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 your recipes. But I was wondering if…. Do cookies have to be refrigerated because they are made with butter? I’m thinking of Christmas gifts of cookie tins I send out each year. I’m hoping no one is throwing these out thank you
Hi Kathy, 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.
Your website is always the first place I come to when I need a recipe or inspiration. This week, we are having a cookie baking and decoarting session with my dauthers Girl Scout troop. The Girls are so excited to make “pretty cookies”. While there are lots of recipes out there, I wouldn’t trust this experience to any other recipe than yours. Your cookies always result in perfect crisp edges with smooth, easy-to-decorate tops. And, they are delicious!
I just pre-ordered your book. Thanks for all that you to, and all of the content you share here on your website for free. It makes cooking and baking ever more fun! Thank you!
I made these cookies the other day and they are great! They are soft in the middle, crunchy on the outside and taste wonderful. They are a thin cookie, which worked for what I was needing that the time. Can they be rolled out thicker (like 1/2 or 3/4 inch thick) and vary the cook time, or will it change the taste of the cookie too much?
Hi Michelle, you can roll the dough out thicker, yes. It will extend the bake time a bit. Enjoy!
Hello. I had a few questions:
1. Would this recipe allow adding flavour to the dough (ex. crushed almonds or pistachios)? After step 3, can I divide up the dough add crushed pistachios or almonds, roll it out and let it chill in the fridge for 2 hours and then cut into shapes and bake for same temperature as outlined in your recipe?
2. What happens if I don’t want to use cookie cutters to shape them..instead once the dough is made can I roll into small balls and bake then top with liquid white chocolate and topping?
Hi Nafis, You can add flavors to this dough, see recipe Notes. We caution against adding too fine of crushed nuts, because they can act as a dry ingredient, drying the dough out. This dough is best for cut out cookies, if you would like to make drop cookies, you may enjoy these pistachio cookies.
Hi Sally!
I love making this cookies! The flavor Is increíble!!
I just have a tiny problem, my cookies always spread, not a lot but they do lose the shape.
I’ve followed the instructions but this always happens! Is there some way to avoid this from happening?
Hi Eli, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. 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. 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. Also, if your oven has hot spots, rotate your cookie sheet about half way through bake time to promote more even baking. Hope these tips help for next time!
Thank you so much!!!! This is by far the best recipe I have ever used and I’ll never by cookies from the store again!
If I were to use gluten free flour that is a 1:1 ratio to all purpose flour would there be any change to the recipe?
Hi Kelsey, we haven’t tested that swap, so we’re unsure of the exact results or if any additional changes will be needed. Let us know if you try it!
I have a question: my daughter wants to use cookie stamps on the cookies. Would you recommend to do that directly on the cookies pre-baking or on the icing? Thanks!
Hi Maria, you can stamp the dough before the cookies are baked, just like we do for the snowflake cookies on top of these cupcakes. Enjoy!
Hi,
I made this and doubled. Just added the dry ingredients and it seems really dry (not really sticky). I double checked and didn’t over add. Is it really 2 1/4 cup flour added at once? Or should it have been 2 cups and the rest for rolling?
Hi John! The measurement is correct. How did you measure the flour? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post.
I used vanilla and rum extracts. It yields a butterscotch like aroma that makes my mouth water.
These cookies were a hit! Perfect sweetness and softness.
I am so disappointed, not sure what I did wrong. While the flavor was really good, my cookies turned out so flat and chewy. What did I do ?!?
Happy to help! Did you follow the chilling instructions? Did you make any changes to the recipe?
Feb. 11, Calgary, Alberta
Hi Sally, with the egg problem and it’s reached Canada, is the size of egg really crucial? There isn’t a large egg in sight. Only medium. Does it matter? If so, what is the solution? Maybe crack and scramble and measure? Thank you always.
Hi Lee Anne, Egg weights can vary but usually large eggs in the shell are about 57g, and 50g out of the shell. So you’ll need about 50g of eggs out of the shell for this recipe.
Truly one of the best sugar cookies I have ever made and had. Nothing compares to this recipe. I made exactly as is and plan to play around with the flavoring with Sallys raspberry sugar cookie recipe next!
I totally love this recipe!! My family doesn’t like really crunchy sugar cookies, and this is the perfect softness. I doubled it for the first time, and it was super dry. Any tips? Thanks!
Hi Melissa, 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. If you’re having trouble with the dough only when doubling the ingredients, it might be best to make two separate batches instead of doubling. Hope this helps!
I love this recipe; however, we can’t eat refined sugar, so I used raw coconut sugar and switched out the vanilla for maple extract. Instead of Sugar Cookies, they are Maple Cookies. A different favor profile
Hi. I was making a couple of batches of these cookies and I had 2 different brands of butter. I noticed that “not all butter is created equal”. Even though they sticks of butter had been out for the same amount of time, one brand of butter was really soft, and the other was still firm (but not hard), like room temperature butter is supposed to be. Why is that? And which butter do you recommend works best for baking?
Hi R Crocker, it likely has to do with the amount of water in the butter (more water will soften faster). We usually use whatever butter is on sale, but some bakers have noticed quality issues with some brands. We’re unsure which ones.
Best Sugar Cookie I’ve ever tasted! And so FUN to make! One batch made quite a few! Thank You so much for sharing this recipe!
Hi!
Could I use other flavors such as matcha powder or raspberry extract? If so how much should I put in the recipe? Thanks!
Hi Jen, we haven’t tested a matcha version of these, but you would likely need to tinker with the other dry ingredient amounts. We do have these raspberry sugar cookies that you might enjoy!
Hi. I have used this recipe over and over and it’s always a hit. I’ve noticed that many people make a 1/2″ or 5/8″ cookie, which is really big, and I wanted to know if this recipe works for a thick cookie like that? Does it still store and freeze well?
A half inch or 5/8 inch thick? That’s a VERY thick cookie and we have not tested it. Would love to hear how it goes if you do.
I’ve made these cookies many times and love your recipe. I would like to make them using lemon oil (Boyajian Pure Lemon Oil for baking) but know it’s stronger than lemon extract. Can you tell me how much I would use to get that real lemon flavor without using zest (I will be decorating these and want a smoot cookie)? Do I use less vanilla ? Thanks for your help and thank you for all your wonderful recipes.
Hi Joni! We would start with a few drops and see how it tastes, then go from there. Lemon oil is quite strong!
Amazing recipes. And I love it when you describe the details of the batter textures and everything. It helps a beginner to bake better. Anyway, can I use margarine instead of butter?
Hi Aunifir, we don’t recommend it. Margarine has a different makeup than butter. If you do want to use margarine, we recommend using a recipe that is specifically formulated to do so. Let us know if you give these cookies a try!
These are the BEST sugar cookies! I make them for any occasion I can. They are always a hit!
Do you think I could add mini chocolate chips to this? I have someone who’s asked for cut out chocolate chip cookies, and the recipe I tried tasted like Play-Doh!
Hi J, You can definitely add mini chocolate chips to this dough before rolling it out. (Do not use regular size as they are too large.) We recommend beating in 3/4 cup after you mix the wet and dry ingredients together. You may need to use a little arm muscle (or very sturdy cookie cutters) to cut through the mini chips. Keep that in mind when shaping. Enjoy!
Have made this recipe many times – would like to substitute vanilla extract with lemon extract- your suggestions on substitution amount
Hi Betty, we recommend using 1 tsp lemon extract in addition to the vanilla extract.
How much food coloring should I add the the Royal Icing recipe that you have to go with these Sugar Cookies?
Hi Kylie! Add gel food coloring until you reach the desired color.
I have made a lot of sugar cookies over the decades, this is by far my favourite recipe. The most flavourful- best textured cookies I have made so far. These cookies are amazing! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I have made 3 dozen of your cut out cookies without icing and they are frozen. When I take them out and decorate them with royal icing can I re freeze them?
Definitely. Sugar cookies decorated with royal icing freeze well up to 3 months. Wait for the icing to set completely before layering between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-friendly container. To thaw, thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
Hello! This is my first time trying the recipe. I wanted to know if i can freeze it for like 10-20 mins instead of chilling it for 2 hours?
Hi Elissa, we don’t recommend it. Refrigerating the dough is imperative for this recipe. It should chill for at least 1-2 hours and we usually chill it overnight. Don’t skip this step or the cookies will spread all over the place!
I love this recipe!! Question, if I wanted to add cinnamon to them, how much would be good to add? Thank you!
Hi Maggie, we love adding 1/2 – 1 teaspoon cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, or a combination of nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, etc. Enjoy!
Thank you! I tried your drop out snickerdoodles as cutouts and they spread quite a bit. Going to try adding the cinnamon to your sugar cookies and then put cinnamon/sugar mixture on before they go in the oven. Thanks again!