How to make the most amazing sugar cookies that truly hold their shape! Soft and tender cookies that taste like a cross between a sugar cookie and shortbread, with perfectly defined and slightly crisp edges!
Perfect for any holiday cookie tray, and so easy to make! With several different prep options, you’ll find one that fits your baking timeline, and your tastes. We love holiday sweets like my Crockpot Candy and this is one of my Desserts you’ll definitely want in your dinner rotation!
SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE
Cut-out sugar cookies are the quintessential holiday cookie. You’ll find them on all most all dessert trays and in every cookie exchange… not to mention, Santa enjoys them as well!
I don’t know about you, but in the past I’ve tried numerous sugar cookie recipes and none of them were perfect. They never held their shape and the edges were soft and sloppy. If you’re going to all the trouble of rolling out dough and cutting it into shapes, you want them to actually look like the cookie cutter shape right?
That all changed a few years back when I found this recipe from Allie over at Baking a Moment. She makes some fantastic desserts, and her sugar cookie recipe is phenomenal!
Over the years I’ve made a few minor tweaks based on my preferences, which is what I’m sharing with you today… but I wanted to give major props to Allie, as the base is her amazing recipe.
HOW TO MAKE
- Mix up the dough – a stand mixer is very helpful here
- Roll out the dough into a thin disc
- Cut out desired shapes – can re-roll scraps to get more cookies if desired
- Chill for a few minutes – not required, see recipe notes section at the end of this post
- Bake and cool
- Decorate as desired
COOKING TIPS
- Use cold butter – this severely cuts down the chilling time from several hours, down to about 15 minutes. Alternately, you can omit the chilling all together, although it’s not my preferred method.
- Cornstarch instead of baking powder – this is Allie’s secret, and it’s genius! Baking powder is a leavening agent that helps food rise and spread, which is great for biscuits, but not so much for sugar cookies. Omitting the baking powder can leave cookies tough and crumbly, but with the addition of the cornstarch, you don’t have to worry about that! Cookies stay soft and buttery.
- Cookies may not look “done” – cut out sugar cookies won’t be golden brown like other cookie varieties, they’ll just be set on the edges and are verrrrry lightly golden on the bottom. Don’t worry, they’ll keep cooking as the rest on the cookie sheet.
VARIATIONS
- Almond – not a vanilla fan? Almond flavoring tends to be pretty strong, so omit the vanilla and replace with 1 tsp almond extract or paste.
- Almond/Vanilla – why not have both? Try 1 tsp each of vanilla and almond.
- Orange – Try adding a bit of orange zest to your cookie dough for a fun twist.
MAKING SUGAR COOKIES AHEAD OF TIME
The great thing about cut-out sugar cookies is that they’re great to make ahead of time and they store really well.
To save time, I like to bake my sugar cookies, cool them completely, then store on the counter in an airtight container.
That way I can decorate them another day.
STORAGE
Decorated and undecorated cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 weeks.
Undecorated baked cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Unbaked cookie dough shapes can be frozen for 1-2 months.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT USED IN THIS RECIPE
- Stand Mixer – not required, but recommended for this recipe as the dough is very stiff.
- Rolling Pin with Rings – this adjustable rolling pin takes all the guesswork out of how thick the dough is.
- Baking Sheets – I love the large size and how sturdy these pans are.
- Parchment Paper – no cutting required, these sheets fit perfectly in the baking sheets above.
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Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter cold
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste vanilla extract can be substituted
- 3 - 4 cups all-purpose flour (this will vary from kitchen to kitchen)
- 1/2 cup cornstarch make sure NOT to use corn meal, as this will result in dry, hard cookies
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer, add butter and sugar and beat on MED speed until smooth and well combined. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add vanilla and mix.
- To a mixing bowl, add dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch and salt), and whisk to combine. Add the flour mixture, starting with 3 cups, and mix on MED LOW speed.
- Let mix for 3-5 minutes, and you'll see the dough go from a crumbly mess to pulling itself into a ball that pulls away from the sides of the mixer bowl.
- Turn out the dough onto work surface and roll dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Flouring the work surface and rolling pin is helpful, as is rolling dough out between 2 pieces of wax or parchment paper.
- Cut into shapes and place cut out dough pieces on prepared baking sheets. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- While dough is chilling, preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
- Bake cookies for 9-11 minutes, or until edges appear set. Cookies won't be golden on the top.
- Remove from oven and let cookies sit on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.
- Decorate if desired.
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Chef Tips
- Please take care to check that you're using cornstarch (here in the US, this is what I'm referring to https://www.meijer.com/shopping/product/argo-corn-starch-100-pure-16-oz-/76172007104.html), not corn flour or corn meal. Those won't work in this recipe at all.
- For a great Royal Icing recipe, check out this detailed post.
- Flour amount varies due to humidity. Start with 3 cups and add flour mixture 1/4 cup at a time, until you see the dough ball up and pull away from the sides of the mixer bowl.
- For reference, I normally use 3 1/2 cups of the flour mixture.
NO CHILLING OPTION
I find I get the best results when combining the cold butter with the short 15 minute chill time, but if you prefer to not chill at all, you can do that.- Make sure the butter you're using is extremely cold, and work quickly so it doesn't soften on you.
- If possible, chill your rolling pin, so it'll keep the dough cold as you're rolling it.
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Renee says
Could I substitute shortening for the butter? Would love to make with grandson but he has dairy allergy. Or do you have any suggestions of recipe?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested this recipe using shortening or non-dairy substitutes, so I can’t say for certain how well it would work or whether any changes would need to be made. If you do some experimenting, I’d love to know how it turns out 🙂
Megan says
Can the dough be frozen – not cut- and used a few weeks later
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, you’d just need to thaw it in the refrigerator 🙂
Angelica says
I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Does anyone know if Tapioca Starch will do the same thing that cornstarch does for the cookies?
Sandy P says
I want to try these cutout sugar cookies for our annual Grandma/grandkids Christmas cookie decorating but wondering if they are solid enough for kids to handle & decorate without breaking. The recipe we used last year was delicious but too soft for kids to decorate without breaking.
The Chunky Chef says
These are definitely solid enough for kids to handle them… in fact I have a cookie decorating party every year for the neighborhood kids and they’ve not broken one yet 🙂
Philena says
These cookies were perfect! They kept their shape, we’re soft and delicious! We added some cinnamon & nutmeg to ours and did the half vanilla/ half almond extract. They turned out so good! Thanks for the recipe 😊
TSawa! says
Thank you for this easy and great recipe! While I can cook just about anything, baking is a different animal with the measuring. This recipe was easy to follow with simple steps and measuring 🙂 I will use this again and again! The next time will be with 12 little kids for Christmas cookie making and decorating! Enjoy this delicious recipe!
Mary says
I don’t have a stand mixer. Can I use a hand mixer instead?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes that should work well.
Kaimana says
I love this recipe. The cookies hold shape but are melt in your mouth delicious. They also stay flat when baking making decorating even easier. I’ve never had leftovers to rate how long they last, storage wise, but this year I’m going to make the dough early and freeze it until I’m ready to bake it.
Any tips on freezing the cookie dough?
The Chunky Chef says
I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe! I’ve not frozen the entire dough, but I’ve cut the shapes out and frozen them, then just thaw in the refrigerator and bake as directed 🙂
Kelly P says
So yummy! And great texture!
Kaimana says
One more question, have you ever added food coloring to this recipe? If so, what step and did it change anything?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested adding food coloring, but it would be added in step 4 (when the dough is in the mixer), and I would highly suggest using gel food coloring vs. liquid.
Amanda says
The best!
Jenna says
This recipe is the best! Cookies are soft, but sturdy, and the taste is great with no odd aftertaste. I usually do royal icing but did a buttercream frosting this time and it’s a perfect pair to the cookie. This will be my go-to recipe from now on.
Tonya welsh says
What does cornstarch do for the cookie’s ?
The Chunky Chef says
It makes them soft and melt in your mouth 🙂
Alexandra says
Thank you Thank you Thank you! The recipe I’ve been looking for! These turned out perfect. I’ve never made cookies with such nice edges. I followed directions to a T. Used 3 1/2 cups flour.
Debbie Wacker says
Definitely held their shape and yet are soft even after a week on the countertop. We didn’t even get them iced. Just sweet enough to enjoy plain with no aftertaste that I get from some sugar cookies.
Amy says
I doubled the recipe but had a brain cramp and didn’t double the eggs. The cookies were amazing. I noticed the bottoms looked kind of buttery and underdone. I placed them on paper towels while decorating and drying. They came out great. I did use less flour as I look for the dough to just come off the sides of the bowl. My question is should I leave out those 2 eggs from now on? Are they going to be better with the additional 2 eggs?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Amy, I’ve only made this recipe as written, so I can’t say how much different they would be with the additional two eggs. If you loved them, then I would keep it as is 🙂
Amy says
I’ve since been making them as written. My issue is that the bottoms are still moist with butter when I bake them. I can’t seem to find the perfect baking time. Do you have any suggestions? Everyone who has eaten them loves them. I do use 2 T vanilla and 4 tsp of almond emulsion when I double the recipe.
Melissa says
The instructions says to add butter, sugar and cream but cream isn’t listed on the ingredient list. I’m the only one asking this so I feel kinda dumb lol
The Chunky Chef says
No need to feel dumb at all! I should have specified better, so I’ll edit the recipe to be more clear. There isn’t any heavy cream in the dough, “cream” is the act of mixing the butter and sugar together until smooth 🙂
Angela says
Where’s the detailed post for your royal icing?
Jeri says
Tried this recipe for the 1st time for Christmas cookies. It had great flavor. I e had my sugar cookie recipe for 35 years…this is now my recipe for the next 35!
Celia Lockwood says
I couldn’t find the Royal icing recipes either
The Chunky Chef says
Where it says “this detailed post”, that’s a link. If you click it, you’ll find a delicious recipe for royal icing.
Anna says
Fantastic cookie recipe Amanda!! ❤️I use it for many holidays ie Valentines and Easter too. it’s easy to work with and super tasty. Thank you!! 🤗💕
April says
This recipe is so easy and the cookies turn out perfect every time! I love that I don’t have to chill the dough long and can get on with the baking, decorating – and eating!
Raquel says
Ive made these and this recipe is the best , but this is my first time making the cookie dough and cutting it another day, can I freeze the dough without cutting them into shapes?
Allegra Mason says
About to start these. I’m a novice baker. I use the paddle attachment on my stand mixer right?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes 🙂
Aly says
Does it matter what type of kosher salt? Corse okay?
The Chunky Chef says
I use coarse and have never had a problem, but feel free to use whichever you prefer in baking recipes 🙂