The Best Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe! They are soft, chewy and hold their shape perfectly! Plus an easy sugar cookie frosting that tastes great and hardens with a beautiful shine!
Making cut out sugar cookies has been our familys holiday baking tradition for 30 years! As far back as I can remember, every December wed get together with our cousins and make Christmas cookies, and I have carried on the tradition with my five kids!
However, since starting this tradition with my own family, I have tested dozens of sugar cookie recipes without landing on the perfect one…until now. I tweaked my moms sugar cookie recipe (which is a little on the crispy side for my personal preferences) and created this PERFECT sugar cookie recipe!
These cut out sugar cookies are soft and chewy (thanks to the use of butter and two eggs), insanely delicious and hold their shape beautifully! I also created a sugar cookie frosting recipe that tastes great, hardens with a beautiful shine and makes enough to frost 3 dozen cookies!
This is a comprehensive post sharing all my tips on how we make this sugar cookie recipe! From chilling the dough to letting my kids make their own “crazy cookie” with the scraps, youre about to dive into 33 years of sugar cookie baking experience, so grab some coffee and settle in!
Im going to walk through the process of making these cut out sugar cookies with you step-by-step! Making them is definitely a process. And although there are many steps, they are all simple! In my opinion, making this sugar cookie recipe a lasting tradition with your family is 100% worth it! Dont forget to watch the video.
Sure you could buy pre-made sugar cookies to decorate…but my kids absolutely LOVE helping make the dough! From mixing to rolling to cutting, every step is exciting for them and creates lifelong memories!
The Best Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe
The Best Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe! They are soft, chewy and don’t spread! Plus an easy sugar cookie frosting that tastes great and hardens with a beautiful shine! Making these easy decorated sugar cookies has been our family’s holiday baking tradition for 30 years!
Prep: 25min
Total: 105min
Yield: 32
Serving Size: 1 cookie
Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1 cookie, calories 111.3 kcal, Carbohydrate 13.2 g, Protein 1.4 g, Fat 6 g, Saturated Fat 3.7 g, Cholesterol 27.1 mg, Sodium 89.9 mg, Fiber 0.3 g, Sugar 6.3 g, unSaturated Fat 1.9 g
Ingredients:
- 1 cup salted butter (softened)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour*
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 cups powdered sugar (sifted )
- 3-4 TBS milk (room temperature)
- 2 ½ TBS light corn syrup
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- Gel food coloring (optional)
Instruction:
- Repeat until all the dough is used. You can gather and re-roll the dough scraps two additional times (3 times total).
- Use a pastry brush and brush the cookies with a little bit of milk or cream. Then decorate with sprinkles, which will stick to the milk/cream.
- Repeat with second disc of dough.
- Store in an airtight container or on a plate wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Soft Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
With crisp edges, thick centers, and room for lots of decorating icing, I know you’ll love these soft sugar cookies as much as I do. The number of cookies this recipe yields depends on the size of the cookie cutter you use. If you’d like to make dozens of cookies for a large crowd, double the recipe.
Prep: 2h30min
Total: 4h45min
Yield: 24
Ingredients:
- 2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed for rolling and work surface
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks or 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional, but makes the flavor outstanding)*
- Royal Icing or Easy Glaze Icing (royal icing is pictured)
- Assorted sprinkles
Instruction:
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract (if using) and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Dough will be a bit soft. If the dough seems too soft and sticky for rolling, add 1 more Tablespoon of flour.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Place each portion onto a piece of lightly floured parchment paper or a lightly floured silicone baking mat. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use more flour if the dough seems too sticky. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly 1/4-inch thick.
- Lightly dust one of the rolled-out doughs with flour. Place a piece of parchment on top. (This prevents sticking.) Place the 2nd rolled-out dough on top. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours and up to 2 days.
- Once chilled, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Carefully remove the top dough piece from the refrigerator. If it’s sticking to the bottom, run your hand under it to help remove it—see me do this in the video below. Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Repeat with 2nd piece of dough. (Note: It doesn’t seem like a lot of dough, but you get a lot of cookies from the dough scraps you re-roll.)
- Arrange cookies on baking sheets 3 inches apart. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. If your oven has hot spots, rotate the baking sheet halfway through bake time. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
- Decorate the cooled cookies with royal icing or easy cookie icing. Feel free to tint either icing with gel food coloring. See post above for recommended decorating tools. No need to cover the decorated cookies as you wait for the icing to set. If it’s helpful, decorate the cookies directly on a baking sheet so you can stick the entire baking sheet in the refrigerator to help speed up the icing setting.
- Enjoy cookies right away or wait until the icing sets to serve them. Once the icing has set, these cookies are great for gifting or for sending. Plain or decorated cookies stay soft for about 5 days when covered tightly at room temperature. For longer storage, cover and refrigerate for up to 10 days.
