Easy Sugar Cookies
What would baking be without a recipe for easy sugar cookies? They are classic American cookies—soft, chewy and sweet. This 30-minute recipe calls for a few basic ingredients and there’s no need to chill the dough!
It’s hard to beat a chocolate chip cookie or peanut butter cookie, but there’s something about a sugar cookie that makes you reminisce about your childhood. This was the cookie that you made at Christmas time with your mom or grandma. It was the cookie everyone had at their birthday party. It’s the cookie that is perfectly sweet and irresistible.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No chilling the dough. Just roll and bake the cookies!
- Ready in 30 minutes. This quick and easy recipe serves up freshly baked cookies in less than half an hour.
- Only 7 ingredients. You need only a few common ingredients that you already have in your kitchen.
- Soft and chewy texture. These thick cookies are pillowy soft and slightly chewy. They’re oh-so-satisfying to bite into!
Ingredient Notes
- All purpose flour helps hold together the moist ingredients without making the cookies dry.
- Baking soda gives the cookies a little lift in the oven making them thick and soft.
- Salt helps activate the baking soda and offset the sweetness.
- Unsalted butter makes the cookie soft. Make sure it’s at room temperature so it’s easy to mix. Use unsalted butter for the best flavor.
- Granulated sugar makes this cookie a sugar cookie!
- Egg plus an egg yolk bind the ingredients together
- Vanilla adds a cozy flavor. For the best flavor, use high-quality pure vanilla extract.
Looking for cookies to decorate? Try this cut-out sugar cookie recipe.
Recipe Variations
Add some sprinkles. Stir in a 1/2 cup sprinkles to the dough and right before rolling the dough into balls.
Frost the cookies. Spread some buttercream frosting on top of the cooled cookies or sandwich the frosting between two cookies. Alternatively, you can add a simple icing, like I do for Taylor Swift’s chai sugar cookies.
Double the recipe. Double all the ingredients to make a large batch of sugar cookies! This is perfect for holiday cookie swaps and parties.
How to Make Easy Sugar Cookies
- Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Mix butter, sugar and brown sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add egg and vanilla. Mix just until combined.
- Slowly add flour mixture with the mixer on low. Mix just until combined.
- Scoop dough into balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place on prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake at 350° F for 8 to 10 minutes. The center of the cookies will look soft and pillowy.
Expert Tips
Use room temperature ingredients. Not only are they easier to mix, but they also create a better consistency for the dough. As a result, the cookies have a better texture! Remember that room temperature butter is soft to the touch, but not very greasy.
Measure the flour correctly. Use a kitchen scale for accurate measuring. If you don’t have a scale, spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level with a knife (don’t pack it down).
Careful not to overwork the dough. When rolling the dough into balls, work quickly as the body heat from your hands will warm the dough. If the dough is too warm, the cookies will spread.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
Make ahead the dough and store covered in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. Let the dough sit on the counter until soft enough to scoop, about 10 minutes.
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Freeze sugar cookie dough for up to 3 months. For dough into a log and wrap in plastic wrap. Store in the freezer, then defrost in the refrigerator before rolling into balls and baking.
Freeze baked sugar cookies for up to 3 months. Wrap stacks of 5 cookies in plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn. Store stacks in an airtight container or freezer bag.
Recipe FAQ
Cookies will stay soft if stored properly. Place cooled cookies in an airtight container in a cool place in your kitchen, such as the pantry. If you live in a dry climate, I suggest placing a slice of plain white bread in the container. The moisture from the bread helps the cookies keep their soft texture.
Most likely the dough was too warm. If you are baking in a warm or humid climate, it may be helpful to chill the dough for half an hour before baking. Also, keep in mind that rolling the dough into balls will transfer body heat to the dough so work quickly at this step.
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Get the Recipe: Easy Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 Tablespoons (170 g or 1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, plus extra for rolling
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl halfway through.
- Add egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Mix until combined, about 30 seconds.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the bowl. Mix just until combined. Batter will be thick. Use a spatula to scrape the bottoms of the bowl to ensure all flour bits are mixed in.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop about 1 ½ tablespoons of dough. Use your hands to roll dough into a ball and roll each ball in remaining 2 Tablespoons sugar. Repeat with remaining dough, placing each ball about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake cookies 350° F for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are set, but not yet brown. The centers of the cookies will be soft and pillowy (they will fall as they cool). Let cookiex cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
9 Comments on “Easy Sugar Cookies”
Best sugar cookies I have ever tasted!
Simple and delicious, and using quality butter is key – love these!
Really delicious…my family loved these!
There is something about a sugar cookie! This sounds like a plan for tomorrow.
Haven’t met a cookie I didn’t like, but these were exceptional! Looking forward to baking these again this weekend for my daughter’s birthday!
OMG! These cookies look like heaven! So perfect for breakfast!
My kids will surely devour a whole batch of these cookies!
These were so good! I will definitely be making this more often!!
I made these cookies and they are delicious, they came out just like the picture!