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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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    290 Comments

    1. I know you have a recipe with sour cream. Could I add cream cheese to this one? How much would you suggest? Thank you!

      Reply

    3. The recipe calls for 3 cups of flour, but also shows says 430 grams. I’ve always known a cup of all purpose flour to be 120 grams per cup which means 360 grams for 3 cups. Can you clarify? I don’t want to add too much or too little flour. Thanks!

      Reply

    4. Hello,
      I want to make sugar cookies for my wedding in November this year. I am thinking to make the cookies ahead of time, about one month, then freeze them undecorated.
      When I defrost them and decorate them with rolled fondant, how long will they last? I will be decorating them and putting them individually into cello bags.

      This is the plan unless someone can suggest a better way.
      Thank you 🙂

      Reply

      1. Hi Julia,
        this is a great plan. Once defrosted they are good for up to 2-3 weeks. You can add 1 tablespoon of
        agave or invert sugar syrup to the dough (with the egg). They both are hygroscopic and draw moisture from the air,
        keeping baked goods fresher for longer.

        Reply

    5. Are these supposed to rise at all? I love the taste of them, but when I roll to 1/4inch they seem so thin! I also tried using the 3/8 rolling guide and then they seemed way too thick 😆 I’m not having any issues with spreading, so I’m curious what the purpose of the baking powder is, since we are able to omit it? Does it make the cookie fluffier? Thank you!

      Reply

      1. Hi Katie,
        yes, it makes the cookies a bit fluffier and they will rise a little, but not a whole lot. If you experience spreading with a full teaspoon of baking powder
        you can try using 1/2 teaspoon and even 1/4 teaspoon.

        Reply

    6. Hi, can I insert a stick to this cookies? and when is the best time o do it? when you cut it or after you cook them?

      Because I would love to made them like lollipops

      Thank you

      Reply

      1. Hello Alejandra,
        yes you can insert a stick into this cookie. I prefer to do it before I bake the cookies.
        I have a whole tutorial on how to do it, if you look up Sugar Cookie Pops here you’ll find it.

        Reply

    7. Trying to get these cookies right. Followed the instructions for the softer cookies with the powdered sugar instead of granulated cooked at 375 for 9/10 min and they are slightly dry. Would less flour solve that?

      Reply

    8. Hi there 🙂 Your main recipe states 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract, 1 tsp Almond Extract & 1 tsp Lemon Extract. In the notes it states 1 tsp of Vanilla instead of the 1 Tablespoon, plus the 1 tsp Almond & 1 tsp Lemon. How much Vanilla Extract should I add, 1 Tablespoon or 1 teaspoon? Thank you 🙂

      Reply

      1. Hi Terri,
        Sorry for the confusion.
        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), set aside.
        Almond and lemon are optional. Hope it helps.Thank you and have a great Sunday. Hani

        Reply

    9. Wow this was great information. Thank you. Are these cookies fragile? I’m looking for a cut out cookie that will not break with handling and with shipping.
      Thanks

      Reply

    10. 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! I do have two questions though..
      1- when rolling out the dough and cutting shapes, my shapes tend to be hard to lift and end up changing shape as I lift them. Would you recommend adding flour before rolling?
      2- for a big order, once I’ve decorated the cookies with fondant icing, how can I store them? I’ve tried stacking and standing them leaning on each other but both ways ruined the fondant!

      Reply

      1. Thank you, Ayla.
        I’ll try to answer your questions.:-)
        1. I don’t like to add additional flour as it can make the cookies tough. Is your cookie dough really soft? It’s hard to transfer soft cookies
        onto the baking sheet without misshaping cookies. I’d suggest chilling cookies for 5 minutes before transferring them onto the baking sheet.
        If your cookie dough is firm but you are still having a hard time removing them from the parchment or silicone mat, this is what I do. I lift the
        silicone mat or parchment so I can get my hand underneath the cut-out. I get a better grip then and I’m able to transfer cookies onto the baking sheet without misshaping. I hope it makes sense.
        2. I’d suggest letting cookies decorated with fondant air dry for 24 hours before packing.

        Reply

    12. Hi! I use and love your sugar cookie recipe. I would like it to last a bit longer and will be trying your suggestion of adding a 1 Tbsp of glycerin or honey. Will try both. I am understanding that I can just add this extra ingredient without any change to the recipe, am I correct?
      Thank you,
      Stacia

      Reply

    13. The first time I made these cookies they were amazing! The last 2 times, my dough has been a lot drier. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong! Any suggestions?

      Reply

    14. This recipe is amazing! Definitely my go to for every event, and I always get sooo many compliments! I do have a question, I can’t seem to find the link on your page, but is there any way that I can make these gluten free?

      Reply

    15. Hands down the best cut out cookie recipe I’ve ever used! I have a cut out cookie “phobia” lol, never having much success with them. So glad I came across this recipe from Hanielas. The dough was so easy to roll and handle, held the shape ( left out baking powder) and taste delicious! I’m a cut out cookie convert!

      Reply

    16. Hi there, I need to make 100 cookies for a wedding. Is it fine to double this recipe without changes? Looking forward to trying it!

      Reply

    17. Can I use this recipe for making gingerbread houses? My kids love decorating them but never end up eating it because they don’t like gingerbread

      Reply

    18. Do you weigh your flour or spoon it into a measuring cup? On your recipe it says 3 c = 430g (~143g/c), but my flour is consistently measuring about 127/c, so my total flour I would only be 381g. Which is significantly less than your recipe, I am using Gold Medal AP flour. I would like to try this recipe and would like to know what you think, should I measure 3 cups or weigh out 430g? Thanks!

      Reply

      1. Hi Sharon,
        I think I’d start with 400grams and see if it needs a little more flour. It shouldn’t be too sticky. I’d use a scale in this case.
        Please keep me posted on how it goes.
        Hani

        Reply

      1. Hi Lenore,
        yes, absolutely you can use sprinkles. I’d suggest misting the cookies with a little bit of water.
        I use a small spray bottle. Then use sprinkles and bake as usual. Hope it helps. 
        Best,
        Hani

        Reply

    20. I get so many compliments on your sugar cookie recipe Hani. I use the vanilla, almond and lemon flavorings for cookies and icing and I think it’s perfect. I still haven’t tried the recipe without the baking powder but the next time I will make it with less just to see how it looks. I just used the construction ginger bread recipe to make iced heart ornaments and it had been refrigerated a long time but worked out well. I took your suggestion and added a load of pepper to itso hopefully they will last some time. Thank you for being so thorough and generous with all your tips and instruction, it’s so appreciated.

      Reply

    21. This is my go to recipe, but when I want to bump it up a notch I add a half stick more of butter and a cup of black cocoa and it turns into oreo wafers…

      Reply

        1. Hi. Can I freeze once frosted for a wedding that’s 2 1/2 weeks off? When would I remove from freezer to thaw? 2 days?

        2. Hi Sue,
          are you frosting them with royal icing or buttercream?
          I’d freeze them packaged individually wrapped, vertically so they are not putting too much pressure on the cookie surface.
          Allow to defrost overnight.

    24. Can I cut out the cookies and bake them the next day? Just wondering if having them in fridge too long would take for possibly longer baking?

      Reply

      1. Hi Nicole,
        you can cut them out but be sure to cover the tray with the cookies well so the edges don’t dry out. It won’t really affect the baking time that much. They might need a minute or 2 more, depends on how you like them.

        Reply

    26. Hi there, so excited to try these! Can I substitute some of the flour for almond meal (flour)? If so how much? Thanks!

      Reply

    27. Thank you for all these great ideas and tips! I am just starting out in the sugar cookie business and your page helped me tremendously!

      Reply

    28. I love that flexible bowl that you use to add flour to your creamed mixture. It looks perfect for that. Do you have a link to order it? Also, I love your detailed directions for making cookie dough. As others have said, you have put a lot of time and thought into the directions, and it really helps! Thank you!

      Reply

      1. Hi Denise,
        I’m not sure where you are located but you can look in your local dollar store; that is where I got the flexible bowls. I’ve had them for years they are fantastic. I clean them in the dishwasher with no problems, too.

        Reply

    29. Amazing cookie recipe!! I was asked to make 100 cutout cookies for my son’s wedding “Welcome Party” in June. I wanted a more professional-looking cookie than the one I’ve been making for 30 years, and your recipe worked beautifully! I was drawn in by your great cookie photos 😍 I’m also grateful for your many verrry helpful hints…I followed every one! THANK YOU so much!!! 🥰

      Reply

    30. I baked 4 different recipes, in search for the best cutout cookie recipe. This recipe was the best one. Perfect amount of sugar, crisp and held it’s shape.
      I’m making tie cookies for father’s day. Great recipe, definitely a keeper!
      Thanks for sharing.

      Reply

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