Great for getting the kids involved in some holiday baking...one of my favorite, easy Christmas Cookie Recipes!!
Table of Contents
These cookies are required for the holidays, right along with a big plate of old fashioned fudge.
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- These are simply the best sugar cookie recipe!
- You can re-roll the dough as much as you need to without it getting tough or crumbly. It makes them perfect for cutting out and decorating.
- The edges cut cleanly and the cookies don't spread in the oven. Perfect cookies, full of buttery-sugary-deliciousness every single time!
It makes the best sugar cookies ever -- especially if you are baking with kids because you don't need a stand mixer - you just mix them up by hand!
An adult will need to handle the rolling pin and rolling out the dough. They always come out right - a tender cookie with crisp edges.
If you don't have time for the chilling and cutting you'll definitely want to try these bakery style sugar cookies! Soft and chewy - just waiting for some sprinkles or colored sugar!
🧾 Ingredients
It's amazing that these old fashioned cookies are so delicious with so few ingredients. It's a simple recipe but it's super important to use real butter or the flavor just won't be there.
🔪 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the green recipe card below.
- Mix the dry ingredients and set aside.
- Melt the butter.
- Whisk in the sugar until smooth and it looses its graininess.
- Stir in the eggs.
- Blend in the vanilla.
- Add the flour mixture.
- Stir until blended. Dough is very soft.
- Chill for 30 minutes in the freezer or the refrigerator overnight.
- Roll the dough out, cut, and bake.
This sugar cookie dough is very soft before you chill it - as in the image above.
🥫 Storage
Store finished cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks or freeze for up to three months.
If you are packaging for shipping pack in layers with parchment paper or wax paper between the layers. Read more about how to ship cookies here.
💭 Tips
Expert Tip: I like to cut the dough out in shapes then freeze it unbaked. That way I only have to put them on the cookie sheet and bake - no mess and hardly any time at all!
I don't think it would be a holiday for my kids without a few of these along with some coconut white chocolate chip - especially my older kids who have fond memories of the bake sales.
- The dough is very soft - chill dough in the refrigerator overnight or, if you are in a hurry, pop it in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour.
- When rolling use just enough flour to keep them from sticking.
- Bake just until the bottoms and edges are light golden brown.
- Use baking soda for soft cookies or baking powder for crunchy cookies.
- The dough keeps for several days in the refrigerator or you can freeze it for longer storage.
- Always bake similar sized cookies together so that they bake evenly.
- Rolling the dough about ⅛-inch thick will give you a crispy sugar cookie while rolling the dough ¼-inch will keep them softer.
- Let cool completely before decorating with icing.
📖 Variations
Classic sugar cookies are flavored with vanilla but this recipe is so versatile that you can easily change the flavors.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Split a vanilla bean in half and scrape out the seeds into the melted butter before you add the flour
- When melting the butter let it get a golden brown color for a nutty, rich taste
- Use part vanilla and part almond extract instead of just vanilla
- Use lemon extract
- Use a few drops of anise flavoring
- Color the dough with gel or paste food color
- Replace 1 cup of the sugar with brown sugar
- Add a little freshly grated nutmeg
- Add a ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
- Add a pinch of cardamom
- Add a teaspoon of lemon or orange zest
🎥 Video
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👩🏻🍳 FAQs
Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.
This dough almost always keeps its shape perfectly but if you want to make absolutely sure the cut cookies will keep their shape then put the cookie sheet with the cut cookies on it in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes before baking.
Your oven was too hot and the butter melted too fast. Be sure your oven is at the correct temperature. Freezing the cookies before baking will help, too.
Good question! That kinda depends on you. ⅛th to ¼- inch thick is about right. Thicker cookies, especially when made with baking soda, stay softer. Thinner cookies, especially when made with baking powder, stay crispy.
🍽 Equipment
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Good cookie sheets make all the difference in the texture of your cookies and whether or not the bottoms burn. I like these heavy duty cookie sheets from Calphalon for this easy recipe. They’re high quality and will last for years.
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This recipe makes easy rolled sugar cookies for your Christmas cookie tray -- but they are beautiful for any occasion from Valentine's Day to Halloween.
Cut them in rounds and put two together with some chocolate ganache in between for sandwich cookies - so good!
📚 Related recipes
What's a holiday assortment without a nice variety of cookies? Here are some of my favorites.
📞 The last word
These cut out sugar cookies are the ones we use here for everything, all year long. The dough freezes well so I'll make up a bunch of it at once, toss it in a freezer bag, and then just thaw it and use it as needed.
The hardy dough is perfect for cutting into all kinds of cookie shapes and it never seems to get tough from little hands overworking it or a little extra flour. I promise you - this recipe is a keeper.
I generally make a specially decorated batch to give as party favors to our guests during the gingerbread house party.
Next time try these red velvet cut out cookies and these Santa's whiskers cookies, too!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Rolled Sugar Cookies Recipe
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1 ½ cup butter, melted
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 beaten eggs
- 1 tbs vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, or 1 teaspoon baking soda for a softer cookie
- pinch salt
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350
- Whisk the sugar into the melted butter and let it stand until the mixture is lukewarm.
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
- Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.
- Chill in the freezer for 30 minutes or the refrigerator overnight.
- Roll chilled dough ⅛ inch thick on a lightly floured surface.
- Cut as desired.
- Place cutout cookies on an ungreased cookie sheets.
- Bake for 8 - 10 minutes.
- Cookies should be golden on edges but don’t let them brown.
- Let cool and decorate as desired.
- Amount varies with size of cookie cutters.
Notes
- The dough is very soft - let it sit in the refrigerator overnight or, if you are in a hurry, pop it in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Roll out ½ of the dough at a time. Keep remaining dough in the refrigerator.
- Use enough flour to keep them from sticking.
- Bake these old fashioned sugar cookies just until the bottoms and edges are light golden brown.
- Use baking soda for soft cookies or baking powder for crunchy cookies.
- The dough keeps for several days in the refrigerator or you can freeze it for longer storage.
- Always bake similar sized cookies together so that they bake evenly.
- Rolling the dough about ⅛-inch thick will give you a crispy sugar cookie while rolling the dough ¼-inch will keep them softer.
- Let cool completely before decorating with icing.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
First published December 2006. Last updated October 21, 2021 for improved readability.
Joanne Lee says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!Amazing cookies and so easy to make. The dough rolled out so well and I added an additional 3 mins to get the edges golden brown🇨🇦🇨🇦🥰🥰💜
Michelle Gosser says
Made this today! Omg, so easy, and so tasty! I used bread flour since that's all I had on hand, didn't seem to effect them at all.
However, I can see why some folks would rather buy store bought dough. Thankfully I had all the ingredients on hand, if I didn't, the cost of that much flour, sugar, and butter is pretty costly.
All in all, still super easy and a no-fail recipe!
Ann says
My husband wanted sugar cookies like his sister used to make. He has been helping me to get the trays in the oven and helping himself the them as they come out of the oven. We love them! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Pat B says
I was a bit leery with the melted butter but I love to try new recipes and to experiment. These cookies are wonderful. I did not chill the dough as my kitchen is cool, but I did chill the cut out cookies before baking on the cookie sheets. I did not need to use any flour to roll them out and they did not stick to anything and the flavor is perfect. The re-rolled dough did not get tough either. I frosted them with a simple butter cream and added sprinkles for Christmas. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Kathleen cole says
Hi can you put the dough between 2 sheets of cling film to roll out,I was told that to much extra flour ruined the cookies many thanks kathle
Kathleen Cole says
Can I put the dough between 2 pieces of parchment as I thought to much flour ruined the cookies thank you Kathleen
Marye says
You can but you literally cannot ruin this recipe! We've had 7 year olds work with it for bake sales.
Marsha says
I love sugar cookies and these sound so wonderful. But I like a softer cookie, but a crunchy edge. Can i use 1 tsp soda and 1/2 tsp
of baking powder to get both? Thank you for sharing this awesome cookie.
Marye says
That might work? I think you'll need to experiment. 🙂
Sabrina Garcia says
Hi there! Looks like a great recipe! I was reading the article and didn't see anything specifically pertaining to freezing the recipe and using it later down the road. I'm going to be making Christmas cookie plates for friends and family this year so I just wanted to make this ahead of time. Thanks for your time!
Marye Audet says
they freeze very well. 🙂
Terry Finley says
April's making your cookies again....she said to tell you that you are too young to be a grandma and she loves that you love RED. (She does, too) My baker2be is off making cookies tonight for her birthday tomorrow. 🙂 Have a great one, my friend!