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Home » Recipes » Cookies

The BEST Sugar Cookie Recipe

December 6, 2023 by Mindy 31 Comments

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If you're looking for an amazing rolled sugar cookie recipe that will never let you down, you've come to the right place! These sweet, chewy cookies are soft but still firm enough to hold up to being decorated. This is the best sugar cookie recipe and is simply delicious!

The BEST Sugar Cookie Recipe dough rolled out with a Mickey Mouse cookie cutter.

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Below you will find tips, tricks and helpful hints for making this recipe including step by step instructions with pictures. If you would like to go directly to the recipe, scroll down to the recipe card or tap "Jump to Recipe" at the top of the page.

Recipe Contents show
Why You'll Love this Easy Sugar Cookie Recipe
What is a Rolled Sugar Cookie?
Can You Make Sugar Cookies without Milk and Butter?
Ingredients for Classic Sugar Cookies
How to Make this Perfect Sugar Cookie Recipe
Sugar Cookie Icing Ingredients
How to Make Sugar Cookie Frosting
Helpful Sugar Cookie Tools
Frequently Asked Questions
Sugar Cookie Variations:
More Christmas Cookies:
The BEST Sugar Cookie Recipe
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Why You'll Love this Easy Sugar Cookie Recipe

There are certain things that you just have to make each Christmas, and for my family it's sugar cookies. Every year we make sugar cookies with Santa Claus faces to leave for the "Big Guy" on Christmas Eve.

Mickey Mouse shaped sugar cookies

I've been using this sugar cookie recipe for many years and it has never failed me, and it makes the best sugar cookies. The only problem that I've run into is that sometimes I eat too much of the dough before I have the chance to bake them.

I call it The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe because I have found it to be just that. Sweet, chewy, soft, but still firm enough to hold up to being decorated.

What is a Rolled Sugar Cookie?

A rolled sugar cookie is a type of sugar cookie that is made by rolling out the dough, using cookie cutters to cut out shapes, and then baking.

This type of sugar cookie, sometimes called cut-out cookies or cut-out sugar cookies, is often decorated with icing or other decorations. If you are looking for regular sugar cookies that can be topped with buttercream frosting, check out my easy sugar cookies recipe here.

Mickey & Minnie Sugar Cookies

Can You Make Sugar Cookies without Milk and Butter?

Yes, you can make sugar cookies without milk and butter. Just substitute vegetable shortening, vegan butter, coconut oil, or dairy-free butter in place of the butter.

Instead of milk, you can use any dairy free milk like almond milk or soy milk. Using these ingredients can help you make diary-free sugar cookies or vegan sugar cookies.

Eight Christmas sugar cookies with smooth icing and sprinkles.

Ingredients for Classic Sugar Cookies

*Ingredient amounts are located in the recipe card at the end of this post.

  • Butter: You can use either salted or unsalted butter, just make sure that it is at room temperature.
  • Sugar: Use granulated white sugar in this recipe.
  • Vanilla Extract: This is for flavor, you can use either clear or regular vanilla extract.
  • Almond Extract: You can use this in addition to the vanilla extract, it just adds a little bit of almond flavor to the cookies.
  • Eggs: Make sure that the eggs are at room temperature so that they mix in well with the other ingredients.
  • Flour: All purpose flour is what you'll need for this recipe.
  • Baking Powder: This helps the cookies to rise just a bit.
  • Salt: This also helps with the flavor of the cookies.
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Ingredients for the Best sugar cookie recipe without milk.

How to Make this Perfect Sugar Cookie Recipe

[Step 1] Begin by creaming the butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer at medium-high speed with a paddle attachment or use and hand mixer.

Butter and sugar mixed in a stand mixer.

[Step 2] Add the eggs and vanilla and continue mixing.

Eggs and vanilla added to sugar cookie dough.

[Step 3] Combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture at low speed, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Dry ingredients for sugar cookies.

[Step 4] When the dough is combined, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least an hour to overnight. Don't skip this step! Having cold dough will ensure that your cookie holds it shape and doesn't flatten when baked.

Sugar Cookie dough in a stand mixer.

[Step 5] Roll out your dough with a rolling pin on a floured surface until the dough is about ¼ - ½ inch thick.

Cookie cutters pressed into rolled out sugar cookie dough.

[Step 6] Use different cookie cutters (Mickey Mouse) to cut out shapes. I picked up my Mickey Mouse cookie cutter at the cute little gift shop outside Splash Mountain at Disney World, but you can find one HERE on Amazon.

Shapes cut out of rolled sugar cookie dough.

[Step 7] Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake the cookies at 400 degrees for 6 - 8 minutes until the edges of the cookies begin to turn golden brown.

Cut out sugar dough on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

[Step 8] Allow them to rest on the baking sheet for 1 minute before transferring to a cooling rack.

Sugar cookies on a wire rack.

Sugar Cookie Icing Ingredients

To make the sugar cookie icing you will need powdered sugar, milk, light corn syrup, vanilla extract, and gel food coloring.

Milk and powdered sugar in a food processor.

How to Make Sugar Cookie Frosting

[1] Mix together the powdered sugar and ¼ cup milk. Add in the vanilla and corn syrup and mix well.

[3] The outline icing should be the consistency of toothpaste. To make the flood/fill icing, add more milk, one tablespoon at a time until the icing is the consistency of syrup. 

Red sugar cookie icing in a bowl.

[5] Color your icing with gel food coloring in your desired colors. If you're going to make your cookies for a special occasion, I would suggest making them at least the day before to allow the icing to harden. Just store the cookies in an airtight container placed in a cool dry place.

A cookie being iced with icing that hardens.

Helpful Sugar Cookie Tools

  • Stand Mixer
  • Measuring Cup
  • Cookie Sheet
  • Parchment Paper
  • Rolling Pin
  • Cookie Cutters
  • Piping Bags
  • Piping Tips
  • Decorating Tools

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How Thick Should I Roll Sugar Cookies? I like to roll my sugar cookie dough to be about ¼ - ½ inch thick. This thickness allows the cookies to hold their shape well and prevents them from being too thin and crisp.
  • Do I Need to Refrigerate the Dough? Yes, you should refrigerate the dough for at least an hour, or overnight if possible. This will help the cookies keep their shape when baked.
  • Can I Freeze the Dough? Yes, you can freeze the dough. Just place it in a freezer safe container and thaw it in the refrigerator when you're ready to use it. You may need to let it sit at room temperature for a bit before you can easily roll it out.
  • What is the Best Way to Store Sugar Cookies? Sugar cookies are best stored in a cool, dry place. They will last for several days, although they may start to get a little hard after a few days. You can also freeze sugar cookies, just make sure to wrap them tightly so they don't get freezer burn.
  • How Do I Get Perfectly Round Cookies? There are a few things you can do to get perfectly round cookies. First, make sure you're using a good quality cookie cutter. Second, chill the dough well before cutting out the cookies. Finally, don't twist the cookie cutter when you're cutting out the shape, just press straight down.
  • How Do You Prevent Sugar Cookies from Spreading? There are a few things you can do to prevent sugar cookies from spreading. First, make sure you use butter that is at room temperature, not melted. Second, don't over-mix the dough. Third, chill the dough well before baking. Finally, don't put too many cookies on one baking sheet.
  • What are other ways to decorate sugar cookies besides icing? There are many different ways to enjoy sugar cookies. You can use a small cookie scoop to measure a dough ball, then roll it in extra sugar. Another idea would be to press sprinkles into the cut out cookie dough shapes before baking. You can also top them with classic buttercream frosting or cream cheese frosting.

Sugar Cookie Variations:

  • Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
  • Eggnog Sugar Cookies
  • Cookie Butter Sugar Cookies
  • Gingerbread Sugar Cookies
  • Frosted Chewy Sugar Cookies
  • Cream Cheese Sugar Cookie Bars
  • Chilled Sugar Cookies
A Christmas cookie with icing that hardens and sprinkles.

More Christmas Cookies:

  • Frosted Eggnog Cookies
  • Gingerbread Sugar Cookies
  • Melt Away Christmas Cookies
  • Easy Santa Sugar Cookies
  • Cookie Butter Stuffed Cookies
  • Snowball Christmas Cookies

Did you try this recipe? Make sure to give it a five star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below!

The BEST Sugar Cookie Recipe

The BEST Sugar Cookie Recipe

The BEST Sugar Cookies that are sweet, chewy, soft yet firm enough to be decorated. Simply delicious!
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Cookies
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cookie cutter cookies, cut-out cookies, cut-out sugar cookies, rolled sugar cookies, sugar cookies
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes
Passive Time: 1 hour hour
Total Time: 1 hour hour 28 minutes minutes
Servings: 24
Calories: 334kcal
Author: Mindy

Ingredients

Sugar Cookies

  • 1 ½ Cups Butter softened
  • 2 Cups Sugar
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • ½ Teaspoon Almond Extract optional
  • 4 Eggs
  • 5 Cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1 Teaspoon Salt

Decorating Icing

  • 3 Cups Powdered Sugar
  • 2-4 Tablespoons Milk
  • 2 Tablespoons Light Corn Syrup
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • Gel Food Coloring

Instructions

  • Cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover and chill the dough for at least one hour to overnight.
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the dough on a floured surface ¼-1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  • Bake 6-8 minutes. Cool completely before decorating.

Decorating Icing

  • Mix together the powdered sugar and ¼ cup milk.
  • Add in the vanilla extract and corn syrup. Mix well.
  • Make the outline icing the consistency of toothpaste.
  • Add milk, one tablespoon at a time, to make the icing the consistency of syrup for the fill icing.
  • Add gel food coloring to achieve desired colors.

Notes

Make sure you chill the dough

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 235mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 32g

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More Cookies

  • Sourdough chocolate chip cookies on a cooling rack.
    Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Churro toffee cookies on a cooling rack.
    Churro Toffee Cookies
  • Turtle Thumbprint Cookies on parchment paper.
    Chocolate Turtle Cookies
  • Eggnog cookies with eggnog frosting on parchment paper.
    Frosted Eggnog Cookies

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Comments

  1. Karina says

    October 12, 2017 at 5:41 pm

    The third step on the instructions says to bake for 6-8 mins. And cool completely before baking? Do u mean before decorating?

    Reply
    • mindymoser says

      October 15, 2017 at 6:29 pm

      Yes, thank you for pointing that out! I will fix it.

      Reply
  2. Jasmine says

    October 26, 2017 at 8:23 am

    To chill the dough can it be left for only the hour or does it have to be chilled to overnight? I'm starting the dough now so I'm wondering what's best to do.

    Reply
    • mindymoser says

      October 26, 2017 at 8:35 am

      Chilling the dough for an hour is fine 🙂

      Reply
      • Jasmine says

        October 26, 2017 at 10:10 am

        Thank you!

        Reply
        • Kate says

          December 19, 2017 at 9:53 pm

          also, for future people, I didn't chill the dough (mostly because I didn't see that we had to) and the cookies turned out fine!!

          Reply
  3. Blanca says

    October 31, 2017 at 12:04 pm

    I chilled the dough overnight, but its still sticky. should I add more flour?

    Reply
    • KASEY says

      December 11, 2017 at 9:54 am

      I KEPT KNEADING MINE, SAME THING HAPPENED COOKING NOW. LOVE THIS RECIPE. ITS JUST RIGHT.

      Reply
  4. Robyn says

    December 18, 2017 at 3:51 pm

    Hey, I ran out of time and by the time I get round to making these it will have been 48 hours in the fridge, is that going to be a problem?

    Reply
    • mindymoser says

      December 18, 2017 at 5:04 pm

      It's totally fine!

      Reply
  5. Mia says

    December 21, 2017 at 3:45 pm

    Unsalted butter or regular butter?

    Reply
    • mindymoser says

      December 22, 2017 at 10:50 pm

      I prefer unsalted, but you can do either.

      Reply
  6. Stephanie says

    December 23, 2017 at 6:11 am

    Do you have the recipe for the icing you used on the cookies I’ve made the cookies for my sons birthday in September (plain but changed the colour of the dough) everyone loved it I’m making the recipe again but wanted to see if you have the icing recipe for what you used

    Reply
    • mindymoser says

      December 23, 2017 at 10:05 am

      Here it is:https://www.theslowroasteditalian.com/2013/12/best-tasting-sugar-cookie-icing-recipe.html

      Reply
  7. Amanda says

    February 13, 2018 at 7:01 pm

    These cookies were fun to make with my daughter. Use unsalted butter though bc we used the regular butter (salted) and it make the cookies taste more salty then sweet. Now we know 😉

    Reply
  8. Abby Johnson says

    April 14, 2018 at 10:51 am

    Can you put it in the fridge

    Reply
    • mindymoser says

      May 23, 2018 at 10:03 am

      Yes 🙂

      Reply
  9. Lois says

    May 29, 2018 at 5:53 am

    My dough is really sticky almost like a cake batter. I have put it in the fridge for 1 1/2 hours hoping it will stiffen up. What should I do if it doesn’t come together like dough?

    Reply
    • mindymoser says

      May 29, 2018 at 9:23 am

      I'm not sure why it would be that consistency, I've never had that happen before. I would maybe try adding more flour. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  10. Zee says

    December 12, 2018 at 11:21 pm

    It says to preheat oven to 400 degrees, is this Fahrenheit? As this is about 200 degrees celcius which seems a little too high for cookies?

    Reply
    • mindymoser says

      December 13, 2018 at 9:03 am

      Yes 400 degrees Fahrenheit is correct.

      Reply
  11. Claire Reilly says

    January 28, 2019 at 4:00 am

    Hi I’m from the uk and would love to try out this recipe for my daughters first birthday. Do you have a uk. Measurement recipe and what would all purpose flour be in uk. Thanks For your help.

    Reply
  12. Heather says

    December 19, 2019 at 7:44 am

    Once i have baked my cut out cookies how long can they be stored before frosting them? I don't want them to dry out and how how do you store the cookies before frosting and after to keep fresh?

    Reply
    • Mindy says

      December 19, 2019 at 8:38 am

      After you bake them they should stay fresh for 2-3 days as long as they are in an airtight container. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  13. Lisa says

    January 10, 2020 at 2:03 pm

    Hi cannot find corn syrup in South Africa. What can I use as substitute? How long will these cookies last from baking?

    Reply
    • Mindy says

      January 10, 2020 at 3:57 pm

      I haven't tried anything but corn syrup, but you might be able to use honey, maple syrup, or 1 cup of sugar dissolved in 1/4 cup of water. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  14. Jane says

    June 10, 2021 at 12:15 pm

    Can you freeze these after decorating?

    Reply
    • Mindy says

      December 20, 2021 at 2:29 pm

      I haven’t tried, but I’m sure it would be fine.

      Reply
  15. Marclyn says

    December 20, 2021 at 2:01 pm

    I only have almond milk. Will that be OK to use for the icing?

    Reply
    • Mindy says

      December 20, 2021 at 2:29 pm

      I haven’t tried, but I’m sure it would be fine.

      Reply
  16. dTjdNQKi says

    January 10, 2024 at 12:48 pm

    5 stars
    1

    Reply

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Mindy from Mommy Mouse Clubhouse.

Welcome!

My name is Mindy and  I am so excited to welcome you to my blog! I am the wife of a hunky firefighter and the mommy of three super smart, energetic boys..

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A rolling pin and cookie dough with a Mickey Mouse cookie cutter, text "The Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe", Six Mickey Mouse shaped sugar cookies.
The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe collage.