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
Can I substitute butter and use margarine?
Hi Chris, We don’t recommend it. Margarine is very different (made from oils) and has different baking properties. For the best results, stick to butter here.
I have to use a butter substitute due to a dairy allergy and they turn out fine! It does make the dough harder to work with though, so be prepared for that. I just chill the dough more often, so I chill then roll chill cut chill.
Really great cookie recipe: something between sugar cookie and shortbread. So easy, tastes great and a success every time
This is the first of Sally’s recipes I will not make again. First, the yield amount is completely off. I made a batch and a half (following the recipe precisely and rolling to 1/4″) and still only got 16, 3.75″ cookies. Secondly, these were much too soft/cake like for me. I guess the title should have warned me. I prefer a little crispier of a sugar cookie.
This recipe is fabulous. I made it at Christmas and they were perfect, and now I’m getting ready to make them for Valentine’s Day. I am not a fan of a super-crisp cutout sugar cookie, and this is the perfect amount of chewy without being soft an unable to hold up to decoration. I went even more simple with the glaze – literally just confectionary sugar and water, and dipped the cookies face down into the glaze. It sets fine in the fridge, or after a day or so out of it (at least in winter).
Hi! Thank you for all your tips in your blog. You are my go to when it comes to trying new recipes. I’ve made cookies using royal icing but the icing always comes out translucent and not white. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Eleni, Are you following the amounts for each ingredient in our royal icing? If it’s not white and is very thin then it sounds like you are simply using too much water. Add only a tablespoon at a time until you get the right consistency for you.
I really loved these! I usually have so much trouble rolling out cookies, find them a hassle. The chilling before cutting is brilliant and easy. My cookies turned out fantastic. I had a question, I really love the flavour of cream of tartar in my sugar cookies. If I add 1tsp do I risk ruining the recipe?
I’m glad you enjoyed these sugar cookies. We haven’t tested that addition, but you can try it!
I will try and let you know!!!! Thank you so much! Love this blog for all my baking needs.
This is my go to recipe for sugar cookies. Thank you for sharing. I followed the recipe exactly as is, and it turns out great every time. The cookies do retain their shape while baking. The cookies taste delicious even plain and undecorated. I love that the recipe uses simple ingredients.
LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! This is the ONLY sugar cookie recipe I use!!!
My grand daughter and I were cruising the internet for the perfect sugar cookie recipe and landed on yours. We had all of the ingredients on hand, so we gave them a try. They were perfect! The only step we skipped was chilling the dough.they still turned out perfect. We enjoyed an icy afternoon decorating these little gems. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
BEWARE THE YIELD AMOUNT……….My comment is not about the cookie itself. I love all of Sally’s recipes. I follow them to a T, and they always come out great. My only “head’s up” with this recipe, is the Yield of getting 24, 3-4″ cookies. Not a chance based on this recipe, as is. I actually did the recipe PLUS half, and it only yielded 16 heart shape cookies (a little less than 4″). I have a rolling pin that has markings that let you choose the size. I used 1/4″ as stated, so it isn’t like I made them too thick. The cookies came out great – but only made 16, using up all the scraps. So plan according if you are trying to make a lot.
Hi AnnB, exact yield can depend on the shape of the cookie cutters, too. For next time, this recipe can be easily doubled if you need more dough to work with. Hope you enjoy the cookies!
I have never made sugar cookies from scratch before, so am looking for a great receipe. Came across this one, but I have two questions.
1. Commenters are using butter cookie and sugar cookie interchangably. Which is it — is this a sugar cookie or butter cookie?
2. Do these cookies rise slightly when baked?
Thanks
This is a sugar cookie recipe! As long as you follow the order of the steps (roll then chill) and make sure your dough is cold going in the oven they will not rise and will hold their shapes beautifully. Let us know if you give this recipe a try!
How long can the dough be frozen for? I don’t want to cut my shapes or anything yet, just to have the dough on hand for when I need it? Also, whats the best way to store it frozen? Thanks!
Hi Janell! See recipe notes for detailed freezing instructions. Enjoy!
Hi Sally,
I have been using many of your recipes and all are wonderful and easy peasy.
I halved the sugar cookie recipe and the dough was not soft at all. Would you recommend any changes for halving the recipe?
Also, I blitzed the sugar in the mixer ..is that ok?
Thanks
Y
Hi Y, Do you mean that you added the sugar with all the rest of the ingredients at once? We do recommend following the steps and beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until completely smooth and creamy before adding the rest of the ingredients as this will create the base of your cookie dough.
How long do the cookies tend to last once made if kept at room temperature rather then freezing?
Hi Callum, Plain or decorated cookies stay soft for about 5 days when covered tightly at room temperature.
This is a solid recipe. A few mods that I make:
Adding dried lemon powder (to taste)
Adding vanilla bean paste.
I’m a professional baker and have these ingredients on hand, but if you don’t, the vanilla bean paste is totally worth the splurge in your kitchen. It really makes the difference in straightforward recipes like this one.
Everyone loves these cookies! But how do I keep from having the bottom of the cookies kinda fan out. I’d like for them to keep their shape more
Hi Victoria, the spread could be due to how soft the dough is when baking. One way to help is to chill the shaped cutouts before placing them in the oven. Also, be sure that they’re all the same thickness and that your butter isn’t too soft (here’s more on what room temperature butter really means). Hope this is helpful!
Cold dough. Once your shapes are cut and on your pan, refrigerate until the dough is cold. The cookies will keep their shape.
LOL do not try this with 100% wheat pastry flour, so not good… That said this recipe as stated is fantastic, pretty much my go to at this point.
This cookie recipe certainly deserves the title “best” sugar cookies. Nothing but compliments from all who gobble them up. Thank you Sally for sharing ❤️
This is such a great recipe! My daughters enjoyed decorating them too. I just ran out of vanilla and almond extract so I substituted with honey. I’ll make it as written next time.
Has anyone tried these with an egg substitute like aquafaba or applesauce? Open to other substitutes as well, but we can’t do egg. Thank you!
Lisa,
I run a bakery and we use a product call vegg to replace the eggs in our cakes and other recipes. It works like eggs and does not cause any inconsistencies in the products. I have tried just about all the other approaches and found that this product is the only thing that just works like an egg. Amazing.
I am using your sugar cookie recipe to make and decorate “unicorn” cut out cookies for my granddaughter’s 6th birthday. Do you have a recommendation for an edible gold icing I can use for decorating the “unicorn horn” ?
PS Your sugar cookie recipe is simply the BEST!
Hi Mary! We don’t have an edible gold icing to recommend, but I did use an edible gold paint recently that could be perfect for you – just paint it over white icing on the unicorn horn. Here’s the link on Amazon if you’re interested! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082DJXDZF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 A craft store may have something similar as well. Let us know what you try!
Oh my gosh. I have never made sugar cookies and my grandsons wanted to make them for Christmas. Now I’ve made them 3 times. They are amazing! Simple and everyone enjoyed them. Will always use this recipe. Thank you.
This is a nice soft butter cookie. I liked them without the icing.
Thank you for making this recipe! Its soooooo good! Def will make again for my mom-she loves sugar cookies
These are amazing! I am addicted and keep trying to come up with reasons to make them again… like maybe since Christmas is over I can make them for MLK day?! Also I used gluten-free flour “Measure for measure “ from King Arthur and these were astonishingly good and you would have never guessed they were gluten free! I promised my mom I would make her Valentine’s Day cookies when I visit February! I have a feeling I will find a reason to make these every month! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
I’ve made these cookies 3 times in the last year and they’ve come out perfect every time. The dough rolls out like a dream and they taste amazing. This is without doubt my go to sugar cookie recipe!
If I wanted to make this like a “twix sugar cookie” and add caramel and chocolate on top (rather than icing sugar) should I omit the almond extract? Or will it be a good addition still? Just worried if I mix the flavours it might taste odd
Hi Cat, that sounds delicious! You can certainly omit the almond extract. Let us know how they turn out!
I’ve tried several sugar cookie recipes and up til now ..I thought I had a favorite …but this recipe tops all I’ve tried! This is going to be my absolute go-to! It’s perfectly delicious and so easy, I made a batch and was rolled and in the fridge to chill in about 10 mins. I used the royal icing recipe for Xmas cookies. Now I’m going to make a batch with Sally’s lemon buttercream frosting..yuuuuuumm! Sally’s Baking Addiction keeps popping up .. top of the search list for several recipes I’ve been searching for. I’m addicted!
Can you use salted butter instead of unsalted?
Hi Jasmyne, If using salted butter you can reduce the added salt in the cookie dough from 1/4 teaspoon to 1/8 teaspoon. Happy baking!
Can you add ground almonds? And could you substitute granulated sugar for caster sugar
How do I cut this recipe down to two dozen cookies?
Hi Linda! The recipe as written makes about 24 (two dozen) 3-4 inch cookies. Happy baking!
Hi Sally, first time user of your baking recipes. I baked your soft baked sugar cookies, double batch, and they were gone within one day. They were so good. I’m going to try the chocolate icing as I make more today. Best I’ve ever had! Thank you so much
Hi Elizabeth, Thanks for sharing this. Enjoy and happy baking!
I loved this recipe it was less ingredients but much easier to work with than a stickier mix!
This recipe is outrageous! They were a huge hit with all my family. I even made some gluten free ones for my mom using a one to one gluten free flour and she loved them.
I’d like to know if I can use freeze dried fruit powder in this recipe. If so, how much do you recommend using? Thanks so much!