Best Sugar Cookie Recipe EVER
This is the BEST sugar cookie recipe- no chilling the dough, cookies keep their shape when baked, soft and flavorful, perfect for decorating.
Every year millions of people print this Best Sugar Cookie Recipe EVER from In Katrina’s Kitchen. I have been using this recipe for over 25 years and it has never failed me.
The texture is medium-soft but you can bake them longer if you prefer a crisp cookie. This cookie is my absolute favorite and I have spent many years perfecting it on friends and family.
Why is This the BEST Sugar Cookie Recipe?
The dough comes together quickly with simple pantry ingredients.
It does NOT need to be chilled.
The recipe can be doubled easily.
Cookies hold their shape with very little expanding when baked.
Baked cookies freeze well.
The recipe I am giving you makes a large batch of dough because I like to bake a lot of cookies. Also I like to roll and cut my cookies fairly thick…to hold a lot of frosting.
Incorporating the last cup of flour may look dry and look crumbly. Turn out the dough onto your counter top and work with wet hands and/or more flour until the dough is smooth and ready to roll.
Most asked Q and A about this Recipe
The dough is sticky and/or crumbly. What can I do?
- The final dough really comes together and has a texture close to Play-Doh. Wet your hands if you need to. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface. Don’t be afraid to use more flour and incorporate it in while you are “kneading” it into a smooth ball.
- Forget everything you know about sugar cookie dough. Don’t be afraid of sprinkling more flour as you roll it out. Use the scraps! Mix them back into the unused dough and keep going.
Can I chill the dough? I want to chill the dough. Actually I need to make this 3 days in advance, is that okay?
- If you need to make the dough in advance you can chill it. Wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.
- Bring the dough to room temperature before rolling and cutting. You may need to use more flour on the counter top.
The cookies look under-baked. Can I bake them longer?
- I almost always suggest pulling out these cookies and the 8-9 minute mark for large cookie cutters, and 6-8 minutes for small cookie cutters. They will continue baking on the cookie sheet for a few minutes while they cool and set.
- After cooling for about 5 minutes I use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack.
Can I omit the almond extract?
- You can omit the almond extract.
- If not using almond extract replace it with an equal amount of pure vanilla extract.
- You can use any of your favorite flavorings in this cookie. I have used peppermint, maple, and lemon with great success.
How Do I Make these Cookies Gluten Free?
- To make these the best gluten free Sugar Cookie simply swap out the flour for your favorite gluten free 1:1 flour.
- I use King Arthur Flour Measure for Measure Flour
What is your favorite Christmas Cookie Frosting Recipe?
- I’m happy you asked! I like a soft, sweet frosting. Here is my favorite Christmas Cookie Frosting.
- Click here for my Small Batch Royal Icing recipe (it dries smooth and hard, and is perfect for holding together gingerbread houses too!).
I hope you love this Best Sugar Cookie recipe as much as our family does! Merry Christmas!
Best Sugar Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Cup unsalted butter, 226 grams
- 1 Cup granulated white sugar, 200 grams
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups all purpose flour, 360 grams
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- In the bowl of your mixer cream butter and sugar until smooth, at least 3 minutes
- Beat in extracts and egg.
- In a separate bowl, combine baking powder and salt with flour and add a little at a time to the wet ingredients. The dough will be stiff. If it becomes too stiff for your mixer turn out the dough onto a counter top surface, flour surface as needed. Wet your hands and finish off kneading the dough by hand.
- DO NOT CHILL THE DOUGH. Divide into workable batches (2-3 chunks), roll out onto a floured surface, and cut. You want these cookies to be on the thicker side (closer to 1/4 inch rather than 1/8).
- Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack.
Nutrition
Troubleshooting Best Sugar Cookie Recipe
Scooping and dumping your flour may be the problem! Even with level scooping measurements can vary. Try getting a digital kitchen scale and adding your ingredients by weight.
If your cookies seem to consistently need a longer or shorter baking time consider calibrating your oven with an oven thermometer.
Bake with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
Invest in a small metal cookie spatula to transfer cookies.
If left on the counter top for about an hour your butter should be the right consistency- a finger pressed onto the butter will make a slight indent but not sink down into it. (Read more about room temperature butter in this post about XL Bakery Style Cookies.)
Whenever a recipe calls for room temperature butter you should use room temperature eggs. To take the chill off of eggs I place them in a shallow bowl of warm (not hot) water for 2-3 minutes. You can then crack them for use in your recipe.
Looking for more Christmas Cookies?
Try my Christmas Cookie archive for some of the most adorable and delicious Christmas cookies.
Some of my favorites are Grinch Cookies and Ugly Christmas Sweater Sugar Cookie Bars
For something different try Christmas Tree Meringue Cookies
Items used in this recipe:
Congratulations to: Patricia #2026 “Thanks. I want to make Snickerdoodles.” This giveaway is closed. I was not compensated in any way for this giveaway and as always opinions expressed are 100% my own.
805 Comments on “Best Sugar Cookie Recipe EVER”
My cookies taste amazing but they spread quite a bit. Why do they look really yellow?
I will never bake another sugar cookie again. My family loves these.
Amazing recipe. Tastes great and is very easy and quick.
Love these cookies. My husband who never liked sugar cookies keeps asking me to make them. So easy. Thanks for this recipe..
One egg? It’s listed in the instructions but not the ingredient list. Thanks!
It’s there! 1 egg
I see it now… 🤦🏼♀️😆 It’s possible I’m losing my mind, I swear it wasn’t there before, I checked like 5 times!!
I just checked 5 times too lol! Whew!
These are great, thanks for sharing!! I didn’t have almond extract so I used extra vanilla and some cinnamon for extra flavor. These are so simple, how are they the good??
I agree. This is the best sugar cookie recipe, especially for baking with kids. It is so easy to work with and is sturdy in kid and adult hands. I re-roll the scraps into more cookies and it turns out just fine. Love it and I keep coming back to it. Once I found this recipe, I pretty much stopped looking.
I’ve tried a few cookie sugar recipes but this is definitely the best and was pleased it had metric measurements. The dough was quite sticky but once I’d kneaded it with quite a bit of flour it was easy to work with. Once baked the cookies looked great and tasted delicious, just have to ice them now but would definitely recommend this recipe.
And another question please:
Do i have to make separate icings for outlining the cookie and then filling the inside shape?
Hi,
My concern is that, my cookies loose its shape while cooking, it spreads, can you tell me its cream cheese in dough or baking powder that causes it?
I am trying out the recipe as we speak with the 3 cups of flour according to what you published they make up to 36 cookies there is no way there’s 36 cookies in the cutter that I have isn’t very big just curious your thoughts hope I didn’t do anything wrong
OK I have to renege, there was not 36 but I believe they were pretty close it just didn’t seem like there was much in the batter plus I roll them pretty thin
I’m in the midst of trying your ”Best Sugar Cookie” recipe which I printed. On the printout, it says 3 cups of flour (or 360gr). Using my scale, my 360 gr of Robin Hood Gluten Free All Purpose Flour is actually 2 cups. So maybe add a caveat for weight when using gluten free. I think we should look at volume of flour as opposed to weight? I used 505 gr and that was 3 cups.
Good point! I use cup-for-cup gluten free flour so it measures the same. I assume that most people who bake gluten-free are best familiar with their product preferences.
How would you alter for elevation? I live in Flagstaff at 7,000 feet! Thanks for any advice I’m advance!
I have zero experience with high altitude baking! I hope you can find an expert!
Wow thought these looked nice and made them with green food coloring, so happy we did. Amazing 10/10, the almond extract brings great flavor
This was one of the best recipes!! The cookies arnt hard they are super soft and so easy and fun to make
:)))
Loving this recipe!! My cookies came out perfect at 7 minutes and didn’t expand at all! My dough wasn’t dry at all.. I actually had to add more flour.. but I’m thinking that might be because I forgot to soften my butter so I softened it in the microwave. Still turned out great! This will definitely be my go to cut out recipe from now on!
Love the recipe! Can you tell me how long the cookies are good for?