My cut out sugar cookie recipe has been tested and perfected to make it as easy as possible for you. The dough requires chilling, but my trick is to roll it before chilling which makes cutting these out a dream, especially if you are baking with kids. They bake up crisp and perfect for decorating, while still being delicious and buttery.
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.
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 would like a bar version of this recipe, my sugar cookie bars are also so good.
I am PICKY when it comes to cookie recipes, but I LOVE this one.
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 incredibly well tested and 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.
This recipe is perfect for a freezer stash
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!
- 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!
How to get super clean cuts on 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.
Cookie Decoration Ideas
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!
❤️ Made this recipe and love it? ❤️
I would LOVE for you to leave me a review and star rating below to let me know how you liked it! Also, please make sure to tag me on Instagram!
Answers to your baking questions
Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:
- baking in grams
- adjusting oven temperatures
- what kind of salt to use
- and many more!
I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!
My Favorite Cut Out Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 20 servings 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
My cut out sugar cookie recipe has been tested and perfected to make it as easy as possible for you. The dough requires chilling, but my trick is to roll it before chilling which makes cutting these out a dream, especially if you are baking with kids. They bake up crisp and perfect for decorating, while still being delicious and buttery.
Ingredients
- 170g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 180g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg (50g not including shell), at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 310g All-Purpose Flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 3g (1 tsp) kosher salt (see notes above recipe for using other salt)
Instructions
- Place the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream together on medium high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, stopping to scrape down the edges a few times to ensure the mixture is fully combined. This step can also be done in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer.
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix well to combine.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Flour the top lightly and pat gently into a rectangle shape with your hands.
- Top with a second piece of parchment paper, and roll to a thickness of 0.25" / 6mm.
- Transfer the dough, still between the two pieces of parchment paper, to a sheet pan. Chill in the fridge for at least two hours to allow the dough to firm up, and up to three days ahead.
- When you are ready to bake the sugar cookies, preheat the oven to 325°f /165°c with a rack arranged in the middle of the oven. Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove the top sheet of parchment paper from the cookie dough. Cut out shapes of your choice using the cutters of your choice, and arrange on the prepared baking sheets, leaving a little room for spreading and arranging by size if you are using multiple sizes of cutters - small cut out sugar cookies together and larger ones together etc.
- Once you have cut out your cookies, place the baking sheets with the cut out dough on them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to firm up slightly.
- Re-roll scraps of dough by pressing them together, flouring lightly, then rolling the dough out between two sheets of parchment again. Chill or freeze for 10-15 minutes before cutting out more cookies.
- Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes, until they are set around the edges and just beginning to go golden. Different sized cookies may need more or less time depending on their size, so check after 12 minutes for doneness.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Notes
If you only have salted butter, that is fine, just omit the salt from the recipe.
For more notes on making sugar cookie dough, including how to add sprinkles to the dough, see my post - how to make sugar cookie dough.
For icing suggestions, see my post on sugar cookie icing
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. If you want to freeze before baking, freeze the cookies on a baking sheet to preserve their shape then transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. As the recipe already has you freeze the cookies there is no need to alter the baking time or temp - just bake as directed.
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!
Using cookie stamps / printed cookie cutters
I tried this during the recipe testing process, and it works super well - you just have to make sure that the dough is well chilled (make sure you give it the full 2 hours chill time called for in the recipe).
You can then cut out using your cookie stamps as you would with a regular cutter. Make sure that you dust them lightly in flour and the dough is nice and cold. The key to keeping the pattern in the cookie is to make sure that it is super solid and frozen when you bake them - I would give them at least 30 minutes in the freezer before baking.
I used snowflake cutters and some super cute christmas cutters, along with some really cute patterned plunger cutters which gave a cookie shape but with a really cute top on it. I have also done a valentine's version using these heart shaped cookie cutters. I went for a really easy option with the stamped cookies and gave them a simple glaze made with 150g powdered sugar and 35g lemon juice. I let the cookies stand for 5 minutes when they came out of the oven, then painted them with the glaze and left them to cool and set. It's a super easy way to make really cute but easy cookies.
Comments
stacy says
My new fave! It comes together quickly and taste delicious! Rolling then chilling makes it much easier to work with.
caribou says
so so good.they're easy to make and have a great taste and texture. Not too hard, not too soft, they're perfect for decorating.
Lucette says
Will be using this recipe for years to come! First time making sugar cookies and this recipe was so simple and easy to follow. Thank you!
Robin says
These cookies turned out amazing! So delicious. Very easy to make! These will definitely be my go to sugar cookie recipe!!!
Michelle says
Fun and easy recipe! Chills quickly for a nice clean cut out, too. Thanks, Erin!
Serety says
Great recipe - easy to make and delicious result! Now my go to summer holiday biscuit recipe, ngā mihi
Jessa says
Great recipe! Easy and makes delicious cookies that hold their shape well. This will be my go-to sugar cookie recipe now.
Nysheika says
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I noticed in your salt note that you’re working to get gram measurements throughout the recipes. If it is currently listed by grams in the recipe should we follow that measurement or should we still adjust according to type/brand? I don’t have access to Diamond Crystal.
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! Follow the gram amount 🙂 grams makes it accurate regardless of the brand!
Simone says
Sugar cookies are my favorite and this recipe is easy and tastes delicious. Thank you!
Nadya says
I like to make iced sugar cookies for holidays for friends and I had a go-to recipe that was great but not perfect. Sometimes it would spread a little or the edges weren't as clean as they were when I cut the shape out. When I saw Erin was making her own, and they looked so perfect, I had to try them for my next holiday bake (now it's for valentines)and wow are they the most perfect shaped cookies I have ever made!! The dough is easy to work with even when it's just mixed and even better when chilled! Thank you Erin!!
Jamie says
These were our "cookies for Santa" this year and they were great (I heard... from Santa...). The dough was very easy to work with (even the rerolled scraps) so my kids had no trouble cutting them out with all different kinds of cookie cutters, and they all held their shapes so well during baking. Will definitely be keeping this on file for future use.
emma says
fabulous. I added chopped pistachio and dried cranberry for my toppings and they are fantastic 🙂
Ngoc says
A great recipe! Was skeptical about the fridging and freezing steps but the cookies came out really nice!
Gwen says
I love the parchment paper rolling technique. I made the dough last night, refrigerated it and baked today. They turned out beautifully. Easy recipe to make a small batch of sugar cookies. A keeper for sure. Thanks Erin for your free recipe.
Kate says
These are so yummy, buttery and rich and just *chef’s kiss*.
And as I learned from my last batch - the chilling is important, don’t skip that for the perfect cookie 😝
demelza says
Such a great recipe, ma and the kids have just made kiss biscuits for the grandmas 🥰
Toni Ruawai says
Best sugar cookie recipe, they are so delicious and it’s very hard to stop at 1. The 2 ingredient icing taste great as well, such a good recipe to use when kids want to decorate.
BB says
WHY DO YOU UAVE THIS RECIPE IN GRAMS?????
ARE WE ON A DIFFERENT PLANET NOW
COME ON-
Erin Clarkson says
We might be - want to trade? I would love to live on a planet where I have enough time to berate a stranger for their free recipe because it's not in a format that suits me specifically!
Aine says
Just made these and used a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter. Perhaps didn't chill for long enough after using the cutter as the cookies lost the pumpkin shape. Taste delicious - will be my go too sugar cookie recipe from now on
Elsa Hiemstra says
Becky says
I haven’t made these yet, but I’m sure they’ll be *****. Curious if you baked sprinkles in the dough shown in a couple of the photos? I don’t want to frost or decorate them, but I like the look of maybe a little red and green sprinkles embedded in the dough. Thanks!
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! I haven't but you could easily add in some sprinkles to do like a funfetti situation! use the jimmies sprinkles rather than like a non-pareils kind.
Gwen says
I love the rolling technique Erin recommended in this recipe. The recipe was quick and easy to assemble. I made the dough last evening, refrigerated and baked today. The recipe made 30 cookies for me. Thank you Erin for a great recipe.
Katie says
Hi Erin, I might’ve missed it but if freezing the dough ahead of time do you have to adjust the bake time for baking from frozen? Or should I let them defrost slightly before cooking ☺️
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! Yes they may need an extra minute or so but the original recipe has you freeze them before baking anyway so it's similar!
Pip says
Love this recipe! This paired with the 2 ingredient icing is a winner
Erin Clarkson says
They are beautiful!!
Stephanie Rufo says
Once again another perfect recipe! I’m always searching for recipes that use weight measurements as it’s the only time my baked goods come out flawless. These tips did not disappoint. I was always afraid to attempt cut out sugar cookie dough, but when I saw you had a post I knew I would be able to accomplish it. Thank you for another perfect recipe and your tips!
Jessica Trask says
These cookies are delicious! Erin also responded to a DM I sent asking if these would work for cookie stamps. Thank you for your amazing recipes Erin and for your generosity in answering extra questions - you are an absolute gem! Have a really wonderful holiday season - you're making ours extra great by all the incredible recipes you've created.
Antonia says
I just made these for the 3rd time and they’re so good! A simple and easy to follow recipe and they taste delish!!
Tiffany says
So good! And it was so satisfying cutting out the cookies from the chilled dough 🙂
Kathy Marvin says
Oh my gosh!! This recipe is perfect!! Thank you. I followed it exactly as written and every single one of my 6 dozen cookies are gorgeous and scrumptious!! I took 3 dz to a Christmas cookie exchange party and seriously, mine were a HIT! Yep, the simple but perfect sugar cookie was the crowd favorite. Huge thanks!! (I painted each large snowflake cutout with a light film of Karo syrup and then plunged the top into white and blue sanding sugar crystals. They are beautiful!!)
Erin Clarkson says
Ahhh they are so beautiful!!
Spencer says
These are awesome! Followed the recipe as written and they're perfect.
Casey says
Simplest and yummiest sugar cookies recipe I've ever used. This one is my new staple. The freezing after cutting really makes the difference is spreading. Thank you! Just thought you'd like to know one of my cookies had a cat hair in it, solidarity.
Tamara says
I’ve made this recipe the past two holiday seasons and it turns out so good! It comes together quickly, has a nice texture, and is well flavored. Better than my grandmas (but I won’t tell her that…)
Victoria Borrell says
Another delicious recipe 😊 must confess I didn’t have time to chill the dough for the recommended time and still so good!
Erica says
These were a hit! I think I made about 4 batches this Christmas season because we kept wanting more and decided to give some away as gifts. Definitely recommend.
Mel says
These cookies were perfect and delicious and extremely easy! Rolling the dough before chilling is genius.
Jenny says
These Sugar Cookies are fantastic. They come together easily and taste great. Erin's recipes never dissapoint.
Jenny says
Jo says
Can I add matcha powder to this recipe? Would love to make matcha with strawberry flavored icing
Erin Clarkson says
Yep it should work! I don't like Matcha so i'm not too sure on the quantities sorry but I've added cocoa powder successfully which is the same sort of ingredient so it should be just fine! x
Aubrey says
So good you can eat them with out frosting 🤣 as always recipe is easy to follow and results are fantastic!
Donna says
my dough came out very dry and crumbly, not like dough. what did I do wrong ? I could barely cut it into shapes
Erin Clarkson says
Did you make the recipe by weight?
Jackie says
These are the best sugar cookies I have ever made!!! Best texture, exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!
Celeste says
Can I use Caster Sugar for this recipe?
Erin Clarkson says
Yep 🙂
Amity says
These were a huge hit! I did them in my holiday cookie mix, and my two family members asked for them to be added to the regular rotation, and to make more next time! I did them all the same shape and used the 2 ingredient icing with sprinkles and sanding sugar - so they were simple, pretty, and delicious. We will be making them again!
Anita Titter says
Perfect sprinkle cookies every time. A big hit with the 5 year old in the house.
Bernadette Stanley says
The best cookies! I make these a lot with my family and they always get eaten so quickly.
Sarah Wright says
Love these, making them regularly, delicious and easy.
Belinda says
Hands down the best sugar cookie dough recipe I have ever made! I used an embosser on my last batch and they turned out fantastic. They are just the right amount of sweet. THANK YOU for doing this all in grams. If you can afford butter you can afford a set of scales! They are the best investment a baker will ever make so get on board if you still work in cups! I'd give you 6 stars if I could Erin xxo
Scarlett says
Hi Erin!
Super excited to give these a go, just wondering if they would be suitable to make gluten free?
Thanks!
Erin Clarkson says
Hi, I haven't tested them gluten free sorry!
Lauren says
First time using this sugar cookie recipe this year, and turned out great 😊 simple steps, chilling the dough is definitely key! Kids loved decorating.
Geraldine says
Hi! Thanks for the recipe. Do you think it's possible to put less sugar or it will affect the texture? Thanks in advance for your reply
Erin Clarkson says
I haven't tried sorry!
Ashlea says
This was my first time making sugar cookies, and they turned out better than I imagined!
I’m so happy with the taste and texture, they’re a little crunchy on the outside but soft on the inside.
They were also so easy to stamp and cut! I would recommend leaving your dough out of the fridge for 5 mins or so before you start stamping, just because it was hard to press the designs into the dough.
They turned out so cute, I cannot wait to take these to work tomorrow!
Erin Clarkson says
Ahhh they look so good! I have those cutters too an they are so much fun!
Catherine Frakes says
This recipe is perfect as written; truly, the resulting cookies are the best sugar cookies I've ever eaten!
However, since I'm an impatient, fallible baker, below are my notes:
1. I didn't have time to cool the cookies between cutting them out and baking, and subsequently they spread a very little bit; maybe 3/16" in all directions. This meant that a few merged a bit; in subsequent baking rounds, I separated the cookies more, and the spreading didn't cause trouble. If you follow the recipe, and chill the cookies properly, probably this won't happen to you.
2. As measured on my imprecise (no decimal place measure) scale, 3g diamond kosher salt equalled 1.5 teaspoons. I went with the 1 teaspoon measurement as listed in the recipe, and the salt level was perfect.
3. Some cookies baked darker than others, and I discovered that the darker golden ones have a wonderful crunch that's lacking in the pale cookies. Probably the pale cookies are better for decorating, but I prefer the golden cookies for eating plain.
Over all, a fantastic recipe that made a sugar-cookie convert out of me!
Erin Clarkson says
ahhh so happy you loved! Thank you!