How to make the most amazing sugar cookies that truly hold their shape!ย 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!ย With several different prep options, youโll find one that fits your baking timeline, and your tastes.ย We love holiday sweets like myย Crockpot Candyย and this is one of myย Dessertsย youโll definitely want in your dinner rotation!
SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE
Cut-out sugar cookies are the quintessential holiday cookie.ย 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.ย They never held their shape and the edges were soft and sloppy.ย 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.ย 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.ย 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!ย Baking powder is a leavening agent that helps food rise and spread, which is great for biscuits, but not so much for sugar cookies.ย 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!ย 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.ย Don’t worry, they’ll keep cooking as the rest on the cookie sheet.
VARIATIONS
- Almond – not a vanilla fan?ย 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?ย 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.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
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.ย 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.
Esther says
Just made these cookies last night and they came out great! I don’t have cookie cutters so I just freestyled some shapes with a knife (hearts and stars) and they came out great! So yummy and really held their shape!! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Angela says
Hiย
I want to make a chocolate sugar cookie and I love this recipe do I omit some flour in place of coco powder ?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve not tested converting this recipe to a chocolate one, so I can’t say for certain.
Judie says
Do I need to have the eggs at room temperature or can I just use the eggs cold like the butter?
The Chunky Chef says
Totally up to you ๐
Heather says
Well I wanted to try this recipe but Iโm a little confused step 2 in the instructions talks about cream but I donโt see any cream in the ingredient list???
The Chunky Chef says
Cream the butter and sugar, is a baking term where you mix the butter and sugar together.
Christian Hale says
the whipping of the sugar and the butter together, is refered to as creaming.
Emily says
This recipe is awesome! Will use every time. Mine look exactly like the photo, crisp edges that hold the shape and great classic flavor!ย
Samantha says
Can you decorate the cookies and then freeze them? Or would that mess up the cookie when you thaw them?ย
The Chunky Chef says
I wouldn’t recommend freezing the decorated cookies, as the icing doesn’t hold up well to the thawing process. However, the undecorated cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months ๐
Trish Hencshel says
This is the โUltimateโ cut cookie recipe! I did substitute almond for vanilla. It did come out very crumbly as in the directions and never came together in the mixer. I had to put it on my pastry board and knead the dough together. Made Halloween cookies for a party. Everyone thought I bought them!!
Marianne says
Love ย this recipe and the results. ย When rolling out the dough I use confectioners sugar(powdered sugar). ย
Leanne Tyrrell says
Just baked these,excellent recipe, I did use custard powder instead of corn flour for a bit of extra flavour, they were perfect. Now to ice and sprinkle. ๐
Brittany says
I just made these and theyโre a crumbly mess. I measured everything correctly so i donโt understand the issue. I canโt use the dough. Iโve been mixing for over 5 minutes and itโs the consistency of sand ๐
The Chunky Chef says
Oh no, I’m sorry you didn’t have a good experience! I make these cookies several times every year and have never had an issue. Did you watch the video for this recipe? It does take some time for the dough to come together in the mixer, and things like humidity and whatnot can affect things. I’d be happy to troubleshoot via email if you’d like (amanda@thechunkychef.com)
Robin says
Will these work to make cookie pops (inserting a thin stick before baking)? ย
The Chunky Chef says
What a fun treat! I haven’t tested this recipe that way, so I can’t say for certain, but I think they would work well for that ๐
Terri says
Trying this recipe tonight! Cold butter, no stand mixer, just the hand mixer & some muscle ๐ช
Sorry, not making fun of you but…..got a good giggle out of some of the previous comments….the “where is the cream” was pretty funny ๐
Donna Eakin says
Iโm making the cookies right now for my six grandkids. It looks like an easy recipe. Thanks!!
Laurie says
I enjoyed making these, they were easy and did hold their shape very well but they became very crunchy. I was hoping for a softer sugar cookie.
The Chunky Chef says
The are definitely softer as they sit ๐
Kim F says
I love these cookies!! ย They have everything I want in a sugar cookie. ย Easy to make, easy to roll and taste great!! ย The only problem I have, is they seem to keep disappearing… my husband canโt stop nabbing one. ๐
Thank you for sharing this recipe.ย
Scarlet says
Those look so good and you did such a pretty job icing these sugar cookies. I can’t wait to try making these with my kids!
annie says
I’m going to make these with the kiddos this weekend!
jade manning says
These look like they would disappear super quick at my house!
Lora says
Really great cookie dough recipe and perfect to make with the kids!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says
These cookies are on my must-make list!
Dorothy Reinhold says
I love how beautifully they keep their shape!
Jenn says
Amanda, these look MAGICAL! I can’t wait to make them!
Luzia says
Thanks for sharing this! Do you think it will work with glad eggs instead? My son is allergic to eggs and I’m trying to find a friendly recipe for him ๐ thank yoy
The Chunky Chef says
Unfortunately I’ve no experience using glad eggs, so I can’t say for certain.
Luzia says
Sorry, I meant flax* eggs! ๐
The Chunky Chef says
Lol no worries! Unfortunately I’ve never used those either.
Hillary Holbrook says
I have made these with vegan butter sticks and flax eggs and they work great!ย