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 ยผ 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 โ ″) 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 ยผ″, 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 ยฝ teaspoons vanilla extract (see note)
- 1 large egg
- 2 ยฝ cups (315 g) all-purpose flour (Plain flour)
- ยพ teaspoon baking powder
- ยพ 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)
- ยฝ 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 ยฝ teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 large egg
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.2 ยฝ cups (315 g) all-purpose flour, ยพ teaspoon baking powder, ยพ 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.ย Repeat with remaining cookie dough in another piece of clear wrap.ย 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.ย Lightly flour the dough and roll out to โ " (for thinner, crispier cookies) or ยผ" (for thicker, softer cookies).ย 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.ย
- 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.ย ย3 cups (375 g) powdered sugar, sifted, 3-4 Tablespoons milk, 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup, ยฝ 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 isnโt 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 ยพ teaspoon and add ยผ-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.ย 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.
Linda
I was looking for a last minute sugar cookie recipe to make some for Santa. I have tried baking sugar cookies in the past and none have ever turned out well. I decided to give this one a shot for the sake of the kids and I am so happy I did. This recipe is a keeper! I think the big difference is that I could follow your little tips along the way, like how the softness of the butter impacts the dough. And the taste…yum! They didn’t spread when baked and I was able to bake different trays at different thicknesses to please all the preferences. Unfortunately these were so last minute and not surprisingly, there was no powdered sugar at the store. I had to buy pre-made icing to get by, but I can’t wait to try it next time!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are so happy you gave our recipe a shot, Linda! Thanks so much for letting us know how it went for you. You’ll love the icing too! โค๏ธ
Jessica
Ours completely melted into one giant cookie. ๐ญ
Sam
Oh no! That’s definitely not supposed to happen. Were any substitutions made or was anything possibly mis-measured? I always start there if things don’t turn out as planned (check you didn’t accidentally grab baking soda instead of baking powder… been there!). If that’s not the case, the dough may have been too warm when it was baked, however it would have to be REALLY warm (too melty to even be cut out into shapes) for it to have been able to spread quite that much. I am more than happy to help troubleshoot further!
Kareena
Hello,
Can an egg replacer be used instead of an egg?
Sam
Hi Kareena! While I think that would be fine, I’m not very familiar with egg replacers so I’m hoping that someone who is can chime in.
Lola
I made my dough last night, and itโs rock hard this morning. How long should I leave it out before rolling it out?
Last year I made the same cookies, and they were very wide and fluffy. Is this because the dough was not chilled enough?
Sam
Hi Lola! Exactly how long it will need to sit at room temperature depends on the temperature of your kitchen. Usually 15-25 minutes is enough to do the trick. Just note that if the dough cracks, it needs a bit more time at room temperature. If you used this recipe and the were wide and fluffy and nothing was mis-measured it is likely because the dough was too warm, which could happen from being over-handled. Also, take care to not place cookie dough on a hot baking sheet.
gigi
Can you make these into slice and bake cookies?
Sam
Hi Gigi! I think that would be fine ๐
maria
I followed the directions, but the dough is as hard as a rock now? What did I do wrong? (I put in fridge for 2.5 hours)
Sam
Hi Maria! They may just need to sit at room temperature for a bit before you can roll them out. ๐
Brenda
Put the two discs of dough in refrigerator over night. Dough is rock hard this morning. Itโs been out on the counter for 45 minutes and still too hard to roll. Maybe I didnโt beat the butter and sugar long enough?? They were blended together.
Sam
Hi Brenda! It may just need a little more time to warm up a little bit, but don’t let it get super warm. ๐
Alesha
We had so much fun with this recipe!!! My mom and I were decorating cookies all afternoon. This may become a Christmas tradition!
Sam
So happy to hear this! Thank you for trying my recipe, Alesha!
Rachel
Can you use imitation vanilla extract with this recipe? Weโre experiencing frigid weather in Chicago and I just realized I only have 1/2 teaspoon of pure left, but have a hidden imitation in the pantry.
Sam
Hi Rachel! Absolutely, that won’t be a problem at all. Enjoy! ๐
Whitney
This will be the 3rd year I have used this recipe. It is now a Christmas tradition. Thank you so much for sharing this. I appreciate it more than you will ever know.
Sam
I am so happy to hear this, Whitney! Thank you so much for trying and trusting my recipes, I appreciate it!
Erica
Hi Sam,
My children and I made your Sugar Cookie recipe today and they are delicious!
I made the icing and itโs a keeper too but, I do have one question.
How do you get your icing very white?
Between the vanilla and light corn syrup itโs not very white.
Is there a white color dye you use?
Thanks so much & Have a very Merry Christmas!
Sam
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed them so much Erica! The light corn syrup should be almost clear in color so that shouldn’t change the color. You can use a clear vanilla extract instead of the regular vanilla to keep the color more pure white. I hope that helps. ๐
Erica
Thanks so much for the tip Sam! ๐
Ginny Giaquinta
My dough is super dry and cracking even before putting in the fridge? Is this normal?
Sam
Hi Ginny! No, it sounds like the flour may have been accidentally over-measured or the flour could have been added too quickly and the dough just needs to be mixed more. I hope that helps!
Julia
Found this recipe a few years ago and now make it every year at Christmas. I always get compliments on these delicious cookies!
Tim
Can I use baking soda rather than powder for the cookies?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Tim! Unfortunately not. ๐ Baking soda and baking powder aren’t interchangeable–we have a post on baking powder vs baking soda if you’d like to learn more.
Tim
Ok. Iโve purchased the baking powder. Thank you for the response.
Leta Hice
I used to think I just did not like sugar cookies… but now I do! I added almond extract, and these cookies are awesome! Will definitely make again!
Eva
Would you be able to use dark corn syrup instead?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Eva! Dark corn syrup could work but will add a muddy color and additional flavor to your icing. Hope that helps ๐
Kay
I’ve made these a handful of times and it’s a fan favourite. That being said I was asked last minute to make them for Christmas and I dont have enough time to cut out all the shapes. Is it possible to turn these into a slice and bake sugar cookie? And if so, long should the log be and roughly how much would it yield. Thank you!
Sam
Hi Kay! I haven’t tried it, but I think it could work. You could roll the log to your preferred size. I’m not sure what the yield would be because that will be dependent on the size of the cookies. ๐
Maria
My son made this dough the other day. It said to cut in half and make a disk but it was unclear so rolled it out to the cookie thickness it mentions above. The cookies taste like butter and not sugar I’m unsure if he measured incorrectly or if it’s because we didn’t make the disk into a ball again and incorporate it and roll it out again.. we will ice them tomorrow. Hopefully they come out ok.
Sam
Hi Maria! I’m sorry there were some issues. You need to do the same to each piece of dough. In step 6 it has you cut the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap and flatten into a disc. Then repeat with the other half of the dough and chill both of them. Did you chill the dough after making it into a disc? They do have a buttery flavor but shouldn’t taste like just butter it’s a buttery sugar flavor, if that makes sense. I hope they turn out! ๐
Lauren Doherty
Hi – I was wondering do you bake directly on the cookie sheet? Use parchment paper or a silpat? Greased? Just make a cake that stuck so trying to be cautious!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Lauren! Step 7 of the recipe discusses this. We hope you love cookies! โค๏ธ
Kanyaka
Hi Sam.
I have tried your recipe yesterday. They were delicious. My family loved it. Thank you so much.
Terri White
Dear Fellow Bakers: Have you ever had a cookie where the frosting was good but the cookie was meh or vice versa? You will not have that problem with Samโs recipe! The cookie is sweet enough that you can enjoy them plain but when you add the icing, they are next level deliciousness! This is so much better than Royal icing, yet they stack and store beautifully. I donโt use the frosting bags because I donโt want to waste a drop and who wants frosting in their hair when they try and lick out the remaining icing in the bag? ๐คฃ I spoon my frosting on and decorate. Easy breezy. If I could add a picture I would. You can see them on Instagram EatGr8Food.
Sam
Thank you so much for the kind words, Terri! I am so thrilled to hear the recipe was such a success for you!! Thank you for commenting! ๐