response! Now I’m puzzled- I always chill it overnight, weigh my flour and roll 3/8”. Does baking powder go “bad” or do you think that could be something to consider?
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. Here’s more on room temperature butter. 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.
I feel like I owe you commission lol! I have been using this recipe for my bakery and decorated cookies. The only change I make is lemon extract instead of almond, most of my clients never know if someone has a nut allergy. My children’s school also have a strict no tree nut policy. Thank you so much for making this recipes! I wouldn’t be so successful without it.
Hi!! I made these cookies for the first time today and they a little dry. I followed the recipe. Any suggestions why they might be dry? This is my first time at trying sugar cookies.
Hi Beth, Too much of your dry ingredients could dry out your cookies. Be sure to use the “spoon & level” method. Do not scoop the flour out of the container/bag with your measuring cup because you could end up with 50% more than you need (or weigh!). Also be sure not to over-bake the cookies!
Love this recipe. It’s my go-to!
I want a bake a double batch. Can I just double the recipe? Or do I need to make 2 single batches?
Hi Kieran, you can double this recipe. So glad you enjoy it!
I know I left a comment a few months back, but I just can’t help myself.
Sally, I would LOVE to meet you. You are , by far, the best baker in the world!
I have tried out at least a dozen different sugar cookie recipes, for cutouts, and yours is MY favorite by far! Yours is the only one I will use from here on out. No joke. They bake up beautifully, the taste is even. Meaning, it’s sweet and savory which leaves no aftertaste, and there’s a slight crunch to the texture. I’m in love!!
I bake them up, freeze them and practice my royal icing writing and decorating. I’m getting there! Thank you Sally! Your the best!
Wish I could leave a photo..
I’ve been using this recipe for almost a year now, but today I realised there is a step where it needs to refrigerated for 1-2 hours before putting into the oven. Is this step crucial? Love from Australia
As always Sally your recipe and clear instructions have never failed me – THE BEST sugar cookies, and so much fun to ice!
I love these cookies, but I have no idea how you get 24 out of one batch. I make these exactly per the directions, using a 3” cutter and 1/4” thick, and I get barely 14 out of one batch. And I use every scrap!
Hi Teresa, so glad you enjoy these. Depending on the shape, I suppose some cookie cutters just require more dough than others. I’ve been making these consistently for about 7 years now, honestly must be over 200x at this point, and it’s always closer to 2 dozen using every single scrap of dough. Sorry for the issue. This cookie recipe doubles easily if you ever need more cookies.
It’s ok! Not really an issue—I do double it. I was just curious!
These really are SO good though…I’ve used this recipe exclusively for graduation orders I have done & they always get raves!
How many days on average do they last without freezing??
Hi Amanda, 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.
Hi Sally, I followed your instructions step by step as I never baked these cookies before. And I am so happy with the result. The texture is so perfect and love that they are not too sweet. Thank you so much, this recipe is a Keeper!
Probably a dumb question, but could you frost these with buttercream?
Everything I have made from your site is wonderful. These and your browned butter chocolate chip cookies are just amazing. Thank you.
I can wait to try this out this Friday for a friend! I’m going to seperate the dough and colour to make a marble effect! I also want to try this recipe with a shot of instant coffee to flavour!
This recipe is so similar to the one I remember doing with my Nan. Unfortunately can’t get the recipe.
hi sally, i was just wondering if brown sugar could replace white sugar? or would it change the texture?
Hi Nikie, Unfortunately brown sugar will not work in this particular recipe as it is much too soft. You might be interested in these Chewy Brown Sugar Cookies instead.
I have made these several times and everyone LOVES them! I’m making them again for my mom who is in a nursing home. Every time she gets them she comments on how good they are and my grandchildren eat them very quickly, one after another! I find them very easy to make and I like rolling the dough out and then refrigerating it. So much easier than my traditional recipe that came from my mom! Thank you for such a great recipe!!
I’ve used this recipe to make cookies for every occasion. I like trying out different flavors. The cookies are also easier than I thought to prepare. Thank you, Sally!
Hi, this recipe is so easy to make and the cookies turns out really very well every time. Just wondering if I cover the cookies with fondant for how long can they last? Both at room temperature and in the refrigerator or the freezer?
Thank you!
Hi Aash, we don’t decorate with fondant, but it’s usually best practice to keep fondant goods at room temperature. So, the cookies with fondant should last well for up to 5 days at room temperature. If you’re going to refrigerate or freeze the cookies, we’d recommend adding the fondant after they’ve been brought to room temperature and right before serving, if possible. Hope this helps!
This is the only sugar cookie recipe I use so I felt like I should write a review after using it for over 2 years. It’s a great recipe and I’ve always gotten rave reviews. A few notes- I mix everything in my stand mixer and I don’t roll out the dough before I put it in the fridge since I don’t have enough space. Some good flavor combos I’ve found are lemon cookies with lavender or rose icing (I use the actual flowers), spice cookies (cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg) with orange icing, and the traditional vanilla and almond cookie with almond icing. If you’re worried about the cookies puffing up, I’ve never had an issue but you can use a fork to make holes since they’ll be covered by icing. A plus recipe!
I did not enjoy these at all the dough itself was dry and hard to work with… I tried a different recipe and it’s way better
Pretty disappointing because i always usually look at your recipes and love them but not this time..
Hi Sally, just want to say that this recipe is so good!! I made it twice and you can never get enough of these cookies! They are perfect fo any occasion. Also all your recipes are really good, love that!!
Hi, is there anyway to make this recipe without eggs? Thank you!
Hi Payal, we haven’t tested an egg-free version of this recipe, but let us know if you do!
How do you measure your cookies? I made this recipe and the cookies themselves were great. However, I used a rolling pin to get 1/4 inch thickness as suggested and I only got 20 cookies that are less than 3 inches in diameter. Very disappointed in the number of cookies it made based on what the recipe yeild states. And yes, I used all the scraps, there was no dough left over.
Can I use a cookie stamp with this recipe? At what step would I use the stamp so that the design doesn’t disappear after baking?
Hi Joyce, If you stamp the cookie dough, then chill the stamped cookie dough shapes right before baking– they’ll definitely hold their shape. We suggest chilling the shaped cookies for 1 hour prior to baking. We’ve used this recipe to make stamped cookies before and they came out beautifully!
Hi
I was wondering should I put the cookies straight into the oven after chilling them in the fridge for an hour? Or take them out a few minutes earlier and then put it in the oven?
Hey, I do not have lemon extract but would love to make this recipe with a lemon flavor. I’m planning on rubbing the sugar with some lemon zest to incorporate a stronger lemon flavor. Since I don’t have extract, can I add lemon juice instead? If so, how much? Also, would it be weird to add almond extract along with the lemon zest sugar? Love this recipe, used it many times in the past!
Hi TJ, you can certainly try with lemon juice — start with the same amount as you would with the extract. It won’t be as strong, but you don’t want to add too much extra liquid to the dough. You can also add a tablespoon of lemon zest to the dough for a stronger flavor. We don’t typically leave the almond flavoring in with the lemon version, but if you enjoy those flavors together, you can!
Ms. Sally (or anyone who has the answer),
How would you recommend making chocolate cookies using this recipe? Like, how much flour would you take out and substitute for cocoa powder?
Blessings,
Sophie Foster
Hi Sophie, we actually have a Chocolate Sugar Cookies recipe for just that — we’d recommend following that recipe instead!
Ms. Lexi,
Thank you! That was extremely helpful. I also appreciate how quick your response was.
Blessing,
Sophie Foster
Can these be made gluten free? If so, would it be 1:1 substitute with KA gluten free flour? These are delicious, and I want to make some for a friend who can’t have gluten.
Hi Meredith, we haven’t personally tried it, but many readers have reported success using 1:1 gluten free flour substitutes. If you give it a try, we’d love to know how it goes!