First published December 2006.
I've been making these rolled sugar cookies since before some of my kids were old enough to be trusted with a rolling pin. I've survived decades of cookie-decorating sessions, flour-covered kitchens, and children who thought cookie cutters were merely suggestions. This recipe has survived all of it.
The best part? You can roll, cut, gather up the scraps, and roll them out again without the cookies turning into little edible hockey pucks. They hold their shape, taste incredible, and don't require the patience of a saint. Which is good, because mine left the building sometime around 1998.
Table of Contents
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🥰 Is this rolled sugar cookie recipe for you?
This is the rolled sugar cookie recipe for you if:
- You want buttery sugar cookies with crisp edges and tender centers that taste just as good plain as they do decorated.
- You love cutout sugar cookies that hold their shape instead of spreading into unidentifiable blobs in the oven.
- You're baking with kids (or impatient adults) and need a forgiving dough that won't get tough no matter how many times it's rerolled, prodded, poked, or played with.
- You want to make shaped sugar cookies for any occasion, from birthdays and Valentine's Day to Halloween and Christmas.
- You like making cookie dough ahead of time so you can cut, bake, and decorate whenever you're ready.
If you don't have time for the chilling and cutting you'll definitely want to try these bakery style sugar cookies! Soft and chewy - just waiting for some sprinkles or colored sugar!
Reader Review: This worked exactly as written, thanks! Amazing cookies and so easy to make. The dough rolled out so well! 5-stars. Joanne
🎥 Video
🧾 Ingredients
Use real butter for the best flavor, and don't skip chilling the dough. That's what makes these buttery cookies easy to roll, cut, and bake without losing their shape.
- All-purpose flour: Gives the cookies structure while keeping them tender enough to bite into without risking dental work.
- Baking powder: Helps the cookies bake up with crisp edges while holding their shape. You can use baking soda instead for a softer cookie.
- Butter: Use real, salted or unsalted butter for that rich, old-fashioned flavor. Margarine can sit this one out.
- Sugar: Regular granulated sugar gives these rolled sugar cookies their classic sweetness and delicate texture.
- Eggs: Hold everything together and help create a sturdy dough that can handle repeated rolling.
- Vanilla extract: Adds that warm, sweet bakery flavor. Pure vanilla extract gives the best results.
📖 Recipe
Rolled Sugar Cookies Recipe
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1 ½ cups butter, melted
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 beaten eggs
- 1 tbs vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, or 1 teaspoon baking soda for a softer cookie
- 1 pinch salt
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Whisk the sugar into the melted butter in a large bowl and let it stand until the mixture is lukewarm.
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
- Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing well so all of the flour mixture is incorporated.
- Chill in the freezer for 30 minutes or the refrigerator overnight.
- Roll chilled dough ⅛ inch thick on a lightly floured surface.
- Cut as desired.
- Place cutout cookies on an ungreased cookie sheets or cookie sheets covered with parchment paper. Parchment paper is my preference.
- Bake for 8 - 10 minutes. Cookies should be golden on edges but don't let them brown.
- Let cool and decorate as desired. Yield varies with size of cookie cutters.
Notes
- The dough is very soft - let it sit in the refrigerator overnight or, if you are in a hurry, pop it in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Roll out ½ of the dough at a time. Keep remaining dough in the refrigerator.
- Use just enough flour on the counter to keep them from sticking.
- Use baking soda for soft cookies or baking powder for crunchy cookies.
- The dough keeps for several days in the refrigerator or you can freeze it for longer storage.
- Always bake similar sized cookies together so that they bake evenly.
- Rolling the dough about ⅛-inch thick will give you a crispy sugar cookie while rolling the dough ¼-inch will keep them softer.
- Let cool completely before decorating with icing.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
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🔪 How to make rolled sugar cookies
Making homemade rolled sugar cookies is easy, and you don't even need a mixer! The dough will be very soft at first, so don't panic and start dumping in extra flour. A good chill makes it easy to roll and cut into shapes that actually look like they're supposed to. Here's how to make them, step by step.
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside. They'll get their moment in the spotlight shortly.
- Melt the butter. Yes, melt it. We're not creaming butter and sugar like every other sugar cookie recipe on the planet.
- Whisk in the sugar until the mixture is smooth and loses its graininess. Give it a minute. Sugar has trust issues.
- Stir in the beaten eggs once the butter mixture has cooled to lukewarm. We're making cookies, not scrambled eggs.
- Add the vanilla and stir until everything is well blended.
- Dump in the flour mixture and stir until combined. No fancy mixer required.
- Don't panic about the dough. It's going to be very soft and sticky. That's exactly how it's supposed to look, so step away from the extra flour.
- Chill the dough in the freezer for 30 minutes or refrigerate 2 hours or more. Overnight is fine. Patience isn't optional here, unfortunately.
- Roll, cut, and bake! Roll the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface, cut into your favorite shapes, and bake at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes, just until the edges are lightly golden.
This sugar cookie dough is very soft before you chill it - as in the image above.
Marye's Tip: I like to cut the dough out in shapes then freeze it unbaked. That way I only have to put them on the cookie sheet and bake - no mess and hardly any time at all!
😱 What can go wrong (and how to fix it)
Even the best rolled sugar cookie recipe can throw a little tantrum. Here's how to keep your cookies looking like the shapes you cut out instead of something discovered at an archaeological dig.
❤️ The dough is too sticky to roll. That's normal right after mixing! This dough starts out softer than you'd expect. Chill it until firm, and work with half at a time while the rest stays in the refrigerator. Don't start adding handfuls of flour in a panic.
❤️ Your cookies spread and lose their shape. The dough probably got too warm. Pop the cutout cookies into the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes before baking, especially if your kitchen is warm.
❤️ The dough cracks when you roll it. It's likely too cold. Let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes until it's pliable enough to roll without breaking apart.
❤️ Your cookies are too crunchy. Roll the dough about ¼-inch thick for softer centers. Thinner cookies, around ⅛ inch, will bake up crispier. You can also use baking soda instead of baking powder for a softer cookie.
❤️ The cookies are tough. Don't work extra flour into the dough unnecessarily. This recipe handles rerolling beautifully, but there's no reason to bury it in flour like you're preparing it for a blizzard.
❤️ The cookies brown too much. Pull them out when the edges and bottoms are just lightly golden. They shouldn't look like they've spent spring break in Cancun.
❤️ The icing slides right off. Let the cookies cool completely before decorating. Warm cookies and icing are not a love story with a happy ending.
If you are packaging for shipping pack in layers with parchment paper or wax paper between the layers. Read more about how to ship cookies here.
👩🏻🍳 FAQs
Chill the dough until firm before rolling it out, and don't add more flour than necessary. If your cutout cookies start getting soft while you're working, pop them into the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes before baking. Cold dough helps those pretty edges stay where you put them.
Good question! That kinda depends on you. ⅛th to ¼- inch thick is about right. Thicker cookies, especially when made with baking soda, stay softer. Thinner cookies, especially when made with baking powder, stay crispy.
📚 More favorite cookie recipes
I've been making these rolled sugar cookies since long before I first shared the recipe in December 2006. Nearly 20 years later, it's still my favorite dough for cutout cookies because it holds its shape, stays tender, and doesn't get tough no matter how many times you reroll it. Next time try these red velvet cut out cookies.
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