Introducing the actual best sugar cookie recipe! My recipe makes simple, versatile vanilla sugar cookies; the dough is easy to roll and to work with and doesn’t spread when baking, so your cookies will always have sharp, defined edges! You can decorate these cookies with sanding sugar, or you can use my recipe below for a simple (and tasty!) pipe-able sugar cookie icing (one that’s not royal icing!).
The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe
If you’re looking for perfect cut-out Christmas sugar cookies, ones that hold their shape and don’t spread in the oven, come together easily with no strange ingredients, and that actually taste incredible, too, I’ve got you covered this year.
If you want a foolproof (and I do literally mean foolproof) easy sugar cookie icing that isn’t royal icing, one that dries firm but not break-your-teeth hard, well I’ve got you covered there too.
I’m adding this flawless sugar cookie recipe to my Christmas cookie tray alongside the gingerbread men, meringues, and hot chocolate bombs (am I the only one including these on my cookie list this year?) and would like to gently suggest you consider doing the same, I don’t think you (or your guests or gift recipients!) will regret it.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Sugar Cookie Recipe:
- My recipe yields cookies that absolutely do not spread in the oven, so you have perfectly defined shapes and clear cookie-cutter edges.
- These sugar cookies have a soft interior texture with a classic, buttery flavor (and instructions for adding other flavors, if desired).
- Recipe includes instructions to easily customize the cookies depending on whether you prefer thicker and softer or thinner and crispier sugar cookies.
- Includes a simple, shiny, and absolutely foolproof (you seriously can’t mess this up!) sugar cookie icing that you are going to love. While royal icing certainly has its place (and I even have a fantastic royal icing recipe, if you’re searching or would like to use that here) I generally prefer this oh-so-easy frosting instead.
What You Need
Sugar Cookies Ingredients
- Butter. I recommend using unsalted butter so that we can best control the flavor. For best results, note that the butter should be softened, but not so soft that it’s melting/oily.
- Sugar. Use granulated sugar, it gives my sugar cookie recipe that classic Christmas cookie flavor you know and love and helps keep them from spreading.
- Egg. A single egg helps the dough bind together.
- Vanilla extract. You can really flavor these cookies with whatever extract you like best (almond and lemon are popular choices), but typically I always include at least a splash of vanilla, even when using other flavors, as it gives the sugar cookies a beautiful depth of flavor. (If you have homemade vanilla extract, now is a great time to use it!).
- Flour. I have only tested and only recommend this sugar cookie recipe with all-purpose flour (often simply referred to as “plain” flour outside of the US).
- Baking powder. My recipe uses just a small amount of baking powder, which helps give the cookies the perfect soft interior texture and crisp edge.
- Salt. I mentioned above that unsalted butter is best, but if you only have salted on hand simply reduce the salt in the recipe to ¼ teaspoon.
Sugar Cookie Icing Ingredients
- Powdered sugar. Also known as confectioners sugar or icing sugar. For best results (especially if you’ll be piping the icing), sift it to remove any lumps before using.
- Milk. I use whole milk, but any variety (low-fat, skim, or even non-dairy milk like almond) will work instead. Just note that if you are using a lower-fat milk you may need less than the recipe calls for, as it is thinner.
- Vanilla extract. If you want pure white icing I recommend using a clear vanilla extract.
- Light corn syrup. Not to be confused with high fructose corn syrup, this ingredient gives my sugar cookie frosting a glossy, shiny finish and helps it to to set firmly. If you must leave it out, I’ve included notes in the recipe on how to do so, but for best results I recommend using it. Dark corn syrup could work but will add a muddy color and additional flavor to your icing. Outside of the US, you may be able to find glucose syrup, which should work instead.
- Food Coloring. Of course this is optional, but for festively decorated Christmas sugar cookies, you’ll probably want to add a bit of color. I love and use gel food coloring for best results (and linked to the kind I use in the recipe). Liquid or powder food coloring will work, but may not be as vibrant.
As always, this is just an overview of the ingredients used here and why they were chosen. For the full sugar cookie recipe with amounts and detailed instructions, please scroll down to the printable recipe.
SAM’S TIP: Don’t have time to decorate? Skip the sugar cookie frosting and just sprinkle colorful sanding sugar over the cookies before baking!
Tips for Making the Best Sugar Cookies
- When cutting out your sugar cookies, make sure to keep your cuts as close together to get as many cookies out of your dough as possible. Re-roll any scraps so that you use all of your dough. Keep in mind that with each re-roll you’re adding more flour into the dough, so you want to get as much as possible out of that first roll.
- Bake cookies that are about the same size on the same baking sheet. Otherwise the small ones will burn and the large ones won’t finish baking.
- For thinner, crispy sugar cookies: Roll cookie dough thinner (about ⅛″) and look for the edges of the cookies to be beginning to turn golden brown to know that they are done.
- For thicker, soft sugar cookies: Roll dough to about ¼″, and watch for cookies to be just beginning to turn lightly golden around the edges. Let them cool completely on the cookie rack as they may break if you try to move them while they’re still warm.
- When making the sugar cookie icing: It’s hard to mess this one up, because if you make it too thin, just add more powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, just add more milk! Look for a consistency where the icing that drizzles off of the whisk holds its shape for several seconds before dissolving back into the icing bowl.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sugar cookies should always have a distinctly buttery, sugary and (usually) vanilla flavor, but in order to maintain their clean-cut shape they are never quite as rich as drop cookies. Much of their flavor comes from the sweet sugar cookie icing. While my sugar cookie recipe is already flavorful, to make them even more so, you can add different extracts or emulsions to the dough or top the icing off with sanding sugar or decorative candies.
Yes, my easy sugar cookie icing may be colored (if desired) and stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to a week before using. To help keep the top from crusting, always place a piece of plastic wrap directly against the surface of the sugar cookie frosting when storing (or keep in a plastic bag and twist to keep the air from reaching the icing). Most likely you will need to stir (or if you stored it in piping bags, massage it) before using.
This is often a result of accidentally mis-measuring an ingredient or over-measuring the flour. Please see my post on how to measure flour properly, and remember to never scoop the flour directly into the measuring cup (for best results, use a scale!).
Add your flour gradually. Adding it all at once can make it difficult for the dough to properly absorb the dry ingredients, resulting in a crumbly, difficult dough. Make sure that your sugar cookie dough is thoroughly combined; if it still seems crumbly after you’ve added all the flour, just keep mixing with an electric mixer (or stand mixer) until dough is clinging together and no flour remains.
This is most often a result of accidentally mis-measuring or substituting an ingredient, using butter that is much too soft (it should never be melting/oily and should not be warmed in the microwave), or not chilling the dough for long enough. Dough that is still slightly sticky after chilling can often be salvaged by chilling longer or by generously dusting your countertop and the dough with additional flour.
Hopefully you love this easy sugar cookie recipe as much as I do, and don’t forget to check out the how-to video in the recipe card!
Enjoy!
Easy Sugar Cookies & Sugar Cookie Frosting
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract (see note)
- 1 large egg
- 2 ½ cups (315 g) all-purpose flour (Plain flour)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon table salt
Sugar Cookie Frosting
- 3 cups (375 g) powdered sugar, sifted (weigh before sifting)
- 3-4 Tablespoons milk (I use whole milk, but any kind will work)
- 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup (see note)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Gel food coloring optional
- Additional candies and sprinkles for decorating optional
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
Sugar Cookies
- Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl and use an electric hand mixer) and beat until creamy and well-combined.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until completely combined.1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 large egg
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.2 ½ cups (315 g) all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon table salt
- Gradually stir dry ingredients into wet until dough is smooth and completely combined.
- Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and transfer approximately half of the dough onto the wrap (dough will be quite sticky at this point, that’s OK!).
- Cover dough with clear wrap or wax paper and mold into a flat disk. Wrap tightly. Repeat with remaining cookie dough in another piece of clear wrap. Transfer dough to refrigerator and chill for at least 2-3 hours and up to 5 days.
- Once dough has finished chilling, preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (alternatively bake cookies directly on an ungreased baking sheet). Set aside.
- Generously dust a clean surface with flour and place one chilled cookie dough disk onto the surface. Lightly flour the dough and roll out to ⅛" (for thinner, crispier cookies) or ¼" (for thicker, softer cookies). Add additional flour as needed both on top of and beneath the dough so that it doesn't stick. Note: if dough is cracking as you roll it, let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to soften before attempting again.
- Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and use a spatula to transfer shapes to prepared baking sheet, spacing at least 1" apart. If you are not intending to decorate your cookies with icing, you can decorate them with sanding sugar at this point before you bake them.
- Bake on 350F (175C) for 8-10 minutes (this is for cookies that are approximately 3" [7.6cm]; note that smaller cookies will need less time and larger cookies will need more), or until edges just begin to turn lightly golden brown.
- Allow cookies to cool completely on cookie sheet before decorating.
Easy Sugar Cookie Icing
- Combine powdered sugar, 2 Tablespoons of milk, corn syrup, and vanilla extract in a medium-sized bowl and stir until combined. If frosting is too thick, add more milk, about a teaspoon at a time, until the frosting is thick but pipeable. If you accidentally add too much milk, add powdered sugar until desired texture is reached.3 cups (375 g) powdered sugar, sifted, 3-4 Tablespoons milk, 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- If coloring the frosting, divide into bowls and color as desired at this point.Gel food coloring
- Transfer frosting to a piping bag with a piping tip (I used Wilton 5), or place in a Ziploc bag and snip a small piece of the corner off (not as neat, but this will still work, just take care that the frosting isn’t so thick that it breaks open the seam of the bag when you are squeezing).
- Pipe frosting on cookies and decorate with decorative candies, if desired.Additional candies and sprinkles for decorating
- Allow frosting to harden before enjoying, stacking, or storing (this took several hours for me and may vary for you depending on the consistency of your frosting).
Notes
Flavoring and extracts
You may also reduce the vanilla extract to ¾ teaspoon and add ¼-1/2 teaspoons of either almond or lemon extract (or just about any other extract you’d like!).Corn Syrup
I highly recommend using light corn syrup for the firmest, glossiest finish on your sugar cookies. However, if you must omit it, you may, but note that the frosting will not dry quite as hard and you will likely need to add more milk to get the icing to the proper consistency. Glucose syrup may be substituted, but outside of that I am not sure of a substitute that would give the same effect.Making Frosting in Advance
To make icing in advance, store in an airtight container with a piece of plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface of the icing. It will keep for several days and may be stored either at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Icing will need to be stirred again before using. It may be colored with food coloring before or after storing.Storing
Keep uneaten cookies sealed in an airtight container at room temperature for up to ten days. Cookies may also be frozen for several months.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Tiffany
Hi I was wondering if I could leave out the corn syrup or have any easy alternatives for it in the frosting? I don’t really want to buy a whole bottle of it just to use a small amount for the recipe.
Sam
Hi Tiffany! Unfortunately the corn syrup is pretty important here. It helps the frosting set and give it it’s sheen. 🙁
hari
I plan to bake the cookies one day and decorate the next day. Do I refrigerate the undecorated cookies? Once they are decorated, do I let them set at room temperature or chill them?
Sam
These cookies don’t need to be refrigerated. They can be stored at room temperature in an air tight container. 🙂
Candi
Is there a reason you used unsalted butter? I only have salted on hand–should I decrease the amount of salt added?
Sam
Hi Candi! I use unsalted butter because it gives you better control of the amount in the salt. I have an article explaining the differences in salted and unsalted butter, but for this recipe you will just want to decrease the salt by 1/2 teaspoon. 🙂
Alexandria
Hi, do you have to outline and flood with thinner icing or will this go on smooth with just one thickness?
Sam
Hi Alexandria! I use just one thickness personally. For more intricate designs or if you’re specifically looking for flooding or outlining icing I do have a royal icing recipe, if you prefer.
Dianna
Hi Sam,
Would I be able to make the icing the day before? I am hosting a cookie decorating day with kids and would like to try your icing?
Sam
Hi Dianna! Unfortunately it is not good for making in advance. It will begin to set up and will not longer be usable to decorate cookies. The good thing about this icing is that it only takes a few minutes to whip together. 🙂
Hannah
Hi, my cookies started to melt in the oven? They were still raw after 10 minutes in the oven, do you know what might have caused this?
Sam
Hi Hannah! There are a few things that may have cause this. The dough may have needed a little more time to chill or you may have needed enough flour. If the cookies aren’t cooking did you roll them really thick, or is your oven temperature inaccurate?
Hannah
Thank you for getting back. I actually kneaded more flour into the other half of my dough and that worked perfectly!
Charlotte
Hi! How long can I store the dough in the fridge if I decided I want to bake it a little later instead? Can it last a week or more? and will storing it in the freezer prolong its life? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Charlotte! It should be good for about a week in the refrigerator. Any longer than that and you’ll want to freeze the dough. 🙂
My
How long can you leave the frosting outside before it goes bad?
Sam
It will start to set after probably about a half an hour.
Teffany
I’m not a baker by any stretch. I’ve tried several different sugar cookie recipes, but this is the simpliest and an absolutely perfect recipe that I can memorize and oh so tasty.
Thank you!!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Teffany! 🙂
Chad
2.5 cups of AP flour should be 300 grams, but you have it at 315. Can you clarify?
Sam
Hi Chad! 2.5 cups is precisely 312.5 grams. The standard that I use on my website is 125 grams per cup of flour, which is not an uncommon standard (I bake with weight measurements myself and so whenever you see weights on my blog you can trust they are what I’ve personally tested my recipes with).
I’ve rounded it up to 315 grams for simplicity’s sake (the 2.5 gram difference is negligible).
I hope that helps!
Darcy tussak
Well you’ve done it again! Another perfect recipe. One question.. there was a link to a baking supply company on one of your recipes. I can’t seem to find it. They had flat rate shipping and very reasonable prices. Would you please let me know where on your site I can find it ? And is there a place on your site for all of your supplies( tools )?
Thanks again!
Sam
Hi Darcy! I’m so, so happy to hear you enjoyed the cookies! I think you are thinking of Country Kitchen Sweet Art, which is where I get all of my sprinkles. For my supplies I mostly get them from Amazon.
I just shared a post on my favorite gifts for bakers, and I also have a shop on Amazon for my favorite Baking Tools and Baking Gifts. I hope that helps!
Linda
Hi Sam,
I love your recipes and can’t wait to try these sugar cookies. I recently purchased some cookie stamps and was wondering if this would be a good recipe to use them with or would another type of cookie dough like Springerle work better. I really love sugar cookies.
Sam
Hi Linda! Honestly, I have never tried this recipe with the stamps (though I will have to now!) so I’m hesitant to say for sure. I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work with them. If you try it I would love to hear how it worked for you. Sorry I can’t be more helpful with this specific question!
shannon
Cant wait to try these. I am making these cookies with the icing as kits which I am giving to my friends to do a zoom cookie party! Do you know how long the icing can be made ahead of time if I put them in icing bags? Thanks!
Sam
I’m so sorry for the delayed response, Shannon! If you put the icing in a frosting bag and leave it sealed with not air getting to it you should be fine. I stored mine the other day in an air tight container and pressed cling wrap down on to the surface so any air in the container couldn’t get to the icing to dry it out. 🙂
June
Help I made the dough and it’s crumbly not sticky !!
Sam
O no! It sounds like there may be too much flour if it’s too crumbly. You don’t want it to be really sticky but it shouldn’t be really crumbly either. 🙁
Trista
mine was like that after i chilled it but when i picked it up and worked with it it was a lot better
Hana
Hi Sam,
How long exactly would it take for the frosting because I am planning to make them next weekend and I need to knkw when should i start making the frosting. Also, would it work if I don’t wait for it to harden because my family doesn’t like hard frosting, if so how long do I have to wait for the frosting to be soft
Sam
Hi Hana! The frosting whips up pretty quickly. This frosting isn’t like a hard snappy royal icing. It becomes firm enough to stack but it’s not exactly hard. That being said, you can eat the cookies right after frosting it may just be a little bit messier. For how long it takes to set up, it really depends on how much you use. It will normally start to get a little stiff a few minutes after piping on the cookies. I hope this helps. 🙂
Jessica
Can I use regular food coloring if I don’t have gel color?
Sam
Yup, that won’t be a problem. Enjoy! 🙂
Jessica
These turned out great. My dough was a bit crumbly and I baked for a touch longer. Also added cinnamon to the dough. Best sugar cookies I’ve made. Thanks!
Sam
So glad to hear they were a success, Jessica! 🙂