The Best Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe

This is the Sugar Cookie recipe you have been looking for! This recipe for sugar cookies produces the most perfect cut out cookie EVERY single time! These sugar cookies bake up soft, are full of flavor, and the dough holds it shape while baking. These cut out cookies are delicious eaten plain, but hold up perfectly to decorating, can be made ahead and even freeze well. This is the PERFECT Sugar Cookie.

Sugar Cookies win the vote for my family’s favorite Christmas Cookie.

Give my husband a glass of milk and he can put away a dozen of these cookies in less than 10 minutes and sugar cookies are my kids favorite cookie to bake.

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Flour everywhere, beating dough with a rolling pin, candies spilling onto the floor and sometimes into their mouths as they decorate–it is like a food fight that is encouraged,  so of course the kids love this tradition!

I have found a fail-proof Sugar Cookie Recipe that delivers a perfect cut out cookie every time–even with kids beating the dough! 

In fact, I made this recipe for my son’s Kindergarten class, and I was asked to bring the cookies EVERY SINGLE YEAR he was in Elementary School. His 2nd grade teacher even begged me for the recipe.

The Best Sugar Cookies

This simple sugar cookie recipe, will beat ANY sugar cookie recipe you have ever used in the past.

• The dough is buttery and tender.
• The cut out sugar cookie dough holds it’s shape perfectly.
• These sugar cookies are NOT bland in flavor. You can eat them plain or iced and will thoroughly enjoy them.
• These cut out cookies can be made months in advance and frozen for future use.

How to Make Sugar Cookies

• Allow butter and eggs to come to room temperature.
• In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat together butter with sugar until light in color and fluffy.
• Add eggs one at a time and beat until combined.
• Add in extracts and mix for 2-3 minutes until well incorporated.
• In another large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
• Slowly add dry ingredients to butter mixture, beating on low until just combined.
• Place about 1 cup dough mixture onto parchment paper or wax paper that has been dusted with powdered sugar and cover with an additional sheet of parchment paper. Roll out to 1/2′ thickness and place in sealed storage bag or large covered container. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Refrigerate sugar cookie dough for at least 12 hours.
• When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Lightly dust cookie cutters with powdered sugar and cut dough as desired.
• Place unto non-stick cookie sheet.
• Add sprinkles now if desired.
• Bake for 6-7 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let cool on baking tray for 1 minute before removing to cooling rack to cool completely.
• Ice cooled cookies if desired.

FAQ on Sugar Cookies

• Do my butter and eggs need to be at room temperature?

  • Yes. Room temperature butter will cream easier allowing air to incorporate into your batter therefore creating a lighter cookie.
  • Room temperature eggs also help to trap air into dough, creating a light and fluffy cookie.

• Can I over-mix cookie dough?

  • Yes. It is important to fully whip air into butter and sugar, but once dry ingredients are added to the batter, it is possible to over beat  your dough. Over mixing flour, activates gluten, which produces a tough cookie. But hear my out–this dough is forgivable. I let my kids mix in the dry ingredients and they don’t do it perfectly or gently and the sugar cookies still turn out delicious.

• Do I really need to chill my sugar cookie dough?

  • Yes. Any cut out sugar cookie that says it does not need refrigerated, could potentially spread when baking or be very difficult to roll out because the dough will be sticky.

• Do I have to use flour to roll out my sugar cookies?

  • No. In fact, I strongly suggest you use powdered sugar instead of flour! The powdered sugar works to keep the dough from sticking and and dissolves into the cookie when baking for a sweet taste instead of a bland flour taste.
  • I also like to place my dough on a sheet of parchment paper that has been lightly dusted with powdered sugar, cover with another piece of parchment paper and roll out. Therefore the parchment paper prevents the dough from sticking and you don’t need much powdered sugar (or flour) if any at all.

• How do you make the dough even when rolling out sugar cookie dough?

  • To roll out sugar cookie dough, I think it is best to roll out your cookie dough before refrigerating. It is MUCH EASIER to manage.
  • Place in several flat mounds of cookie dough on parchment paper
  • Place 2 wooden spoons or spatulas on either side of the parchment paper. These wooden handles work as guide, so that you dough will be rolled out to the same depth as the handle, about 1/4 inch-evenly across the parchment paper or working surface.
  • Pro Tip: If you refrigerate your dough before rolling it out,  allow dough to sit out at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before rolling.

• Can I make sugar cookies in advance?

  • Yes, the dough will last 5 days in the refrigerator. But you can also freeze the dough for up to 3 months.
  • To freeze sugar cookie dough to bake at later date:
    • Place dough on parchment paper in flattened rounds.
    • Place the sugar cookie dough into a freezer safe bag and tightly seal.
    • Freeze for up to 3 months.
    • Place dough in refrigerator night before to thaw.
    • Roll out and bake as directed.

• Can I freeze baked sugar cookies?

  • Yes. Sugar cookies hold up well to being frozen.
  • To freeze baked sugar cookies:
    • Once cookies are baked, allow to cool fully.
    • Place into a freezer safe container.
    • Freeze for up to 2 months.
  • Pro-Tip: I don’t recommend placing baked cookies in a freezer safe bag, as they are very fragile. A freezer safe container will protect your cut out cookies better from tossing and shuffling that is bound to happen when getting things out of your freezer.

• Can I freeze iced sugar cookies?

  • Yes. I think it is best to freeze un-iced cookies for the best taste, but you can freeze iced cookies for up to 6 weeks.
• To Freeze Iced Cut Out Cookies:
  • Place cookies on cookie sheet and freeze until solid, about 1 hour.
  • Transfer cookies to a freezer safe container.
  • Be sure to place a layer of parchment paper or wax paper in between layers of cookies.
  • Freeze up to 6 weeks.

• What if sugar cookies look under-baked?

  • Do not be tempted to over-bake sugar cookies. Cut out sugar cookies will be very blond in color and just set to the touch. Leave on the cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes to continue cooking a bit after removing from the oven and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  • Sugar cookies will go from perfectly cooked, to very crispy and browned in a matter of a minute or two.

• How many times can I re-roll scraps from sugar cookie dough?

  • After you cut out as many cookies as you can, place the scraps together to form a ball of dough and roll out the sugar cookie dough again and cut out additional cookies.
  • After that process has been repeated, place the 2nd of batch of scraps together. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and roll out the sugar cookie dough one final time
  • That is a total of 3 times for rolling out sugar cookie dough. Any additional rolling after that will result in an over worked cookie that will be tough and burn easily.

• Do I need to cool cut-out cookies before decorating?

  • Yes. If not the icing will melt off the cookie and not set properly.

• When do I put sprinkles on Sugar Cookie Dough?

  • If using, place sprinkles or sanding sugar on sugar cookie dough before baking cut out cookies.

More Cookie Recipes

• Reindeer Cut Out Cookies
• Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Cookies 
• Chewy Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
• The $250 Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie
• Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies from Handle the Heat

The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe

5 from 4 votes

Print

The BEST Cut-Out Cookie Recipe

How to make the BEST Sugar Cookie--soft, tender, and perfect for decorating or eating alone. 

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Cut Out Cookies, Sugar Cookies

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 6 minutes

Total Time 36 minutes

Servings 60 cookies

Calories 108 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups butter softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 5 cups unbleached flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• powdered sugar for rolling

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl (or your stand mixer), beat together butter and sugar until light in color and fluffy. Add eggs, one at time with mixer running on low. Turn mixer up to medium and beat until well combined for about 2-3 minutes. Add extracts as mixer is going.

2. Combine dry ingredients and slowly add to butter mixture, beating on low until just combined.

3. Place about 1 cup dough mixture onto parchment paper or wax paper that has been dusted with powdered sugar and cover with an additional sheet of parchment paper. Roll out to 1/2' thickness and place in sealed storage bag or large covered container.
4. Repeat until all dough has been rolled out.
5. Place the rolled dough into the refrigerator, sealed well, for 12 hours or overnight. (If you are not planning on using all the dough right away, freeze in well sealed storage bags in freezer.)
6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400.
7. Lightly dust cookie cutters with powdered sugar and cut dough as desired.
8. Re-roll scraps to cut more shapes.
9. Bake for 6-7 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and allow to sit on cookie sheet on a cooling rack for 2-3 minutes and then gently remove cookies from tray and allow to fully cool before icing.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

The recipe time does not include the chilling of the dough. You need to chill at least 12 hours, if not 24 hours for best results.

Nutrition Facts

The BEST Cut-Out Cookie Recipe

Amount Per Serving (6 g)

Calories 108 Calories from Fat 45

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 5g 8%

Saturated Fat 3g 15%

Cholesterol 23mg 8%

Sodium 83mg 3%

Potassium 29mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates 14g 5%

Sugars 6g

Protein 1g 2%

Vitamin A 3.2%

Calcium 1%

Iron 0.9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

TO MAKE THE BEST SUGAR COOKIES EVER, YOU MAY NEED:

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