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
I am gluten and dairy free & modified the ingredients accordingly, and these cookies turned out AMAZING! Given the reviews, I picked this recipe over others that were specifically crafted to be dairy and gluten free. So happy that I did. I used Bob’s 1-1 gluten-free flour in place of the all-purpose flour and Earth Balance vegan buttery stick in place of the butter. The dough was a bit crumbly when cutting after chilling for 24 hours but once cut out and baked, they held their shape perfectly and tasted fantastic. Great consistency and flavor! May try to reduce the time in the refrigerator before cutting the next time I make these, but that would be the only change. What a perfect recipe! Thank you!!
I don’t understand how this recipe has such good reviews. We followed the directions exactly and ended with such crumbly dough that we couldn’t do much with it . We managed to roll out enough to get about 6 cookies. It was such a waste of time and ingredients. I make Christmas cut-out cookies every year – this is the first year I used your recipe and it was a disaster. So disappointed! My family and I love our Christmas cookie night:(
Hi Tara, the flour may have been over-measured. This is a slightly crumbly dough, but comes together when you roll it out. Make sure you spoon and level it instead of scooping (or weigh it). You can re-roll the scraps to get close to 2 dozen cookies. I hope my video tutorial is helpful if you ever decide to try this recipe again. Thank you!
I loved these cookies so much! The recipe is perfect and I appreciated the tips along the way for perfect dough.
I have a question for you…. What if I wanted to just roll this into a log, refrigerate it, then cut and bake? Is this a good recipe for that in your opinion??
Hi Callie! That should definitely work. You may want to chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes before attempting to roll into a log. It rolls out with a rolling pin just fine with some flour, but rolling into a tight log may require a bit of chilling before. After you roll it into a log, chill it for 2 hours before slicing and baking.
I followed all the instructions that you mentioned and it came out really well. My son loved the cookies too. This is my go to recipe for sugar cookies. Thanks to a great recipe. God bless you.
Did you change anything in this recipe now that you have reposted it? I love the new tips but want to make sure it’s the exact same recipe I’ve been using the last couple years. Thank you!! 🙂
Hi Marie! I didn’t change anything about the recipe. Still the same as it’s always been just new pictures and a video tutorial!
You’re the best!! Thank you!
We made these today and they are great! It will definitely be my go to sugar cookie and icing recipe from now on. We followed the recipe exactly and it really needs no modifications. Thanks for all your good tips, rolling the dough out before chilling is genius
I just made these to decorate for a Christmas party and I am so thrilled! They kept their shape *perfectly* and are super yummy (I definitely ate several already haha). Hands down this is the best cut-out sugar cookie recipe I’ve ever used, and I don’t think I’ll be searching for a new one ever again.
If using royal icing, which I understand hardens within 2 hours, at what point should the sugar sprinkles added? I want good adherence to the icing for my star shaped holiday gold sprinkles.
Right after decorating when it’s still wet. 🙂
I absolutely loved this recipe … it was easy to follow and they come out so yummy , a sugary , buttery flavor , which is an amazing combo . However I thought that I had caught a glimpse of a chocolate version of the same cookie but I can not seem to locate it . Can you please advise ? Thank you , Kim Mitchell
Hi Sally
Just a quick question about the royal icing. I plan on using this recipe but I’m not sure how long this icing will keep its fluid like consistency. Will it still be okay to decorate cookies a couple of days later or will it harden. It will be in small round containers like the ones you would get with a salad dressing on the side from a restaurant. They have a snap on type lid.
Thank you
Lynn
Hi Lynn,
As long as the containers are 100% air tight, you can store the icing in the refrigerator for a few days. The icing will separate after sitting for several hours, so you’ll need to give it a good stir before using it again. If you won’t be using it for a week, store it in the freezer.
Hi Sally! I make a Christmas tree using a 6-piece nesting star cookie cutter set. The breakdown is 4 of the two largest and 2 of the remaining four. I stack 15 cookies horizontally from largest to smallest, one on top of the other. I place one of the smallest cookies vertically on top. I use Royal icing to adhere the cookie to a base I make and to adhere each cookie to the other. The top standing cookie is filled with Royal icing in an outline of the star. So, with that small novel (haha), is your sugar cookie recipe able to withstand the weight of the cookies and hold their shape? If not, do you recommend any adjustment to the recipe for my project? I’m going to add a reindeer to my baked goods this year using your chocolate recipe adding only a red nose. Very excited!! Thank you very much. Have a wonderful holiday season!! Ho Ho Ho
Yes! These cookies are sturdy enough for the nesting cookie/tall Christmas tree you’re describing.
These are the best sugar cookies I’ve ever made. They hold their shape and are soft and yummy! Will try making them with extracts for flavoring next time. I’m sure they’ll be delicious.
I made the sugar cookies with no frosting and they were amazing! I want to send some cookies to my sister and her kids, but I am worried that the icing would mess up in the mail, even if I wrap them like you said to in your post about mailing cookies. What do you think?
Hi Meg, assuming you are using the royal icing— it sets after a few hours so you can stack and send the cookies. For extra insurance, you can even freeze the iced cookies so they are extra cold going into the packing materials.
Hi Sally! I am hoping to make some sugar cookies as wedding favours, and have purchased a “cookie stamp” to imprint our names and wedding date on the cookies. Do you think the royal icing would work well with this? Maybe if I waited for it to partially harden and then stamp? Or do you have another icing recommendation for something like this? Thanks!
Hi Melanie! For cookies made from cookie stamps, it’s best to use a thin glaze on top of the cookies so you can see the stamped design underneath. Royal icing is more of a sheet of icing, instead of a thin glaze. I don’t recommend stamping the cookies when the icing is on top.
Hi wondering if this recipe could be adapted to be gluten free? I have 2 nieces who are celiac.
Been wanting to try this recipe, but currently don’t have butter. Will coconut oil work?
Hi Christine, you could try creaming solid coconut oil for this recipe. I’m unsure how well the dough will roll out. Let me know how it goes!
This is my 6th year making these wonderful cookies. I bake up a big batch of holiday themed cookies in November using this recipe and pop them into the freezer. On a quite December evening, my family and I turn up the Christmas tunes and have a cookie decorating party. The kitchen is always covered in icing and it’s literally an explosion of cookie sprinkles! I wouldn’t have it any other way. We enjoy these cookies throughout the holiday season and gift them to family and friends. Thank you Sally for creating the most perfect sugar cookie recipe that has become part of our holiday tradition!
Hi Sally! I was wondering how many cookies will this recipe make with the right measurments?
Hi Aly! It totally depends on the size of your cookie cutter- using a 4 inch cookie cutter, you’ll get about 24 cookies.
Thanks, Sally! This recipe made a delicious batch of cookies!
Hi Sally, your recipe looks great and I am following it exactly but want to make sure that I am using the right ingredients. When the recipe calls for sugar it is referring to granulated sugar, correct?
I have made 1 batch as per instructions and left in the fridge for 1 day but when I went to use the cookie cutter the batter broke and softened really quickly then became really pliable. I live in Singapore so have a lot of heat and humidity to deal with when baking. I did add the additional tbsp of flour to firm up the dough before rolling and refridgerating. Should I be adding more flour? Thanks!
Hi Rachelle! Yes, regular granulated white sugar. If your climate is very humid, extra flour for rolling out the dough will be very helpful. Don’t be afraid to use more and more to make the dough a roll-able consistency.
Can you use salted butter if you don’t have unsalted? What would it do – would it make any difference? Should I adjust the recipe if I use salted?
Hi Angela! If using salted butter, reduce the salt in this recipe to a very small pinch, less than 1/4 teaspoon.
I made two batches; one using this recipe and one using your chocolate sugar cookie recipe and then a double batch of royal icing. I used quality ingredients and measured precisely. The results were spectacular. This is a delicious cookie
Different than other sugar cookie recipes because of the refrigerating after roll up but before cutting. Worked perfectly. My dinosaur cut cookies were excellent. I used some cocoa for rolling and the cookies turned out sort of variegated and do tasty. They sort of tasted like shortbread cookies. Easy recipe. I will use this for Christmas cookies. So delicious.
Truly this is the only sugar cookie recipe I will ever need! Came out absolutely perfectly and tasted AMAZING. Total winner. Thank you!
Hi, I was wondering if you could use brown butter in this recipe instead of regular butter. I know it would have to be cooled to room temp before creaming, but how much should I use? Should I add milk or just use more butter since there can be a loss of moisture? Or would your brown butter sugar cookie recipe work here with the chilling and rolling if I want to cut them into shapes and decorate with royal frosting?
Hi Emma! You can try browning 2 sticks of butter (1 cup), then letting it cool completely before refrigerating it so it’s solid. Measure 3/4 cup from that solid brown butter to use in the recipe. Here is my brown butter tutorial if you need it.
Love the idea of rolling dough out and then chilling. I will use on my gingerbread cookies dough roll out covered with plastic wrap so the dough stays dark then chill sheets. On more detailed I put cutter down press and hold then lift negative dough up. Snowflakes stay prefect. I put several shapes down and hold them as I remove dough around them. Thanks again.
When preparing my cookie dough I mistakenly used 2-1/2 cups of flour instead of 2-1/4cups can I still use this dough or what adjustments can I do or should I remake the dough?
Hi Mattise- 1/4 cup extra flour should be okay for these cookies! Try baking a batch before remaking the dough 🙂
Hi! I’m planning on making these for Thanksgiving and decorating them with your royal icing recipe. How long will the decorated cookies keep? I’m wanting to make them as far in advance as possible but still have them taste good and look pretty on Thanksgiving! Thanks!
Hi Emi! They’re wonderful for a couple weeks, honestly. Obviously taste best when fresh, but I’ve made and served them 1 week after icing and no one noticed a difference. You can store at room temperature or in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before serving.
I made this recipe and the dough was perfect for cutting and they did not spread but the cookies pretty much just tasted like flour. I barely used any additional flour when I rolled it out; just a bit on the rolling pin and I rolled on parchment so it didn’t stick. Does most of the flavor come from the icing?
Hi Shannon, These should have a very sweet buttery flavor even without the icing! Did you make any ingredient substitutions or leave out the extracts?
Hi Sally, this is a great recipe as is, but I added an extra step to make it special to my family’s taste. My family loves chai spice flavored cookies, so I steeped some butter in chai spice (tea) bags. I did need to use about an extra half stick b/c some butter is lost in the process. Cooled the butter in the fridge, then bought it back to room temperature and followed the recipe. It is a little extra effort and it does make the cookies more golden with some little flecks in them, but they taste delicious.
I’m sure I could just add chai spices into the dough, but this incorporated the flavors very nicely.
Now I want to try it with matcha tea! And Earl Grey! And maybe coffee!
Thanks again for your wonderful recipes.
Hi Sally!
How long do these cookies last after baking?
Thanks
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.