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.
Kelley
So I just prepped the dough and threw it in the fridge but I’m slightly nervous. It was pretty crumbly and didn’t seem to stick together too well. Is this normal? Will it come together better while chilling? Or is crumbly dough what we want? I’ve never done sugar cookies from scratch before and they’re for a party tonight so please help! Thanks!
Sam
Hi, Kelley. I don’t know that they are going to turn out well if they are crumbly when you put the dough in the refrigerator. Is it possible there was too much flour, or they weren’t mixed well enough? The dough should be pretty sticky when refrigerating. The refrigeration process helps reduce that stickiness. I hope they work out for you. 🙂
NMP
What can be used in place ofight corn syrup?
Sam
Unfortunately, I don’t have any recommendations for replacing corn syrup in this recipe. 🙁
Jill
I read that the icing can’t be saved for a day or 2 but what about 10-12 hours? I abt to make it ahead of time for a cookie decorating party. I want to have the piping bags all set to make Party time go faster. Thanks!
Sam
Hi, Jill! Unfortunately, the frosting will probably start to set in that time. If you want, you could try adding it to piping bags, not cutting off the tip and closing the top end of the bag, to minimize air exposure, then massage the bags every 15 minutes or so to prevent it from hardening. If you do try to go that route, I would test it the day before you plan to do it, to see if it actually works, because I don’t know how it will work.
Shelley Manning
I’m going to test this recipe out tomorrow 😀
Sam
I hope you love them! 🙂
Chantal
How many cookies does this make?
Sam
Hi, Chantal. It will make about 40 cookies if you use a 3 inch cookie cutter. 🙂
Colleenlamb
Can you explain “piping” the frosting? Do you outline the cookie and then fill in with the bag? Does it flow together to look smooth or do you have to smooth it?
Sam
Hi, Colleen. When putting the frosting on, I put all of the frosting into a piping bag, then make an outline around the edge of the cookie. After I line the outside, I will squeeze frosting into the center of that outline, and use a toothpick, or something similar, to smooth the frosting out over the top of the cookie. Enjoy! 🙂
Jen
Looks delish! What would be your suggestion for making this dough in advance? Just wondering how long it will keep in fridge.
Sam
Hi, Jen. The dough will be good in the refrigerator for up to a week wrapped up tightly. You may need to let it sit for a few minutes before it is workable when you take it out of the refrigerator. 🙂
Suzette
I am about to make your frosting as this is the first time in over 20 years that I have done this. I am really nervous because I never have much luck doing this. I am going to use maple syrup that is free of high fructose corn syrup because I don’t have lite corn syrup. Or do you have another substitute suggestion?
Sam
Hi, Suzette. Unfortunately the maple syrup will not set up like the corn syrup will. I really recommend the light corn syrup in this situation.
April
Can I freeze unused dough? I don’t want to make LOADS before Christmas.
Sam
Hi, April. I have not tried it, but I think it should work. I would wrap it tightly in plastic wrap before freezing. I think to thaw it out, it would be best to move it to the refrigerator as opposed to letting it thaw at room temperature. Hope that helps. 🙂
Joann
This is the first time I have made these, they were a huge hit I, sent the recipe on to my brother and he loved them too. Thanks for my new favorite cookie, I, will be making these from now on. And an easy recipe to follow too. Also love the frosting as well.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoys them, Joann! 🙂
Karen
Can this frosting be saved for a day or two to use later? If so, what is the best way to store it? Does it need to be refrigerated? Thank you.
Sam
The frosting starts to set a little bit after about 15 minutes. You wouldn’t be able to keep it for a day or two, but it does not need to be refrigerated. I really recommend making the icing and then putting it on the cookies. You cookies will last about a week in an air tight container at room temperature. 🙂
Laria
Hi. So I think I made these a couple of weeks ago. They were the best sugar cookies I’ve ever had! I don’t eat sugar cookies much because I’m usually not much of a fan; but these were perfect!
When I say I think I made them it’s because I didn’t print the recipe, and the post talked about rolling out the dough between two sheets of parchment, then chilling it. Or, was it chill a bit, then roll between sheets and chill again? Hmm. So, I’m trying to find that particular instruction. Was it you that wrote that? My son recently made another sugar cookie recipe (before I could stop him) and they just didn’t turn out very good and he swore off cookie cutter cookies because they got sticky fast, etc. I think your recipe must have had slightly different ratio of butter and other ingredients.
Anyway, if you did post about the roll out-chill instruction, could you please provide me with those instructions again?
Oh, and when I made the cookies, I decided to add a pinch of peppermint extract to the icing instead of vanilla. Amazing! And, perfect for the holidays.
Sam
Hi, Laria. I do not roll mine in between wax paper. It can stick to that as well. I just make sure to dust the surface I will be rolling the dough on as well as dusting the dough. This dough does need to chill though. 🙂
Samantha Becker
Super easy to follow and amazingly delicious. So many compliments on these cookies and people thought they were store bought! I’ll definitely be making these again. It’ll be my go to for all events. Thank you!!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Samantha! (Nice name by the way!) Thanks for letting me know how they turned out. 🙂
Nicole
Hi! I watched your cookie video. Is that parchment paper on the cookie sheet? If it is, do you absolutely need it or can I use a nonstick cookie sheet without the parchment paper? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Nicole! Yes it is parchment paper. You do not need to use it, I just prefer to because it makes cleanup easier for me but it’s not necessary. A regular nonstick cookie sheet (no need to grease it) will work just fine. Enjoy! 🙂
Debbie
I really enjoyed this recipe, the cookies were very buttery and didn’t taste like soda, as some recipes do. I added about a 1/4 tsp lemon flavoring and I used powdered sugar to roll out the dough, instead of flour.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Debbie! 🙂