I originally published this recipe in 2012 and have since added new photos and more success tips.
The only thing better than a batch of classic cut-out sugar cookies or drop sugar cookies is a giant sugar cookie. Like, practically-the-size-of-your-head sugar cookie filled with sprinkles.
One reader, Emma, commented: “This was very easy and quick to make and it was delicious! Love these 1-serving batches as sometimes I just want a small dessert for myself without any leftovers. ★★★★★”
This recipe makes 1 big, soft, and fluffy sugar cookie. It’s oh-so-buttery and the process is so simple. Just mix reduced amounts of sugar cookie ingredients into a small bowl. The only tricky part, if you can even call it that, is the egg. 1 full egg is too much for this cookie, so only use SOME of the egg. Crack 1 egg, beat it, then use 2 Tablespoons of the beaten egg. Don’t use just the egg yolk or just the egg white in this cookie—you need a little of both.
Keep it for yourself or it makes a great gift. Maybe even as part of your Mother’s Day recipe lineup so mom does not have to share (even if that mom is you!).
The cookie dough is sticky, so do your best to form it into a mound on a lined cookie sheet. A silicone spatula or spoon helps.
Don’t miss out on my other giant cookies either! Like one giant oatmeal creme pie cookie, one giant monster cookie, one giant double chocolate cookie, and one giant Reese’s peanut butter cookie.
Print
XXL Buttery Soft Sugar Cookie
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 giant cookie
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This scaled down recipe yields just 1 giant sugar cookie!
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 Tablespoons (38g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) beaten egg (crack the egg, beat it, and use 2 tbsp)
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 6 Tablespoons (49g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons (about 20g) sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray cookie sheet with nonstick spray or use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir the butter and sugar together until creamed. Mix in the egg and vanilla.
- Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and sprinkles until just combined.
- Place the dough in the center of the prepared cookie sheet into a tall ball (see picture above). Bake for 18-20 minutes until the edges are browned. The center may appear undone but that’s what you want. It will firm up. Allow to cool completely ON the baking sheet. Enjoy!
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowl | Silicone Spatula
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking success tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Made two — one ended up really puffy (barely spread out when cooking) and crunchy on the outside and raw on the inside. The second spread out a lot (from same dough, though warm pan can cause some of that).
Looks like cutting down a full recipe for a batch to make one for a single cookie leaves no wiggle room on the portions. :-/
Which of your cookbooks are your XXL cookie recipes
In? This looks really delicious. Please let me know
Hi Heather! My XL giant cookie recipes are exclusive to my blog. I don’t have any in my cookbooks.
How long is the large sugar cookie good for once baked? Can I make it early in the morning a day in advance and have it still be moist for the following evening?
Did you figure out the answer to this? I’m going to make these for my daughters birthday on Thursday and wondered if I could make them before.
Whipped this up in about 5 minutes after dinner because I was in the mood for baking, but we already had dessert in the house (your pumpkin chocolate chip bread, actually…), so it needed to be something small! I was nervous the dough was too sticky, and that it would either flatten out too much into a puddle or not enough and end up like a brick, but it was PERFECT. Looked exactly like the picture. My brother and my boyfriend gathered around the pan and ate it all in big, warm, melty slices…mmmm. Thanks as always, Sally!!
That’s definitely the best way to eat it! Glad you all liked it 🙂
I am definitely baking this cookie this weekend. I am wondering if this cookie would be a good “mailer” if I wrapped the cookies really well and put them on small pizza circles (cardboard circles).
Just made the XXL cookie. Wayyyy bigger than I thought it would be but still good. Little tip (I didn’t think about this until after) only add the salt if you’re using unsalted butter. Kinda salty but still okay
I tried baking this on a Friday in order to see if it’d work as a birthday treat for my friend on Wednesday. It turned out GREAT! At first I had too much flour, so I had to add in more of the wet ingredients, alter a few things, but eventually I was left with a light golden cookie about 150% the size of yours. It was too big to take off the cookie sheet, but everyone in the family grabbed the broken sections and literally gobbled everything up in the span of five minutes. My mom, who normally hates anything “American-ly sweet”, proclaimed it her favorite. The cookie was still warm when I took the last piece. XD
Thanks for such an amazing recipe! I can’t wait to make this for my friend.
Loved it! i made a seasonal maple icing for it and MMMMMMM!!!
I made this for my mom’s birthday a couple days ago, and she loved it! She didn’t like the sprinkles in it (sometimes I just can’t understand her) but she said that she loved the flavour and texture. I tried some of the dough beforehand and it was delicious. I usually never bake with butter, so I never get to have cookie dough, but this satisfied my craving. (To be honest, I probably ate a quarter of the dough which was why the cookie was so small…but my mom doesn’t need to know that). This is an amazing blog with amazing recipes and the most fantabulous cookies recipes that I’ve ever come across. i can’t wait to see what other recipes you have coming! Have a nice day/night! 🙂
I didn’t and it turned out just fine and delicious.
This is always my go to recipe when I need a simple but yummy snack! It was delicious
Ok, so I followed te recipe mostly, but took just a single egg yolk and added a splash of milk, then microwaved it in a cup for 50 seconds. I love mug recipes and it turned out pretty good! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I love these cookies! I messed with the recipe a bit and used butterscotch chips instead of sprinkles and put chocolate chips on top, and they turned out delicious! I usually make 2 so I can eat one myself and give the other to whatever brother is on my good side that day. I absolutely love your website!
So I made these for some graduates at my church. Insted of each there own cake. I’m exited to see how they like them! I made one for me but I keep watch my wonderful husband sneek bits of it.
This was by far the most deliciously amazing cookie that I have ever had! And to be able to say that I baked it myself!
I rarely give feedback on recipes that I find on the Internet but this recipe genuinely deserves it!
The cookie came out 18cm in diameter! I had to go about eating it like a pie, in slices!
I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to.
Thank you ♡
Hey Sally! I currently have this cookie in my oven right now, and it smells amazing! I will say that I had a few tastes if the dough, and it is so buttery and delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe! Also, are there any plans for an XXL chewy chocolate chunk cookie? I would love it! Thanks!
Hey Olivia! You can certainly make a giant chocolate chip cookie using my XXL Death by Chocolate Cookie recipe (same bake time). Just sub flour for the cocoa. Here’s that recipe: https://route-span.live/2013/02/13/1-xxl-death-by-chocolate-cookie/%3C/p%3E
Do you mean sub flour for the cocoa powder?
Yes, that is what I mean. Thanks Terri.
6 tbsp of flour does not seem to work for me. when i mix it in, the dough is NOT creamy or sticky – it hardens and forms lumps. do you know why that is? should i reduce the flour?
Mary, are you certain you are not overmeasuring your flour? It sounds like you might be. Be sure to use a scant 6 Tablespoons (just over 1/3 cup) – about 46 grams in weight.
yes
Can I add food coloring to make a rainbow type type of sugar cookie?
I just discovered your web site a few weeks ago and I have made a ton of your small batch recipes already! Also the cake batter chocolate chip cookies were amazing. I added birthday cake Oreos to them to make them even more cakealicious 🙂 have you considered making a recipe for a giant cake batter cookie? I tried altering the sugar cookie recipe by adding some cake mix to replace half of the flour – it tasted good but its spread a lot and came out really flat, crispy on the edges and raw in the middle.
So happy you’re enjoying my blog and recipes! Cake batter chocolate chip cookies with birthday cake Oreos sounds incredible for my sweet tooth. I need to try that! I have never tried this cookie as a “cake batter cookie.” I’m not surprised your cookie spread using cake mix – cake mix contains more moisture than all-purpose flour thus producing a spread.
I just made this cookie and it came out very fluffy. It didn’t really spread out very much at all. Do you know what might have caused this? It also didn’t seem as creamy when I mixed it together.
Hi Trish! I’ve had readers tell me this cookie is wonderful, I’ve had readers tell me this cookie spreads too much, and others say it is puffy. It truly depends on your oven. Do you have an oven thermometer by chance? I suggest checking your oven temperature. Did you change anything at all about this recipe? Was your butter softened? I can’t imagine the dough not being creamy with soft butter and 2 Tbsp of beaten egg.
OMG! So I’m sitting here on a Saturday night so bored, and I checked out your website and jumped at the chance to make these delicious treats!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe :3 I love them!
So happy you love this cookie Sabrina! I bake when I’m bored as well. 😉
Wow, I totally underestimated the size of this cookie! I was craving one for myself and was going to share with my 2yr old. But when it was time to bake, this was even too big for me, so now I made 3 delicious (and still large!) Cookies. Now my husband can enjoy one too after work :p thanks for this recipe!
I know – it’s ginormous Kelly!
OH MY GOSH SALLY this recipe was totally awesome for me. It’s midnight and I’m craving one again…I’m on a diet, but I really craved a cookie this morning. I loved he colors, it was perfectly soft, and super quick! Can you make a healthy giant cookie? Thanks!
Hi Jess! So happy you liked this. You can definitely turn my BReakfast Cookies into larger cookies. Make them as large as you want! https://route-span.live/2013/06/18/breakfast-cookies/%3C/p%3E
I just made this with the following modifications and it turned out great:
– double the flour
– melt the butter
– reduce cooking temp to 325
Good luck all!
I made this and it was delicious. Question…can I make the dough ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to bake? I want to make several of your Giant cookie recipes and will have great neices help with the baking step.
Hi Angie! Yes, you can make the dough up to 3 days in advance and store in the fridge.
No, not for this cookie recipe.
Thanks anyway! By the way, for a fellow sprinkle fanatic such as myself, these look AMAZING. 🙂
Hi Sally, i’ve just made this cookie for my sister, and she just loves it! (I love it too :))
You’re genius, the idea of making one giant cookie is very useful, and great to surprise somebody. Thanks for your great recipes! I wish I could make them all right now!
Big hug from a Dutch fan 🙂
Thank you so much for reporting back about this cookie! I love it so much, definitely a favorite (and easy!) recipe.
Hi there fellow Marylander, I stumbled upon your site today and fell in love! The recipes look scrumptious and your photos are just beautiful. I just made your XXL buttery sugar cookie for my family and it was delicious. The sprinkles really make this cookie special. yI myself am a self taught baker always looking for something new to bake. Can’t wait to try out more of your recipes!
I love this cookie! I’ve been meaning to make it again. You’ve reminded me. 🙂 Thanks Kristy, neighbor!