This Sugar Cookie Recipe stands the test of time. Crisp on the outside, but buttery soft on the inside, this is a family favorite!
This recipe for easy sugar cookies is one of my very favorite baked goods. I have made this recipe so many times, I can practically do it in my sleep. Originally from America’s Test Kitchen, you know it is a winner.
By following my simple tips for how to make the best sugar cookie recipe, these will turn out perfect for you as well. You’ll never need another recipe.
I have used this recipe for around 2 years and I absolutely love it.
What Makes This Recipe the Best
I don’t use “best” loosely. This recipe really is the best, and there are a few things that will make you heartily agree.
- Flavor: These cookies have a simple delicious buttery flavor that wins over everyone.
- Texture: The texture of these sugar cookies is perfection. They are crisp on the outside and buttery soft on the inside.
- No chilling: These homemade sugar cookies don’t need any chilling, which means you are that much closer to being able to eat them.
- Easy to make: This is an easy sugar cookie recipe. If baking intimidates you, read on! You can do it.
- Variations: This one recipe has inspired so many variations. Don’t miss the full list at the bottom of the post.
How to Make Sugar Cookies
This is a brief overview to show you just how easy these cookies are to make. For the full recipe with all of the measurements see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Cream together the butter and sugar. You can do this with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, but I much prefer the stand mixer. Once it is creamed, add the vanilla and eggs.
- Add the flour mixture. I like to add it all at once, mixing on low for a short time and then on high for a very short time to keep the mixing time as small as possible.
- Make the dough into cookies. Shape the dough into balls using a cookie scoop, and roll in sugar. Bake the cookies and enjoy!
Cookie Scoop
Adding Flour in Cookie Recipes
So many cookie recipes suggest that you add flour a little bit at a time, but what I’ve learned is that doing it that way is more likely to result in over mixing. Once flour is combined with wet ingredients, the gluten begins to develop. If you beat the flour in too long, it will result in unpleasantly chewy cookies.
Rather than adding the flour a scoop at a time, add in all of the flour mixture. Beat on low, just long enough so the flour doesn’t fly all over. Then beat on high, just enough so it is combined. Be sure to scrape your bowl at the bottom with a spatula to make sure all the flour was mixed in. We also don’t want to under mix. This will result in less beating time than the alternative.
Baking Sheets
Sugar Cookie Tips and Tricks
These tips apply to a lot of my cookies. They are such helpful little tips.
- Measure the flour correctly. This is so important that I have a whole section on it below.
- Ensure the baking powder is still good. To test, add a little to some water. It should bubble right away. Keep in mind that baking powder should be replaced ever six months to maintain its effectiveness.
- Fully whisk your dry ingredients. There is no risk of over mixing when it’s all dry ingredients and no one wants a pocket of salt in their cookie.
- Use unsalted butter. Because the salt content varies from brand to brand, using unsalted butter and then adding salt to the recipe ensures you get the amount you want.
- Use room temperature butter. Resist the urge to soften the butter in the microwave. It just doesn’t soften the butter evenly, resulting melted patches. Instead, cut it up and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes. You should be able to easily dent it with your finger but not push all the way through. And it will feel cold to the touch.
- Fully cream your butter and your sugar. It should look light and fluffy after mixing. (See the photo above.) Doing this will create lighter cookies because it will beat air pockets into the butter. Additionally, this will create more volume of dough and therefore more cookies.
- Use room temperature eggs. Fill a bowl with luke warm water and let the eggs sit in there while you are doing your other measuring and mixing.
- Use a cookie scoop (1 1/2 tablespoon). This will ensure that all of your cookies are uniform in size.
- Rotate your baking sheet half way through baking. This helps ensure that your cookies will bake evenly.
How to Measure Flour
Measuring Flour in Baking Recipes
A key component to any baking recipes is measuring flour correctly. If there is too much flour, it will greatly impact the recipe, perhaps even to the point of ruining it. Extra flour most often happens when it is measured incorrectly. Follow the steps below to ensure you get the correct amount of flour. You can read more about this in the link above.
- Whisk the flour in the container you keep it in, even if that container is the bag you purchased it in. This will loosen up the flour, a key step.
- Scoop the flour with a spoon. Scoop it into a dry measuring cup. Then with the flat edge of a spatula, level off the flour.
Storing
This soft sugar cookie recipe can be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks. Please keep in mind that they are freshest in the first three days after making. These can be stored at room temperature. As with all recipes, use your best discretion when it comes to leftovers.
Freezing Sugar Cookies
Freezing as Cookie Dough Balls
Sugar cookie dough is perfect to make ahead and freeze. To do that, follow the recipe through rolling the balls in sugar. After that, follow the steps below.
- Press the dough down lightly.
- Place on wax paper on a baking tray and put in the freezer for four hours to flash freeze.
- Transfer the frozen dough to an airtight container.
- Put back in the freezer and store the dough for up to three months.
- When you are ready to bake, proceed as directed in the recipe card but bake for an extra 2 minutes.
Freezing as Baked Cookies
If you would like to bake the cookies completely, but then freeze the whole cookie, these cookies freeze great.
- Place the baked and cooled cookies on a wax lined baking sheet.
- Freeze for four hours to flash freeze them. Transfer the cookies to an air-tight container and freeze for up to three months.
- Allow cookies to thaw at room temperature before eating. This will take less than 30 minutes.
Drop Sugar Cookies
This sugar cookies recipe is meant to be rolled into balls, rolled in sugar, and then baked. These chewy sugar cookies, while they make perfect Christmas cookies, are not a recipe that can be rolled out. For that you will want my Soft Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe.
Soft Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe
Frosting Sugar Cookies
While these can’t be rolled and cut out, you can absolutely frost them. I would suggest using my vanilla buttercream frosting. It can be spread on with a knife and then you can top with festive sprinkles.
Sugar Cookie Variations
I love this recipe so much that I’ve used it again and again to create some pretty amazing cookies. Check them out!
- Sugar Cookie Bars
- Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- Fruit Pizza Recipe
- Red Velvet Sugar Cookies
- Sugar Cookies with Sprinkles
If you make this sugar cookies recipe and love them, join the others leaving a comment and letting me know!
Perfect Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (300 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature (197.8 gram)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar plus extra for rolling, about 1/2 a cup (297 grams)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about three to six minutes.1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 14 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Mix in the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla until well combined.2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 large eggs
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix on low until it just begins to combine. Then turn up the mixer to high just long enough that you don't see streaks of flour. Scrape down the bowl and ont he bottom to ensure that all the flour is added. Only mix long enough to combine the flour.
- Using a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop, roll the dough into one inch sized balls. Roll the balls in sugar (you will need about 1/2 cup extra). Place on the prepared baking sheet. Space the cookies about two inches apart.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking, or until the cookies just begin to turn golden brown around the edges. Allow to cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cool, store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Nikoyia says
I followed the recipe and the cookies came out gooey… Butter was room temp and all ☹️ Super disappointed
I’m so sorry that this didn’t work for you. Are you at a high elevation by any chance? That would really affect the cooking temperature and length of time it needs to be in the oven.
Stephanie says
WOW! These were so quick and easy to make! They were soft and seemed to just melt in my mouth! Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you liked them Stephanie!
Carey Pace says
My family is NUTS about this recipe. Every time I make them they say they are the best cookies they’ve EVER had. Thank you for this post!
I’m so glad they like them, Carey!
Ally says
Hi, so I’m trying these tomorrow and I was wondering do you think I should let the dough sit in the fridge before baking? Thank you.
You definitely don’t need to refrigerate the dough ahead of time. That really changes in things in cookie making :)
Robin Erin Vasilakos says
How many Does this recipe make?
About 2 and half dozen . . . unless you eat a bunch of the cookie dough like me :)
Brittany says
Hello. As a new baker (just moved from the big city in FL to a small town in NC) i’m a single mom and i love our time baking bonding together. But our last attempt reminded me of some premix cookies in a bag . TUCK! i love thick soft almost underdone cookies so we will tr this recipe now Today! I am curious when rolling the dough in sugar before baking does it melt off or make the cookie crunchy with sugar? I am very new to baking my mom never did it ever so that may be why i’m so intrigued with it for my daughter and i. So any tips will be greatly appreciated THANKS!!!
It makes it crunchy :) You can totally skip that step if that doesn’t appeal to you. Happy baking!
Sherri says
Hello. My husband was wanting a good and soft sugar cookie. So I made these today for a New Year’s Day treat. They were very good and very soft. The dough came out very sticky tho so I could not roll them out into a ball. I dropped them by a tablespoon onto the cookie sheet and flatten them with a sugared bottom glass. I baked them for the recommended 10 minutes maybe 11 for larger ones and they came out perfect. The bottoms were very very light but after they cooled they were not gooey in the middle, they were cooked but stayed very soft. Even with baking some large ones, they made a good 3 doz. They will continue to be my go-to sugar cookie. Thank you for this wonderful recipe. It’s a keeper. Sherri from Iowa
I’m so glad you liked them! The key to this recipe is butter that you can push a finger into and just dent it, but not push all the way through.
Bonnie says
So I noticed the sugar is a cup and a half – do you mix it all in or is part of it to roll the cookie in?
Yup, some is for the rolling :)
Wendi Bendzinski says
I’ve made this very recipe exactly as is written using red, pink, blue, etc. sugar and they’re absolutely adorable. Does Anyone know if I can freeze them with the sugar on?
I’m so glad it worked so well for you!
Apple Blossom says
These are the best cookies in the world! I always mess my cookies up, but this time they were perfect :) Thank you!
So happy you liked them!