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Cut Out Sugar Cookies Recipe

ByHani Updated on
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Cut-Out Sugar Cookies are popular all year round. Favorite with children and adults alike, you can’t go wrong with a classic vanilla cookie.

Cut out Sugar Cookies.

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“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

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Update: My Ultimate Guide to Cut-Out Cookies has moved to a new location.

CLASSIC CUT OUT SUGAR COOKIES RECIPE

Sugar Cookies require only few ingredients and are super simple to make from scratch. This recipe is a cross between shortbread and sugar cookies. They are little crunchy on the outside and soft inside.

INGREDIENTS

This basic recipe uses simple ingredients. When making the cookie dough it is important that ingredients are at room temperature.

  • Unsalted Butter
  • White Granulated Sugar
  • Egg
  • Vanilla Extract, and other extracts and flavorings can be used. See the notes in the recipe card.
  • Flour
  • Baking Powder (optional)
  • Salt
  • Tip : Don’t use sugar with unusually large sugar crystals. Wegmans brand has large crystals.

SUGAR COOKIE DOUGH STEP-BY-STEP

Cream room temperature butter with sugar, scrapping the bowl few times in between. Beat for 3-5 minutes till well blended, creamy.

Cream room temperature butter with sugar, scrapping the bowl few times in between. Beat for 3-5 minutes till well blended, creamy.

Whisk 1 tablespoon of Vanilla Extract with one room temperature egg. Then beat egg mixture into the creamed butter until well combined, about 30 seconds to a minute. Until fluffy.

Sift flour, salt and baking powder (if using – read the notes in the recipe).

On low speed, in 3 additions beat flour mix into the creamed butter mixture. Beat till all of the flour is absorbed and well blended in. Cookie dough will be in chunks at this stage.

Gather the dough, and knead it gently for 10-20 seconds until it comes together into a ball. Flatten it into a disk.

  • Are you planning on making the cookies within 24 hours you made the dough? If you answered yes, you can roll out fresh cookie dough between two parchment sheets or two silicone mats. Slide rolled out dough onto a large cutting board or a flat tray and chill it for at least an hour in the fridge or 20 minutes in the freezer before cutting the cookies. Don’t leave rolled out dough in the fridge for longer than 24 hours. It tends to dry out around the edges.
  • If you don’t have time to make the cookies within the 24 hours, wrap the dough in food wrap and refrigerate till you are ready to make the cookies. You can keep dough in the fridge up to 3-4 days. Cookie dough disk tends to get rock hard and here are my tips on how to process once you are ready to roll it out.
Sugar cookie dough rolled out between two sheets of parchment.

HOW TO ROLL OUT COOKIE DOUGH

Cookie dough is placed between 2 rolling guides, and a rolling pin is rolled on top of the rolling guides. The rolling pin pushes the dough down only as far as the rolling guides let it. It ensures even thickness of the rolled cookie dough.

I roll my cookies ¼ inch (0.64cm/little over 6mm) thick and a little thicker when making cookie pops to make the room for a lollipop stick.

Cookie dough rolled out between parchment paper

CUT OUT COOKIES WITH A COOKIE CUTTER OR TEMPLATE

Cut out as many shapes as possible. Re-roll the scraps.

Rolled out cookie dough with star cutouts.

Carefully lift the cutout and transfer it onto a baking sheet.

BAKE COOKIES

If cutouts become soft chill the cookies for 10 minutes.

I bake my cookies at 375F and 380F (for larger cookies, over 4 inches) for 9-11 minutes. 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.

MY COOKIE DOUGH DISK IS HARD AS A ROCK, WHAT TO DO NOW?

After cookie dough shaped into a disk is chilled it often becomes firm.

Cut the cookie dough disk into quarters. Microwave one ¼ of cookie dough on high for 5-7 seconds. It should be sufficient to soften the dough so you can roll it out. However, you don’t want it to be super soft. Cut up the remaining quarters into smaller bits.

Place softened/microwaved 1/4 of the cookie dough onto the work surface, between 2 rolling guides. Roll out the dough.

Rolling out cookie dough using rolling guides and large silicone mat.

Let the cookies cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer the cookies onto a cooling rack. Be sure to let the cookies cool before decorating them with icing.

BAKING SUCCESS TIPS

  • Cookie are spreading – make sure to use a room temperature butter when making the dough. If butter is too soft your dough will be softer than normal. I often experienced spreading when I used very soft butter.
  • Properly chill the dough before cutting out shapes. And if the cutout become too soft, chill them again for 10 before baking.
  • Don’t place unbaked cookies on a warm baking sheet.
  • You can also try omitting baking powder or use lesser amount
  • Use light colored baking sheet to avoid excessive browning.
  • Bake cookies until the center of the cookie has risen and is not loner shiny, or until golden brown around the edges if you prefer your cookies this way. If the center is still wet, bake cookies for additional 2 minutes.
  • Bake larger cookies on one baking sheet and smaller ones on another. Don’t crowd the cookies on a baking sheet.
  • I bake my cookies at 375 – 380F (193C) for 9-11 minutes.
  • Bake cookies using a perforated mat. It helps eliminate or reduce the spreading of cut-out cookies and cookies bake with sharp edges.
  • Cookies are soft when they come out of the oven, they firm us as they cool.
  • Don’t open the oven more than once for rotating the sheet.
  • If your oven bakes evenly you don’t need to rotate the baking sheet
  • Let the cookies cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes then carefully transfer cookies onto a cooling rack.
  • Bubbles on the surface indicate too much air in the cookie dough. While cookies are hot, gently press the tops with a large flat cookie spatula to flatten the bubbles. Or us a fork and prick the middle of the cookie before baking.
Star and round cookie on a perforated mat.
Cookies baked on a perforated mat.

ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CUT OUT COOKIES

My ultimate cut-out cookies guide has a new location. This comprehensive manual includes cut-out cookies baking basics, tips, tricks, common problems, troubleshooting, how to store and package cut-out cookies and more.

Ultimate Guide To Cut-Out Cookies – tips, tricks, troubleshooting

COOKIE DECORATING WITHOUT ICING

If you are in a hurry and don’t have time to decorate cookies with icing, you can still make them stand out from the crowd using other decorating tools. You can use impression tools like engraved rolling pins, texture silicone mats, stamps, sprinkles.

IMPRESSION TOOLS – DECORATIVE MATS AND STAMPS

When using impression tools be sure to omit baking powder in the recipe. It will yield better results without. You can

DECORATIVE SILICONE MATS

  • To get the best results, I roll out cookie dough slightly thicker.
  • Then I replace the thicker rolling guides with the thinner ones – the thickness of cookies I want.
  • And after I place a texture mat on top of the rolled out dough, and in one direction I run a rolling pin over it. It’s important to maintain the even pressure so the texture transfers evenly onto the cookie dough.
Here I used a Silicone SugarVeil Mat

Bake the cookies a usual. In this cakes you might want to remove cookies from the oven before they get too brown.

STAMPING ON COOKIES

Use Letter Impression set to add personalized or seasonal messages on cookies.

HOW TO DECOREATE COOKIE WITH SPRINKLES

Decorate cookies with festive sprinkles. Mist the cookies with a little bit of water using a small spray bottle. Then sprinkle cookies with decorating sprinkles and bake as usual. Water makes the sprinkles stick better to the cookie dough.

WHAT KIND OF ICING CAN I USE TO DECORATE SUGAR COOKIES?

There are several cookie icing recipes you can use to decorate cookies. The most popular is royal icing; some decorators use glaze icing or buttercream. And if you are in a hurry, fondant is another decorating medium you can use; plus, cookies with fondant are really easy to make

Round cookies decorated with fondant, royal icing, glaze, and buttercream displayed on marbled slab.

TRY THESE COOKIE RECIPES

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4.98 from 44 votes

Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe

Use this recipe to make cut-out cookies. This great-tasting cookie recipe is excellent, plain, or decorated with royal icing/glaze chocolate or fondant. It's a cross between sugar and shortbread cookies.
Makes 15 3-inch cookies, 1/4 inch thick.
Course Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword cookies, cut out cookies,, sugar cookies
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 15
Calories 270kcal
Author Hani. B

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 5 minutes, scrape the bowl twice. Butter creamed with sugar should be light and creamy 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.
    • Lower the speed of your mixer to low. 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.
    • 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 (overnight and longer) as it tends to dry out around the edges.
    • Preheat oven to 375F. 
    • 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

    • 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.
    • 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.

    Notes

    How long can you keep the dough in the fridge? – You can keep the cookie dough in the fridge for up to 3 days. After that, you can either make the cookies or freeze the cookie dough for later—up to 3 months.
    How thick do you roll out cookies for decorating?– 1/4 inch thick, and a little thicker when making cookie pops
    I don’t have granulated sugar; can I use powdered sugar? Sure, you can use powdered sugar; use about 1 cup and 1/4 cups. A cookie made with powdered sugar has a tender crumb. 
    How to tell if cookies are baked? -cookies when baked have puffy centers. If you see a spot that appears wet and shiny, usually in the middle of the cookies, continue baking for another minute or 2. A baked, cooled cookie that has a darker spot in the center underbaked.
    How to make other flavors?
    Lemon / Orange Zest Cookies – use one tablespoon fresh lemon zest and 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 teaspoon lemon extract
    Chocolate Chip Cut-Out Cookies – ¼ cup granulated sugar, ¾ cup brown sugar, micro chocolate chips (add these with flour), 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
    Almond Sugar Cookies –  add one teaspoon vanilla and one teaspoon almond extract. I find the almond flavor to be very strong and 1 teaspoon does the trick for me but if you’d like to add even more extract you definitely can. Almond cookies pair really nicely with my Fresh lemon royal icing.
    Spices – you can also add spices to this recipe, try cinnamon, cardamom, or pumpkin spice to make them more seasonal.

    Did you make this recipe? Tag @hanielas on Instagram and hashtag it #hanielas

    TO MAKE SUGAR COOKIES YOU NEED

    This post containsThis post contains Amazon affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no cost to you. I only recommend products that I use and love. Learn more about my affiliate policy here.

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    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.

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    ByHani

      I hope everyone is having a great week, I’ve been pretty busy myself, getting everything ready for the holiday, finally sending out my Christmas  “goodies” packages. I have few more cookies to make for next week, but not until this Saturday or Sunday. There is a Gingerbread Competition going on close by and I really…

    290 Comments

    1. 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.

      Reply

      1. 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.

        Reply

    2. 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 ☺️

      Reply

      1. Hi Hannah,

        Yes, you can freeze them. Package them, and if possible freeze them vertically stacked. Allow defrosting before handling.

        Reply

    3. 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!

      Reply

    4. 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

      Reply

    6. 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!!

      Reply

    7. 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!

      Reply

      2. 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

        Reply

        1. 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.

    8. 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.

      Reply

    9. 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!

      Reply

    10. 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.

      Reply

    11. 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!

      Reply

      1. 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.

        Reply

    12. 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!!

      Reply

    13. 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!!

      Reply

      1. 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

        Reply

    14. 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!

      Reply

    15. 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

      Reply

      1. 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.

        Reply

    16. 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!

      Reply

      1. 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.

        Reply

      2. 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!

        Reply

        1. 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

    18. 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.

      Reply

    19. 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. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

      Reply

      1. 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

        Reply

      1. 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.

        Reply

    22. 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….. : )

      Reply

    23. 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.

      Reply

    24. 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！🥰🥰🥰

      Reply

      1. Hello. I’d suggest baking them for a little longer. You know in the recent years I also become fond of crispy edges.

        Reply

    25. I want to ask is there any way to make it more crisp? I enjoys crispy cookie more than the soft ones.

      Reply

    26. 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?

      Reply

    27. 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 ?

      Reply

    28. 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!

      Reply

    29. 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.

      Reply

    30. 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?

      Reply

      1. 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

        Reply

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