Easy Sugar Cookies. If you are looking for a no-fail sugar cookie recipe, look no further! These cut out sugar cookies are easy to make and come out perfect every single time. They are generous, crispy on the edge, with thick and soft center. They are just the best sugar cookies you can find.

These cut out sugar cookies are easy to make and come out perfect every time. They are generous, crispy, with thick and soft center.

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I once prepared some amazing sugar cookies, loved them to bits for their perfect texture, but for some reasons, I lost the recipe. This was years ago, when creating recipes was a simple hobby for me. I since tried to recreate these perfect cookies and eventually found the one I love. This sugar cookie recipe yields some thick and generous cookies, soft in the inside with irresistible crispy edge.

These cut out sugar cookies are easy to make and come out perfect every time. They are generous, crispy, with thick and soft center.

I share here the plain recipe, for Christmas sugar cookies or any other occasion (just use the cut out shape you want). Feel free to enjoy them right away, lightly dusted with confectioners’ sugar, or top with icing of choice. Making sugar cookies is always a fun activity to bake with kids, get them involved in the kitchen and have fun together!

  • An easy, reliable, sugar cookie recipe.
  • The dough is soft and easy to work with.
  • The cookies are buttery-rich and not too sweet.
  • Perfect for gift giving (Christmas, a birthday party, or any other occasion).
  • Eat them plain, lightly dusted with confectioners’ sugar (my favorite), or covered with icing.
  • These sugar cookies keep for days and freeze well.
These cut out sugar cookies are easy to make and come out perfect every time. They are generous, crispy, with thick and soft center.

Ingredients for sugar cookies

This easy sugar cookie recipe requires just a bunch of basic ingredients. Use any flavor you want to make the recipe yours and depending on the occasion. Here’s what you need:

  • Unsalted softened butter. Make sure the butter is completely softened before using, it will make your job way easier.
  • Granulated sugar. I use just a little bit of sugar to cream with the softened butter.
  • Egg. This is the key element to combine the ingredients together, plus it brings some moisture to the recipe.
  • Confectioners’ sugar. This is what makes the sugar cookie dough super soft and smooth. You will love to work with this cookie dough!
These cut out sugar cookies are easy to make and come out perfect every time. They are generous, crispy, with thick and soft center.

  • All-purpose flour. You will need to sift the flour together with the confectioners’ sugar. This is my little secret for an ultra soft sugar cookie dough.
  • Salt. Use just a pinch, unless you use salted butter and don’t need to add more salt.
  • Spice. I love to use allspice, and sometimes use cinnamon instead. For basic sugar cookies, replace with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or better, vanilla seed extracted from a vanilla pod. This will yield some delicious vanilla sugar cookies. If your dough is a little too soft after adding vanilla extract, add one more Tablespoon of flour, until smooth.
These cut out sugar cookies are easy to make and come out perfect every time. They are generous, crispy, with thick and soft center.

How to make sugar cookies?

The recipe is pretty simple and comes together in just a few steps. Many sugar cookie recipes require some pretty advanced equipment like a stand mixer. With this one, a mixing bowl and a whisk will do!

  1. Sift all the dry ingredients (including confectioners’ sugar) in a medium bowl.
  2. Whisk perfectly softened butter with sugar until creamy.
  3. Add the room temperature egg and mix.
  4. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
  5. Roll the dough onto a piece of parchment paper in a ¼-inch (0,5 cm) thick. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for one hour minimum.
  6. Cut out any desired shapes in the cold rolled out dough and bake them for 10 minutes if they are large, only 6-7 minutes for the small shapes. And voilà!
These cut out sugar cookies are easy to make and come out perfect every time. They are generous, crispy, with thick and soft center.

Pro tips to make sugar cookies

  • Use room temperature ingredients. This is the key to have a smooth sugar cookie dough. Butter in particular must be very soft, and the egg too, ideally.
  • Stand mixer, hand mixer or whisk? Most sugar cookie recipes require you use a stand mixer. Truth is, you can get fairly good results by just using a whisk (this is how I do it). Just make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature and the dough will come together without effort.
  • Chill the dough once rolled out. This is my preferred method. It then gives you plenty of time to cut out the sugar cookies with little helpers around you without the dough melting during the process.
  • Then, chill the cut-out cookies again to ensure they keep their shape well and avoid any spreading while baking.
  • It’s always better to underbake the cookies a little bit rather than baking them for too long. Each oven is different and depending on the cut out shapes you make, the sugar cookies will take more or less time to bake. This is why I recommend to monitor the baking closely. The cookies must remain white, it’s the key to perfectly soft sugar cookies. If the extremities start to golden slightly, remove immediately.
These cut out sugar cookies are easy to make and come out perfect every time. They are generous, crispy, with thick and soft center.

How to decorate sugar cookies?

I like to serve my sugar cookies plain or dusted with confectioners’ sugar. It’s also the best option if you want to keep your little ones away from a sugar rush that would come with sugar cookies covered with icing. But if you don’t mind the extra sugar for once (we can all have fun sometimes, right?), decorate the sugar cookies with icing!

Simple orange icing

  • 1 cup (125g) confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 Tablespoon orange juice, freshly squeezed
  • 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted

Whisk the icing sugar, orange juice, and butter to a medium-sized bowl until combined and smooth. If the glaze is too thin, then add a Tablespoon at a time of icing sugar until it reaches the right consistency. If it’s too thick, add a teaspoon of orange juice until the correct consistency is reached. Dip sugar cookies into glaze. Dip the face of the cookies into the glaze and gently lift, letting the excess glaze drip off and place on a wire rack and wait for them to set. Serve and enjoy!

These cut out sugar cookies are easy to make and come out perfect every time. They are generous, crispy, with thick and soft center.
These cut out sugar cookies are easy to make and come out perfect every time. They are generous, crispy, with thick and soft center.

Fun ways to use sugar cookies for the holidays

You can serve these sugar cookies in a plate for any occasion of the year. But here are some fun ideas to consider for the holidays:

  • Store the sugar cookies in a jar. The easiest method, but it’s always nice to come home to a beautiful glass jar of sugar cookies ready to eat.
  • Place the cookies individually in treat bags and add a nice ribbon. Perfect for gift giving!
  • Make the sugar cookies as Christmas tree ornaments. To do so, you will need to make a little hole at the top with a straw (before baking!) to enable the cookies to hang to a string in your Christmas tree.
  • Think about sugar cookies for Santa! Add them to a glass of milk the night before Christmas to make sure Santa has a nice little break while bringing all the presents.
  • Use sugar cookies as gift wrapping decoration. Use the same technique as the one used for Christmas tree ornaments, poking a whole before baking with a straw so you can add the cookies to a lovely ribbon to wrap your present.
  • Tie  sugar cookie to a ribbon instead of a napkin ring. This requires also a hole in the dough before baking.
These cut out sugar cookies are easy to make and come out perfect every time. They are generous, crispy, with thick and soft center.

Storing and freezing instructions

  • These cookies keep well, stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days. For longer storing, cover an place them in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
  • You can also freeze sugar cookies individually in a ziploc bag. When ready to eat, let the sugar cookies thaw at room temperature for a few hours or ideally overnight.
  • Another option consists in freezing the sugar cookie dough. Shape the cookie dough into a ball, wrap tightly with plastic film, and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready, slowly thaw the cookie dough in the fridge until soft, then proceed as instructed in the recipe, starting at step 4.
These cut out sugar cookies are easy to make and come out perfect every time. They are generous, crispy, with thick and soft center.

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These cut out sugar cookies are easy to make and come out perfect every time. They are generous, crispy, with thick and soft center.

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Easy Sugar Cookies

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These cut out sugar cookies are easy to make and come out perfect every time. They are generous, crispy, with thick and soft center.
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  • Author: Delphine Fortin
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Chilling Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
  • Yield: 20–25 cookies 1x

These cut out sugar cookies are easy to make and come out perfect every single time. They are generous, crispy on the edge, with thick and soft center.

Email me this recipe

We’ll send it straight to your inbox, along with weekly food inspiration!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ¼ cups (270g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon allspice (or cinnamon)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ sticks (170g) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
  • ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup (95g) confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature

Instructions

  1. Sift the flour, confectioners’ sugar, baking powder, spice and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk softened butter and granulated sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the egg, and whisk until combined.
  3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix combined. If the dough seems a little too soft and sticky for rolling, add 1 more Tablespoon of flour.
  4. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough onto a piece of parchment paper to about 1/4-inch (o,5 cm) thickness. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours and up to 2 days.
  5. Remove the rolled out dough from the refrigerator. Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to ensure the sugar cookies hold their shape while baking later.
  6. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  7. Arrange cookies of similar size on the same baking sheet, leaving space between them. Bake large cut-out shapes for about 10 minutes and the smaller shapes for only 6-7 minutes. If the cookies start browning on the edge, remove immediately.
  8. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve as is, dusted with confectioners’ sugar, or decorate once cooled with icing.*

Notes

* Sugar cookies stay soft for about 5 days when covered tightly at room temperature. For longer storage, cover and refrigerate for up to 10 days.

Back-To-School, Christmas, Cookies, Fall, Snacks, Thanksgiving, Winter

Did you make this recipe?

Lastly, if you make this Easy Sugar Cookies, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!

These cut out sugar cookies are easy to make and come out perfect every time. They are generous, crispy, with thick and soft center.