Tested Cut Out Sugar Cookies 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!
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
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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 a few ingredients and are super simple to make from scratch. This recipe is a cross between shortbread and sugar cookies. They are a little crunchy on the outside and soft inside.
INGREDIENTS
This basic recipe uses simple ingredients. It is important that the ingredients are at room temperature when making the cookie dough.
- 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
- 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.
- Use room-temperature butter and cream it with sugar until fluffy.
- Whisk egg and vanilla and add the mixture gradually to creamed butter.
- 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.
- 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 / a little over 6mm rolling guides.
- 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 THE DOUGH
- Rolled out sheet of dough-slide the rolled dough onto a cutting board or baking sheet, cover tightly with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel, and chill for 1 to 4 hours, or up to 24 hours before cutting shapes. After 24 hours, the edges may start to dry slightly.
- Disk– you can chill a well-wrapped cookie dough disk in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Once you are ready to bake the cookies, remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator, roll it out, cut out shapes, and bake.
- The cookie dough disk tends to become rock-hard when chilled for an extended period. Here are my tips on how to roll out rock-hard cookie dough disk or get my eBook: the Ultimate Cut-Out Cookie Guide ebook.
CUT OUT COOKIES
- To cut out cookies, use a cutter or cookie cutter templates. Re-roll the scraps.
- 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. You may be wondering how to roll it out.
- 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
When making the dough, make sure to use room-temperature butter. If the butter is too soft, your dough will be softer than usual, 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 of the cookie 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 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. Some say this helps excessive air escape during the baking.
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They keep for 2-3 weeks when stored in an airtight container.
Yes, you can use inverted sugar syrup in the cookie dough. Invert sugar syrup is hygroscopic, able to draw moisture from the air, keeping baked goods fresher for longer. Use one tablespoon for each batch of this recipe.
Yes, cookie dough, baked, or unbaked cookies can be frozen for 3 months.
WHAT KIND OF ICING CAN I USE TO DECORATE SUGAR COOKIES?
There are several cookie icing recipes you can use to decorate cookies.
- Fresh Lemon Royal Icing
- Vegan Royal Icing
- Small Batch Royal Icing
- Chocolate lace
- Fondant Cookies
- Crusting buttercream
- American buttercream frosting
- Easy Glaze Icing
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, tricks, common problems, troubleshooting, how to store and package cut-out cookies, and more.
MORE DELICIOUS CUT-OUT COOKIE RECIPES
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.
Notes
TO MAKE CUT OUT SUGAR COOKIES 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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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 know you have a recipe with sour cream. Could I add cream cheese to this one? How much would you suggest? Thank you!
Hi Stacia,
I’d use 1/4 cup cream cheese and 3/4 cup of butter.
Do you have a chocolate version?
Hi Suzan,
yes I have Chocolate Cut Out Recipe.
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!
Hello Quynh,
I use 1cup (us measure, 236ml) and it always comes out as 143grams.
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 🙂
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.
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!
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.
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
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.
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?
Hi Nicole,
Yes, I’d use a little less flour or and/or add 1 tablespoon of liquid, or agave syrup.
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 🙂
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
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
Hi Rose,
these cookies are great for shipping. Thank you.
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!
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.
Hi Hani! Can I bake the cookies 4 days ahead; and hiow I jhave to store them. Pls help me! Thanks love!
Hi Jen,
yes absolutely. Store cookies in an airtight container.
Hi,
May it get some clarification on the other flavors. If I wanted to make the lemon/orange flavor do i add those ingredients in addition to the main ingredients which already has the vanilla, lemon, and almond extract or do i replace what is in the main ingredients?
Thank you.
Hello Mae,
To make lemon/orange flavored cookies this is what I would do
I’d add the vanilla, and orange/lemon flavoring ( 1 and 1/2 teaspoons or lemon/orange zest (1-2 tablespoons). I’d skip almond and I’d use almond flavored icing, if using icing.
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
Hello Stacia,
yes, you can add 1 tablespoon of glycerin or honey, or invert sugar syrup.
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?
Hi Cassie, it could be the flour, next time try adding 1 tablespoon of milk if it appears too dry. Thank you.
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?
Hello Avery,
thank you. I actually have a gluten-free sugar cookie recipe on the blog.
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!
Hello Cindy,
thank you so much I’m so glad you like it. Happy Holidays.
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!
Hi Naomi,
you can double and even triple this recipe. Good luck with the cookies.
Hani
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
Hi Marbe,
yes, you can. Please omit baking powder and bake the house panels till golden brown around the edges.
Happy Creating.
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!
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
Hi there, can I use sprinkles on these cookies?
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
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.
Hi Debra,
that’s wonderful. I also add a lot of spices, it smells nice, too.
Happy Holidays.
Hani
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…
Hi Melissa,
that sounds amazing. Thank you for sharing.
So many compliments on these cookies! Thank you for sharing!
Hi Lindsey,
thank you. So happy you like them. Happy Holidays.
How long do these cookies last for?
I’m hoping to make these a week in advance for a birthday party
Hi Ashley,
they are good for up 2 weeks.
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?
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.
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?
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.
This is such a great recipe we use it a lot to make gifts for teachers and friends. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing Jen.
Hi there, so excited to try these! Can I substitute some of the flour for almond meal (flour)? If so how much? Thanks!
Hi D,
I don’t see why not. I’d use 1:1 ratio.
Hani
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!
Hi Nikki,
thank you so much, I’m happy it was helpful.
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!
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.
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!!! 🥰
HI Peg,
thank you so much. I’m glad you found all the little tips helful.
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.
Hi Shakira,
I’m glad you like this recipe. Happy to hear it worked so well for you.
Hani