Tested Cut Out Sugar Cookies Recipe |Video|
This sugar cookie recipe is a cross between shortbread and classic sugar cookies. Cookies are lightly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. I’ve made this recipe hundreds of times, and since the first time, it’s been a true staple because it never disappoints.
HOW I USE THIS RECIPE
I first shared my detailed cut-out sugar cookies recipe on YouTube back in 2013, and since then, it has helped thousands of home bakers create perfect cut-out cookies with ease. It means so much to me that this recipe has become a go-to for so many people!
- I use it to make decorated cookies. I pair them with lemon royal icing, but fondant or glaze work, too.
- After many requests, I also tried it with small to medium-sized 3D projects (5 to 6 inches in size), and I’m happy to report that it works. Just be sure to omit the baking powder and bake the cookies until golden brown around the edges. I’ve made a standard-sized 3D house with it.
- I had fun making molded shapes like these 3D rainbow cookies skulls.
- And if you have texture mats, you can use them to create unique cookies. I used my SugarVeil mat to make delicate lace cookies.
- When using molds, I always skip the baking powder in the recipe.
FEATURED COMMENT
“I agree with another commenter – my cut-out cookie phobia has finally gone 🙊 amazing recipe, thank you! I love the level of detail you explain everything in, it’s so helpful! “ Ayla
INGREDIENTS
- Butter – I use unsalted butter.
- White granulated sugar – Sugar adds sweetness and tenderness while giving cookies a light crunch and a hint of caramelization.
- Egg – Its role is to bind the ingredients, and it contributes to the texture and structure of the cookie. Use a room-temperature egg.
- Vanilla Extract – While you can use just Vanilla, I love adding almond and lemon extract. It creates such a nice medley of flavors.
- All-Purpose Flour – For this recipe, I use All-purpose flour, which provides structure and texture.
- Baking Powder (optional) – This leavening agent provides lift and contributes to texture. Omit if experiencing excessive spreading.
- Salt – It contributes to the overall flavor and helps balance the sweetness.
Use only room temperature ingredients to build a cohesive cookie dough.
THINGS YOU NEED
- My Favorite Cookie Baking Tools
- Favorite Cookie Cutters
- Sprinkles
- Dough EZ Rolling System
- Cooling Racks – I have 3 sets of these
- Baking Sheets
- Parchment Paper
- Spatulas
- Rolling Guides
- Rolling Pin 20 inch – my favorite
- Joseph Joseph Rolling Pin
- Bench Scrapper
- Oversized Stainless Steel Spatula
- Stand Mixer or use Hand Held Mixer
- Food Grade Mineral Oil
- Dish Towels
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SUGAR COOKIE DOUGH STEP-BY-STEP
The most important thing at the butter-sugar creaming stage is that your butter is not too soft. Butter that is too soft can cause or exacerbate the spreading of your cookies in the oven. Cream it with sugar until fluffy, 3-5 minutes.
To prevent the butter-sugar mixture from curdling when adding the egg, I like to whisk the egg with the extracts first. This helps create a smooth, cohesive emulsion that blends easily into the butter-sugar mixture. I use the same method when making the chocolate variation of this recipe.
Sift flour, salt, and baking powder (if using). The notes and recipe card provide more details about baking powder.
Gradually beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture. At this stage, the cookie dough will be in chunks and soft. It shouldn’t be overly sticky.
Gather the dough and knead it gently for 10-20 seconds until it comes together into a ball. Flatten it and shape it into a disk.
HOW TO ROLL OUT COOKIE DOUGH
- Place the cookie dough onto parchment or a silicone mat between 2 rolling guides. I use 1/4-inch (0.64 cm) rolling guides, a little over 6mm.
- Lay another parchment sheet or a silicone baking mat on the cookie dough.
- Roll a rolling pin on top of the rolling guides.
- The rolling pin pushes the dough down only as far as the rolling guides let it, ensuring an even thickness of the rolled-out cookie dough.
CHILL OR NOT CHILL
Chilling improves flavor, hydrates flour, and solidifies butter. This, in turn, makes rolling, cutting, and baking much easier with consistent results. I prefer to chill for at least 4 hours and up to overnight. Nevertheless, there are times when I’m short on time and need to deviate from the standard plan. But how?
- Disk and Chill
- Chill a well-wrapped cookie dough disk in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months.
- Pros: The process of rolling out a rock-hard cookie disk, as described here, helps mitigate overworked dough and excess gluten development by adding a fresh, unhandled piece of dough to the scraps instead of working with the whole batch at once.
- Cons: The cookie dough disk tends to become rock-hard when chilled for an extended period.
- Roll and Chill
- Slide the rolled dough onto a cutting board or baking sheet, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for 2 to 4 hours, or up to 24 hours before cutting shapes. For speed-chill, you can stick it in the freezer for 30-45 minutes. Or you can leave it in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Pros: Soft dough is easy to roll out between parchment or food wrap.
- Cons: After 24 hours, the edges may start to dry slightly. Cover it well! It is easier to overwork the dough when working with scraps. Don’t knead the scraps; gather them and press them together. Limit re-rolling to 3-4 times.
CUT OUT COOKIES
To cut out cookies, use a cutter or cookie cutter templates.
Carefully lift the cutout and transfer it onto a baking sheet.
BAKE COOKIES
- In case the cutouts become soft, chill the cookies for 10 minutes.
- I bake my cookies at 350F-375F (180C-190C) for 9-11 minutes.
- These cut-out sugar cookies are soft when they come out of the oven.
- Don’t open the oven more than once to rotate the sheet midway. If your oven bakes evenly, you can skip the rotating step.
- Let the cookies cool on a baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
HOW TO ROLL OUT CHILLED COOKIE DOUGH DISK
After cookie dough is shaped into a disk and chilled for a longer period, up to 3 days, it becomes as hard as a rock. I use my roll smart method. Cut the cookie dough disk into quarters. Microwave ¼ of the dough on high for 5-7 seconds. This should be sufficient to soften the dough so you can roll it out, but you don’t want it to be super soft. Cut the remaining quarters into smaller bits.
Place a softened/microwaved piece of the cookie dough on the work surface between 2 rolling guides and silicone mats. Roll out the dough. Cut out shapes, gather scraps, add small pieces of chilled dough, and roll out all the remaining dough.
CUT OUT SUGAR COOKIES BAKING SUCCESS TIPS
Make sure to use room-temperature butter. If the butter is too soft, your dough will be very sticky, which can cause it to spread during baking.
Properly chill the dough before cutting out shapes.
If the cutouts become too soft, chill them for 10 minutes before baking.
Don’t place unbaked cookies on a warm baking sheet.
Omit the baking powder or use less.
Don’t open the oven more than once to rotate the sheet (you can skip this if your oven bakes evenly).
Don’t crowd the cookies on a baking sheet.
Use parchment over or perforated mats (They help significantly reduce the spreading of cut-out cookies, and baked cookies have sharp edges)
Use a light-colored baking sheet to avoid excessive browning.
I bake cookies at 350F-375F (180C-190C) for 9-11 minutes.
Bake cookies until the center has risen and is no longer shiny, or until golden brown around the edges, if you prefer your cookies this way. If the center looks wet, bake cookies for an additional 2 minutes.
Bake larger cookies on one baking sheet and smaller ones on another.
Cookies are soft when they come out of the oven; they firm up as they cool.
Let the cookies cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer cookies onto a cooling rack.
Bubbles on the surface indicate that there is too much air in the cookie dough.
Here is how to fix it: While the cookies are hot, gently press the tops with a large flat cookie spatula to flatten the bubbles.
Or you can try to use a fork and the prick method. Prick the dough in the middle of the cookie before baking. This can help excessive air escape during the baking.
.
They keep for 2-3 weeks, stored in an airtight container.
I often use inverted sugar syrup. Invert sugar syrup is hygroscopic and able to draw moisture from the air, keeping baked goods fresher for longer. Use one tablespoon for each batch of this recipe.
Yes, you can freeze baked or unbaked cookies for 3 months.
There are several cookie icing recipes you can use to decorate cookies.
ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CUT OUT COOKIES
My ultimate cut-out cookies guide has a new location. This comprehensive manual includes cut-out cookie baking basics, tips and tricks, troubleshooting common problems, how to store and package cut-out cookies, and more.
Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
SUGAR COOKIE DOUGH
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (430 grams)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup room temperature unsalted butter (2 sticks, 226 grams)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp baking powder (optional – check the notes)
- 1/2 tsp Almond Extract (optional)
- 1/2 tsp Lemon Extract (optional)
Instructions
SUGAR COOKIE DOUGH
Dry Ingredients
- Sift together flour (3cups/430grams), baking powder (1 teaspoon) add salt (1/2 teaspoon), set aside.TIP: If you are experiencing excessive spreading use 1/4tsp baking powder or omit baking powder.
Cream Butter and Sugar
- In a mixing bowl cream together room temperature butter (1cup/ 226 grams) and sugar (1cup/200 grams), about 3-5 minutes, scrape the bowl twice. Butter creamed with sugar should be light and pale in color.
- In a small dish whisk together room-temperature egg (1) and vanilla extract(1 tablespoon). If using, whisk in almond (1/2 teaspoon) and lemon extract(1/2 teaspoon), and set aside.TIP: Almond and Lemon Extracts are optional.
- Gradually add the egg mixture to the butter mixture. Beat well till combined about a minute.
Cookie Dough
- On low speed, gradually in 3 additions, add the flour mixture. Scrape the bowl well after the last addition and beat slowly until the flour is mixed in. At this stage, you'll see chunks of cookie dough.
- Gather dough into a ball, flatten it and shape it into a disk.TIP: If the dough appears too wet add 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour.
Roll and Chill
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2-4 hours. This is great when you don't have time to make the cookies on the same day.Or speed up the process by placing it in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour. Or you can roll out freshly made cookie dough between two sheets of parchment or silicone mats and chill for an hour. I don't recommend leaving rolled cookie dough in the fridge for too long (after 12-24 hours it tends to dry out around the edges)
How to Roll Out Hard Chilled Cookie Disk
- If you find that the disk of dough is hard as a rock, don’t panic. Quarter the dough. Take one piece and microwave it on high for 5-8 seconds to soften it up a little. It shouldn't be super soft, just soft enough so you can roll it out, you’ll still need to apply a little bit of pressure. Cut up the remaining dough into smaller pieces, and set aside. Place microwaved piece between your rolling guides, either between 2 pieces of parchment or if you have a large silicone mat you can use it also ( for the rolling guides you can use two painter's sticks glued together on each side, or two pieces of 1/4 inch wood rods will work great, too).
- Cut out as many cookies as you can. Gather scraps and to the scraps add a chilled piece of cut-up cookie dough you set aside. Re-roll and repeat until you are done with all the cookies. Place the cookies on a light-colored baking sheet lined with parchment paper or perforated. Chill the cutouts in the fridge for about 10 minutes, or in the freezer for 5.
Bake
- Preheat oven to 350℉-375℃(180℃-190℃) If your over runs too hot bake at 350℉(180℃).
- Bake for 10-11 minutes, depending on the oven, turn the sheet once half way through the baking.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, and transfer them to a cooling rack.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or freeze undecorated cookies between pieces of wax paper in a large freeze safe container, for up to 3 months.
- Decorate cookies as desired with royal icing or other medium that you use.
Video
Notes
PIN IT for later
This recipe was originally published in 2013. In 2019, I updated this recipe with step-by-step process pictures, written text, and a comprehensive guide to cut-out cookies and a video.
Hi, I’m Hani
Welcome!
Thank you for visiting Haniela’s. On my blog, you’ll find delicious sweet & savory recipes made with simple ingredients. Why not start a new adventure? Discover a world of cookie decorating with my step-by-step tutorials.
Hi, I’m Hani
Welcome!
Thank you for visiting Haniela’s. On my blog, you’ll find delicious sweet & savory recipes made with simple ingredients. Why not start a new adventure? Discover a world of cookie decorating with my step-by-step tutorials.
I’ve tried 6 other recipes for a shortbread type sugar cookie and these are by far the best. I’m needing to make 15 dozen and want to start making the dough, rolling and baking the cookies to freeze. Then, pull out what I can decorate in a day to keep as fresh as possible. I have a couple questions. Can I double the recipe to make fewer batches of dough? Can I freeze the baked cookies and then, freeze again after they are iced using royal icing and individually packaged?
Thank you!! Any advice is welcomed.
Hi Lisa,
Yes, you can double, even triple the recipe. I have done so in the past many times.
Yes, you can freeze baked cookies and freeze them after they are baked and decorated. The only thing when you are freezing decorated and packaged cookies, freeze them stacked vertically, and let them defrost before handling.
Hi there, I was just wondering if you could freeze these cookies decorated? Am wondering if I could get away with making them ahead of time ☺️
Hi Hannah,
Yes, you can freeze them. Package them, and if possible freeze them vertically stacked. Allow defrosting before handling.
This is the best recipe/blog I have ever been on! You can tell how much you put into making this page amazing and it is appreciated!
Hi Jake,
thank you so much, it’s much appreciated.:-)
Best roll out sugar cookie for decorating. Omitting the baking powder to prevent spread was a fabulous tip. The whole batch came out perfectly. Thanks for the recipe and the helpful tips
Hi Nancy,
Thank you so much. I’m glad you like them.
Can I use plain flour instead of all purpose?
Hi Faiza,
yes, you can.
You had me at “This recipe is a cross between shortbread and sugar cookies.”…….ummm yum!!! And I love how you include the quantities of the ingredients in your instructions….so that we don’t have to keep scrolling back up to the ingredient list to see the quantity. Soooo helpful!!
Thank you Delia.
I love your recipe and have recommended it to others as a no fail/ no spread recipe! The cookies come out perfect every time. Thanks!
Hi Tracy,
thank you so much.
Hi,
Thank you for this amazing recipe. I made these and they were perfect then I made more and maybe I over mixed to when I baked they cracked. I did refrigerate a couple of hours. I want to ask. When I add the dry ingredients I should let it mix till just combined and make the disk right? When I take it out the refrigerator I end up making the disk again as it crumbles slightly so I make the disk again then roll out. Is that ok
Hi Dolly,
you can also roll it out right after you make the cookie dough. Roll it out between parchment sheets, or a silicone mat. Chill for a couple of hours, then cut and bake.
Solid recipe for crispy butter cookies at 1/4 inch. I tried these at 1/2 inch for a softer cookie and thought a bit dry. To solve that I reduced the flour from 430 to 380g, added an extra egg yolk, and I was still able to roll out dough in parchment paper without sticking, and my cut outs still had sharp cut shapes after baking. Might take the flour down even more.
Hi Josanna,
thanks for sharing this, great problem solver!
Best recipe!! I was so afraid that my cookies would spread during baking, but they kept their shape perfectly! And they also taste amazing! Thank you Hani!
Hi Lihi,
so glad you like it. Happy Baking.
The best sugar cookie recipe! My family does not usually care for sugar cookies as some can be bland, but they love this recipe. I had to make another batch, which was fine with me! Thank you Haniela for an excellent recipe. I cannot wait to try your other recipes.
Hello Merino,
Thank you so much. Happy Holidays!
I do not typically comment on recipes, but I cannot overstate how excellent this recipe was. Even little cues like how much time to beat things for, or what to look for to know you’re ready to move on to the next stage were so helpful. Sure, rolling dough is tough – but I find that no matter what the recipe calls for. Even the 5-8 seconds in the microwave trick was super handy. I’ll admit I felt pretty sure of myself when I showed these off with friends and family, not only were they delicious but they were crispy and sweet and buttery and just all around great.
Thank you for such a well written set of instructions and all around great recipe!
Hi Krissy,
You can try rolling it out between parchment sheets right after you make the dough and chill it rolled out, if you have space in the fridge.
Thank you so much for your kind comment. Merry Christmas.
I am so glad I found you and your sugar cookie recipe last fall! These are my new favorite – the chocolate ones too! Thank you!!
Hi Linda,
thank you so much.
Hi!! I am trying to look for great sugar cookies that are soft and not too sweet… the reviews seem so good!! i was just wondering if i can double or triple the recipe and they would still be good? thanks so much!!
Hi Keelyn,
yes you can definitely double and even triple the recipe. However, these are not cakey soft, if you are looking for more cakey soft cookie recipe that I’d try my Soft Cut-Out Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting
Love this recipe. Not too sweet and it retains their shapes wonderfully.
I’m planning to make it for Christmas and would like to add spices like ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg or any other good combination of of spices for the Christmassy feel. I saw that you mentioned it can be done. But what is the measurement for the spices please?
Thank you!
Hi Elaine,
Thank you. Yes I’d add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of spices. You can also add lemon zest and ginger
After searching a couple days for cookie dough recipes I decided to go with yours and MAN OH MAN, Perfect!! Im so glad I found this recipe, I have a small little business from home I do more decorated cakes then cookies but wanted to get my hands busy with cookies to, Tho I have a customer who wants me to make her a few dozen of these cookies, but she wants me to up the sugar in this recipe. she wants it sweeter.. To each there own lol what would you suggest me doing, and what about brown sugar, or will it change the recipe to much??
Please and Thank you!
Dana
Hi Dana, I’m so happy you like the recipe. You can use brown sugar, it will change the flavor and texture a little bit but still delicious. You can add up to 1/4 to 1/3 cup more sugar to make it sweeter, or experiment
with 1/2 cup. Thank you.
I have been experimenting with sugar cookie recipes and came across yours. I’ve just made my third batch! They came out perfect and not overly sweet which will pair nicely with royal icing. I am thrilled as I am making wedding cookies and want them to be perfect! I did leave out the baking powder as I didn’t want any spread. Thank you!
Hi Barbara, so happy they turned out the way you wanted. How did the wedding cookies turn out?
They turned out perfectly! Thank you for asking 💕
That’s great! Happy Holidays.
What is the correct flour amount? 3 cups or 430 grams? If 1 cup equals 120 grams, I’m not sure what to use?
Hi Bev,
I use 430 grams.
My cup of flour never equals to 120frans, maybe it’s sifted flour, I don’t sift in this recipe before I measure. So maybe that’s why my cup is 143 grams.
Thanks for asking this! I had the same exact question and came to the comments to see if anyone asked already. I’m going to try the actual measurements of 120 and the measurment of the grams listed above. There’s a 70 gram difference there!
HI Jes,
I know online conversion states 1 cup is around 120 grams but my cup is never 120 it is usually around 140 grams. Not sure why, but that’s just how it is for me. Let me know how it works out with 120grams per cup.
Best,
Hani
Hi! I love your recipes! I want to make a softer cookie and replace the granulated sugar with powdered sugar. Now, I’m from Europe and dont understand the quantities;) could you please tell me how many grams of powdered sugar I have to use to replace the granulated sugar? Thank you so much.
Hi Wendy,
to replace granulated sugar with powdered sugar in this recipe you can use 175 grams powdered sugar.
I Love this recipe and have been using it for years!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH! 😁😁😁I have recently moved into a high altitude area and was wondering if you knew the correct alterations for this recipe? It would be extremely helpful to know and I would forever thankful. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Hi Michelle,
I think you should be fine using this same recipe but maybe try increasing baking powder by 1/4 tsp if you find any problems. Best,Hani
are these soft or hard
Somewhere between, they are definitely not soft soft. They are little crunchy on the outside and a bit softer inside but not soft like a sponge. Hope that makes sense.
Can these cookies be frozen after baking then thawed and decorated later?
Thank you!
Hi Alex,
absolutely.I do it all the time. Here is a quick tutorial how to freeze baked cookies.
Just came across your website yesterday. Looking for a sugar cookie recipe and came across this one. Looked good so I decided to try it. Oh my, they were fantastic! Really appreciated all the tips and in the directions the reminders. Saw cookies that you were decorating. You are an awesome decorator! I’m enjoying your website and looking forward in trying something else. Thank you so much for sharing….. : )
Hello Diane,
thank you so much.
I’m making these for the third time this year. Best recipe I’ve ever found! My husband really hates sugar cookies, but he loves these since they are not overly sweet, especially with almond extract added to the icing.
Hi Cassie,
so happy you like them. Thank you
Do you have any idea to make this cookie crispy or crunchy? I enjoy crispy cookies more than the chewy ones. Can’t wait to try your amazing recipe！🥰🥰🥰
Hello. I’d suggest baking them for a little longer. You know in the recent years I also become fond of crispy edges.
I want to ask is there any way to make it more crisp? I enjoys crispy cookie more than the soft ones.
Try to bake them for little longer, till edges are golden.
Hi,
I seem to have a problem with my cookies shrinking ever so slightly (3-4mm). If I’m using RI it’s no problem but when I use fondant it’s a real pain.
Do you know why this happens or how to avoid it?
Hi Anna, are you using this recipe?
Hi !
I’m following you on facebook for a long time i’m french and i want to try your recipe but for de butter i don’t understand how much you put because we use kilogrammes to mesure our ingredients ..
Can you help me please ?
Hi Filipa,
1 stick of butter is 113 grams. Hope that helps.
This recipe uses 2 sticks of butter (1cup).
Rating and a TIP for rolling:
This recipe is absolutely amazing. I run a cake and cookie business out of my home, and this is the recipe I use for all of my decorated cookies! LOVE LOVE LOVE it! It produces a great tasting cookie while baking without spreading; it is the perfect cookie for decorating.
Rolling tip:
I’ve read several comments about the dough being difficult (and it cracks) to roll after being refrigerated. I AGREE! I fought and fought with it at first. So! Instead of refrigerating it first…roll the dough out to the desired thickness immediately after kneading it. Roll the dough out in between two pieces of parchment paper, and THEN store the rolled mats of dough in the refrigerator until you are ready to cut and bake. My cookies turned out PERFECT, and it was absolutely no trouble at all to roll the dough out. The dough will be hard as a rock after refrigerating which is great for cut out cookies…no more struggling trying to get them off of the parchment paper. After getting them cut and onto a cookie sheet… you can pop them directly into the oven. They won’t get warm enough to have to refrigerate them again for the 10 minutes because you’re not having to roll the dough out.
I hope this helps everyone!
Thank you Chandra.
I have tried other roll out sugar cookie recipes and this is my absolute favorite. I keep coming back to it. I wont be using any other recipe.
Hi Jodi,
so glad you like it. Stay Safe.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
If I want to try baking emulsions with this would you recommend I use the 1 tsp of vanilla extract then whatever baking emulsion flavor? You had mentioned using 5 to 7 drops do you know how much this would be in tsps?
Hi Jocelyn,
Yes, that’s what I’d do. I add vanilla and then I add 1 to 2 tsp emulsion. Oils are much more concentrated and that’s why it is better to have a lighter hand with them (personal experience of adding too much mint. LOL).
Stay Safe.
Hani