How to make Easy Sugar Cookies

This easy sugar cookie recipe is made with basic ingredients and is easy to roll out to make cut-out sugar cookies of any shape. They bake up soft and chewy, and are perfect for decorating for any occasion.

Hi hi! I am just popping in to share this super easy recipe for sugar cookies! I have been meaning to put a cut-out sugar cookie recipe on my site for forever, and this year I finally got around to developing what is, to me, the best sugar cookie recipe. These are a great holiday cookie recipe, but you can make sugar cookie dough any time of year, and cut it out any shape you want - just a good, solid, versatile sugar cookie.

I love a good vanilla cookie recipe, and this easy sugar cookie captures all those flavors but in a cut out cookie recipe instead of a drop cookie situation. If you would like a bar version of this recipe, my sugar cookie bars are also so good.

These sugar cookies are the perfect vehicle for all sorts of things - whether you finish them with a simple cookie icing and some sprinkles as I did here, or get fancy with your favourite royal icing, these make the perfect base sugar cookie to use for every occasion.

If you are looking for another easy cut out cookie, my gingerbread cookie recipe is a great place to start! The gingerbread cookies have a similar technique to these sugar cookies, so I often like to make the gingerbread cookie dough alongside this dough and bake at the same time.

Why I love this sugar cookie recipe

I hadn't gotten around to posting an easy roll out sugar cookie recipe here on my site for a long time because I am picky. I feel like there are so many recipes out there on the internet for homemade sugar cookies, in order to add mine to the lineup, it had to be exactly what I wanted it to be, which is:

• Super easy to make. I don't mind having a chill time in a sugar cookie recipe, but I want the rest of the process to be simple and not too fussy. I developed this recipe so you roll the dough straight out after you make it, and it chills between two pieces of parchment paper, all ready to cut out.
• Tastes delicious. This was a difficult balance between getting something that was as close in taste to a buttery shortbread recipe as possible, while still being easy to work with. The key is to add lots of vanilla and use a high quality butter.
• Texture. I wanted a soft sugar cookie recipe with a good amount of chew - something that's not too crisp, but can also stand up to a good cookie icing. These sugar cookies have just a teeny bit of baking powder in them to help with the texture.
• Easy to make ahead. Often sugar cookies are made for a special occasion, so I wanted to make a recipe that was super easy to make ahead of time - you can break up the workload for this easy sugar cookie recipe over a few days if you like, and make the actual assembled cookies themselves up to a few days in advance.

How to make Sugar Cookies

This easy homemade sugar cookie recipe comes together quickly, and is great to make ahead.

• Make the sugar cookie dough. I have a full separate post on how to make sugar cookie dough, including notes on how to add sprinkles and mix ins.
• Roll out the sugar cookie dough. In this recipe, we roll out the sugar cookie dough directly after mixing, which makes things so much easier - no having to bash chilled dough with your rolling pin! The dough is rolled out between two floured pieces of parchment paper.
• Chill the cookie dough. The sugar cookie dough then gets chilled down to help it firm up, so that we get those super sharp edges when making cut out sugar cookies. It needs at least two hours, but I have kept the dough in the refrigerator for up to three days and it was still fine.
• Make sugar cookie cut outs. Using cutters of your choice, cut out the dough to your liking. Re-roll scraps and use again.
• Chill. The cut out sugar cookies get 10-15 minutes in the freezer just to help them hold their shape in the oven. You can leave them in there if you need to too for a little longer and bake from frozen.
• Bake. Bake the sugar cookies until just set around the edges. I like to keep mine nice and pale but if you would like yours golden brown, just bump up the baking time a little.
• Finish. Finish the cookies as you like - either with a royal icing, melted chocolate, or a super simple cookie icing and sprinkles!

Can Sugar Cookies be made ahead of time?

The great thing about this easy sugar cookie recipe is that it is able to be prepared in advance. There are a couple of ways to break up the workload for these cookies if you would like!

They can be made all on the same day if you like, but I am a big fan of recipes that can work around my schedule, not the other way around (which is why I LOVE a cold rise on a cinnamon roll recipe)

• Make the sugar cookie dough ahead of time. Sugar cookie dough can be made and stored in the fridge in parchment paper for up to three days before you cut out the dough and bake.
• Store the cut-outs in the freezer. Once you have cut out the shapes, you can flash freeze them and store in the freezer, then bake from frozen. See more on this in my how to make sugar cookie dough post.
• Make the cookies in advance and store at room temperature. The baked sugar cookies will store up to a week at room temperature in an airtight container, so they can easily be made ahead.
• Freeze the baked cookies. If you want to freeze the baked cookies themselves, you can also do this - I personally prefer them freshly baked, but you can freeze them if you like!

Can you freeze sugar cookies?

Yes - if you want to freeze the baked sugar cookies, layer the cooled cookies with parchment paper in an airtight container, then freeze for up to three months. Defrost at room temperature before eating.

How to get a super clean cut on cut out sugar cookies

Sugar cookie dough can be a little finicky to work with, but the best way to mitigate this is to chill your dough. Rolling out the dough while it is warm means that it is easy to roll out, and easy to get a nice even thickness, but then chilling it down means that you get a nice sharp cut out on your cookies.

As you are cutting out the cookies, if your dough starts to warm up too much or is too hard to work with as it is soft, just pop it back in the fridge for 10 minutes or into the freezer for 5 minutes to let it firm up, then remove it and keep cutting.

What are the best cookie cutters to use for sugar cookies?

You can use whatever cookie cutter you like to cut out these easy sugar cookies. I have a set of round cookie cutters which I like to use (they are also the same set that I use to scoot my chocolate chip cookie recipes)

This sugar cookie recipe works with all kinds of cookie cutters - keeping the dough cold means it works well for more detailed designs too. If you wanted to keep things extra simple you could follow Deb's lead in her unfussy sugar cookie recipe where she just rolls out the dough then cuts it with a fluted cutter for zero waste!

How to bake sugar cookies

I prefer my sugar cookies to be on the pale side, so I bake them for 12-15 minutes depending on the size, so I check for doneness after 12 minutes and then go from there. If you prefer yours a little more golden, feel free to add more time to the baking time and bake to your liking.

Do I need to leave room for spreading?

These sugar cookies will spread a tiny bit, so make sure that you do leave some room between them for spreading so that they don't hold hands in the oven - they won't spread a lot, but trying to separate them after they have baked sucks.

Why do you freeze sugar cookies before baking?

The quick spin in the freezer just helps to set up the cookie dough enough to help it hold its shape in the oven.

How do you tell when sugar cookies are baked?

Look for the edges and surface of your sugar cookies to be set, and just starting to colour around the edges. Remember that they will finish up baking and set up on the cookie sheet as they cool. Separate the cookies by size if you are making multiple sizes, as smaller cookies bake for less time.

Why are sugar cookies baked at a lower temperature?

I bake my sugar cookies at 325°f / 165°c, which gives the sugar cookies lots of time to bake while not taking on too much colour.

Can I bake two trays at a time?

If you trust your oven, by all means go ahead and bake two trays at once. You will want to switch the trays top and bottom half way through. However I prefer to bake them one tray at a time - you can just store extra cookies in the freezer until you are ready to bake them.

Sugar Cookie Icing

There are many ways to finish off sugar cookies - you can use your favourite royal icing recipe, drizzle them with melted chocolate, or use a super simple sugar cookie icing - mine has two ingredients and is great for when you've run out of steam, or you just want something simple and delicious to decorate your sugar cookies with.

My sugar cookie icing is just that - a quick stir together icing that dries solid and is great for an easy decorating option if you can't quite muster the energy for royal icing! It is also amazing for decorating cookies with kids.

I decorated these cookies a few ways - covering some fully in sprinkles by covering the surface of the cookie with icing and then dipping in sprinkles, or piping an edge of icing then sprinkling, and decorating a few using a piping bag and the easy icing recipe.

Basically you do you here!

Flavor variations for Homemade Sugar Cookies

The great thing about this sugar cookie recipe is that it is super versatile - you can mix and match as you like! I covered a bunch of flavour variations in my post on how to make cookie dough, including how to make a funfetti version of these sugar cookies.

How do you roll out sugar cookie dough?

I roll out my sugar cookie dough between two pieces of parchment paper. I use pre-cut paper (16.5" x 12.25" / 42x32cm), and the dough, rolled to the correct thickness, should almost fill the space between the two sheets.

I also use rolling pin guides, which are silicone strips which lay down either side of the dough and the rolling pin presses down onto them to help the dough be rolled to an even thickness.

Can I re roll the scraps?

Yes, you can press the scraps of the sugar cookie dough together after cutting and re-roll. However, be aware that the more you work the dough and add extra flour, the tougher it will be and you may not get a nice neat surface. I like to use small cutters to cut out little pieces of dough to make the most out of each roll out - they make very good snacks!

For all my tips and tricks on making the best sugar cookie dough, check out my post on how to make sugar cookie dough

Frequently Asked Questions

What tools and equipment do you use?
You can find a full list of the tools and equipment I use on my products page

How many sugar cookies does this recipe make?

This recipe makes about 20-30 sugar cookies, depending on how big your cutters are. I used a 3" / 75mm cookie cutter to make most of the round ones, along with a slightly smaller round cutter and got about 20 cookies, with one round of re-rolling the dough.

Can I use this recipe for drop cookies?

No - this is a roll-out cookie recipe. If you are after a drop cookie, make my classic vanilla cookies or my funfetti sugar cookies, or for a chocolate version, my sprinkle sugar cookies or my chewy chocolate cookies are perfect for this!

What sprinkles did you use on these sugar cookies?

The sprinkles I used are from bakers party shop

For more easy cookie recipes, check out:

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