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
very yummy!! made with both almond extract and with out almond extract. loved the flavor with 🙂 my 4 year old was so excited to see pink butterfly cookies and blue flower cookies. Will be adding this to my favourite recipies! thanks.
I can’t rate it yet because I haven’t made them but I was wondering whether you had any suggestions if you don’t have a paddle attachment for your hand mixer? Thank you!
Hi Sophs! The regular beaters work just fine here.
Is there a difference between cutting out cookies before or after chilling?
Hi Annie! Yes, see the blog post above for details on the “why” behind our method.
Is there a difference in cutting your shapes before you chill or after?
Hi Annie, it’s best to wait and cut the shapes after the dough has chilled, because they will hold their shape better and be a bit easier to place/move on the silicone baking mat/parchment paper.
Do you recommend this recipe as a Slice ‘n’ Bake option for a Sugar Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich? Or is there a different sugar cookie recipe you’d recommend for an ice cream sandwich?
Hi Nicole, you can certainly use these baked cookies for cookie ice cream sandwiches. See how we do it in this cookie ice cream sandwich post (right above the recipe card)!
This cut out cookie recipe is THE BEST! I’ve made them many times in past, in fact have dough in fridge right now chilling to make stars for 4th of July. Very easy, fast to do. I always add almond extract but may try something different for fall, winter holidays. I usually get maybe dozen and half cookies if I’m using smaller cookie cutter. I’ve got about a six inch Easter egg cutter and only get about 12. Just make more dough if needed. Thank you for the great recipe.
I’ve always been intimidated by rolled out sugar cookies… I end up with blobs after a lot of hard work. But I carefully followed your advice to make 100 tooth-shaped cookies for my dad’s retirement party. They turned out so cute!! And people kept coming back for more despite being on a table with fancier cookies. Thank you!
I have made this recipe many times. It is delicious and a crowd pleaser.
However I never get the amount it says it makes. I have measured and my dough is just about a 1/4 inch thick, maybe a tad thicker, and I only was able to make 11- 4 inch cookies. Why would this be?
Hi AB, After you cut out your shapes with your cookie cutter, are you re-rolling the remaining dough and continuing to cut until all is used? Don’t discard any of those dough scraps!
Would I be able to double this recipe?
Hi Angela, this dough recipe doubles well as long your mixer can handle the added volume. Enjoy!
I use this recipe for all of my cookies and get so many compliments. Thank you.
I did these cookies yesterday for my daughter birthday and everyone loved them! I didn’t have enough time to decorate and put some icing but they were perfect like that. I keep this recipe with me . Thank you!
The flavor of this dough was so yummy buy I found the dough way too soft and unworkable, even after generously flouring rolling pin and baking mat, and chilling dough. My butter seemed to be the perfect room temp. Help!
Hi Laurie, how did you measure your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to measure; it sounds like if the cookie dough was still too soft (even with proper room temperature butter and chilling), that perhaps the flour was under measured. If the dough gets too warm as you’re working with it, feel free to stick it back in the refrigerator for a few minutes to help cool it again. Glad you enjoyed the flavor of these cookies!
Hi,
I am making sugar cookies for a special occasion, and would like to decorate with colored dough rather than icing. The dough would be divided into two parts – the first part would be rolled out for the base. The second part would be colored and piped in thin lines or rolled into small dots and flowers, added to the base, then all would be rolled and cut.
Can this recipe tolerate that amount of handling?
That shouldn’t be a problem at all. I’ve done something similar, and it wasn’t an issue. Piping the dough is difficult, but not impossible.
Hello! I’m needing to make about 500 cookies that are 3″ wide. How many cookies will the basic recipe make and what is the diameter of the cookie?
Hi Sabrina! This recipe yields about 24 3-4 inch cookies.
The sugar cookies tasted great and the recipe was easy to follow. The only problem I had was when I used the squeeze bottle instead of the piping bag. I squeezed the bottle too hard and the top came off while piping the cookies.
I’ve used this recipe before and it was great! Living in the UK I can’t remember which sugar I used but remember it confused me. Can I use caster sugar or do you mean normal granulated sugar (you’d put into a cup of tea?) thank you very much
Hi Gracie, we use regular granulated sugar, but caster sugar will work as well (same amount).
I love this recipe so much! I’m doing it for a Christening, but I’m doing 130 cookies. I m a home baker. The Christening is on the 17th of June but my customer wants them decorated on the 15th so she can pack them individually. Can I bake them and freeze them, or shall I freeze the rolled out dough in advance and bake them on the 14th of June? I would appreciate your help. Thank you in advance <3
Hi Maria, you can can freeze the plain or decorated cookies for up to three months. Or, you can freeze the dough and bake when ready. Either works, simply depends on how much work you want to do on the 14th. Hope this helps!
I have done this recipe before and the cookies have turned out great…
this time, my dough is really dry and crumbly 🙁
Do i need to start over or is there some way to remedy this situation?
Hi Paige, how are you measuring your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to ensure the flour is not over measured, which can dry out the dough. Unfortunately, it is probably best to start a new batch if the ingredients are already mixed together. Hope this helps!
I really want to bake these cookies, but my flour looks odd. Can flour mold? The flour looks softer than normal even though it is still white.
Hi Sheri! Yes, flour can get old. If it smells or looks weird we wouldn’t use it!
I love these cookies! Quick question about storing since I need to make ahead for a grad party. Can I refrigerate the baked cookies and then ice them later? What’s the best process for having them completed 2 days before the party? I also have icing sheets with logos that I need to place on them. Any advice for adding it? Thank you!
Hi Mindy! Yes, you could refrigerate the baked cookies and ice them later. (They are good in the refrigerator for up to 10 days, or see recipe Notes for longer freezing instructions.) If they’re completed two days before a party, you can store them either at room temperature or in the refrigerator. We haven’t placed icing logos before, but you’ll likely want to make sure the base layer of icing is completely dry before adding the logo layer. Hope they’re a hit!
I love your sugar cookies. Getting started on an order of 500 for a wedding. Will decorate and freeze for 2 -3 weeks. I’m hoping they will defrost well! I did try a small batch and they were fine but still nervous!
Everyone loved this recipe! I have been asked to make them twice for Birthday parties.
These make great cookies! I used maple extract in place of almond and my daughters preschool class all ate their cookies (which if you don’t know is pretty impressive as 4 year olds are picky). I’m making them for her birthday and will test if using dairy free butter will still make a good cookie.
I love all your recipes!
The best sugar cookie! I got a lot of compliments.
I was wondering if I could sub lemon extract for vanilla. If so would it be the same amount?
Hi Terry! We recommend using 1 tsp lemon extract in addition to the vanilla extract.
Hey Sally!
Does this icing dry when you put it on the cookies??
Hi Lillian, yes, the royal icing does dry so that the cookies can be easily stacked once set. Hope you enjoy the cookies!
Hi Sally, thank you so much for this delicious sugar cookie recipe. I have made them several times now & they’ve always turned out perfect but today l made them & some of the cookies spred & some of them didn’t. Can you tell me why?
Hi Nancy, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. Was your dough getting a bit too warm as it was rerolled and cut for more shapes? It sounds like some of the dough may have been warmer, causing it to spread while the cooler dough did not. Certain shapes can also hold better than others, so that may be the culprit. Finally, feel free to rotate your pan half way through bake time. This promotes more even baking since some ovens tend to have hot spots. We’re so glad you’ve been enjoying these cookies!
This is my favorite sugar cookie recipe. I have tested many and this is the ONE!!
I have made hundreds of these. Simply the best and a crowd pleaser. I always add the almond extract to dough and icing! Yum!
Can I use salted butter
Hi Laura, if using salted butter you can reduce the added salt in the cookie dough from 1/4 teaspoon to 1/8 teaspoon.
I would like to make the cookies 3/8 vs 1/4
What baking time would you recommend and will this have an affect on the cookie itself besides being a little thicker
Hi Kalie, we’re unsure of the exact bake time, but keep a close eye on them and remove when the edges begin to (very) slightly brown and look set.