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 for 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 many 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 countertop 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 these 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 countertop.
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, 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.
- IMPORTANT NOTE: If the dough looks crumbly keep mixing for 30 seconds to 1 minute longer. The dough should be pulling away from the sides of the mixer.
- If the dough still looks too dry or stiff for your mixer, turn out the dough onto a countertop 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.
Notes
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.
1,333 Comments on “Best Sugar Cookie Recipe EVER”
Hi Katrina! I cannot wait to try these out in shamrock shapes for St. Patrick’s Day. There’s nothing I love more than a good sugar cookie. I’m so glad that I found your recipe, and thank you for sharing it!
This is the best sugar cookie recipe EVER! I’ve been using Katrina’s recipe for years. The dough is very forgiving. One time my cookies spread and she helped me figure out what’s wrong. My butter was way too soft. She told me it should be just soft enough to make a small indent with my finger anger then I know it’s ready. Turned out perfectly! Thank you Katrina!
My husband loves sugar cookies and this recipe was his favorite! I really enjoyed the no need for chilling. Thank you very much for sharing this. You gave us all a taste of delicious happiness!
This was the best sugar cookie recipe I’ve ever made. I used all vanilla, no almond extract.
Cookies came out perfect made thicker. About 1/4 inch. Baked between 8-9 min.
I had to bake like 10 minutes to get them firm enough. But they really were easy to make and tasted great! I love the flavor of the almond and I like using artificial flavoring so that my daughter with nut allergies can enjoy them as well.
So easy and perfect! Love that you don’t have to chill the dough! Thank you!
I just want to say that I have used this recipe for years now and it never fails. You really don’t have to chill it and the shapes always hold, no matter what cutters I use. Yesterday I made these into Valentine cookies and they worked great. Makes the whole process so much quicker when you don’t have to add in chill time. Love it; thank you!
How long will these keep at room temperature once decorated? I used ready made cookie icing to keep it easy. Thank you for the excellent recipe!
Spot in recipe, happy to find it.
Must say, you shouldn’t be allowed to post stuff soooo tasty. Just saying 🙂
Wanted some quick chocolate sugar cookies, so I found this one, less the “chocolate” bit (and of course, after doing the prep nd measuring everything, seen it in a review that you do have an actual chocolate version, nevermind). Know since years ago (my mum) that you can simply drop 1 Tbsp of flour and instead, add same quantity of cocoa powder = chocolate version. Also, didn’t had baking powder, so replaced with baking soda (1/4 tsp to 1 tsp of baking powder when replaced).
Followed all your steps otherwise, and came out perfect.
Many thanks for your recipe!!
Tasted great but swelled up massively and did not keep any shape very sad about that but taste was great
Can we made this without eggs? Any replacement?
This recipe is SO good!!!
I don’t know if this recipe is The Best, but compared to the many recipes I have used, I would say it is. The dough was like play dough, very easy to work with. If dough becomes too mushy just chill a couple minutes.
I weighed my ingredients out & beat the butter & sugar 3 minutes and maybe that helped. If people have dry dough, there is probably too much flour. Easiest sugar cookie dough ever. Easy to throw together, & very tasty.
First time I enjoyed making sugar cookies 🙂 Thank you for sharing!!
I have used your recipe for the past two Christmases and just made some Valentine cookies today. I love the subtle sweetness and salty flavor. These are easy for my young kids to help roll and cut. I appreciate the tip about cutting letters thicker and letting them cool on rack longer (too bad I read that after I made them and my “E” for LOVE fell off, but I’ll remember for next time).
Awesome recipe! Best sugar cookies I have ever tried. They kept their shape beautifully and tasted great! Can’t wait to make more!
This one is ALWAYS my go to! I love that I do not have to cook the dough and I end up just sprinkling sanding sugar on them. Even the pickiest of cookie snobs LOVES this recipe. 😉
Thank you
I had a terrible time with this dough. As I beat in the flour it initially looked crumbly, then it looked downright powdery! What on earth is the problem? Hope you can help me😔
same happened to mine and i added a tablespoon of melted butter and used my hands to work it into the crumbles.
I have been using your recipe literally for YEARS. I absolutely love the texture and the taste of these cookies!! We’re making Valentine’s cutouts and again I was searching for Katrina’s Kitchen!! Thank you for sharing this!!
The best sugar cookie recipe I have found!!! And this may have been asked prior, but can I make this dough a head of time?