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
Butter questions
- It is most important to note that the butter does not have to be at room temperature. We do not recommend rock-hard butter but allow the butter to sit on the countertop for 10-15 minutes while you assemble your ingredients.
- If you can press your finger into the butter and you can easily make a deep indent then the butter is too soft.
- You should be able to press the butter and make a small fingerprint.
- A tip for mixing butter is to cut it into cubes (or just small pats) before creaming with the sugar.
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 it 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!).
- You could also try our Three Ingredient Chocolate Glaze
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. (PLEASE NOTE there is 1 egg in this recipe.)
- 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.
2,506 Comments on “Best Sugar Cookie Recipe EVER”
Thank you for sharing. these are the best ever sugar cookies.
This recipe was the easiest sugar cookie recipe I have ever tried! Mine came out exactly as shown with no adjustments, no sticking and easy clean up! Delicious flavor with the almond extract, added a little something extra to the flavoring in the cookie. My 2, 8 year old grandchildren helped, very easy for them to use a heart cookie cutter. This recipe definitely, will be my new go to, “Best Sugar Cookie” recipe! Thank you
This is my go to recipe, I’ve used it a few years in a row now, for multiple holidays/events. It’s a great recipe to make large batches of cookies, use varying sizes of cookie cutter, and frost however you like. I have refrigerated it overnight due to lack of time, and brought to room temp and baked the next day. Still works great! In our oven, I have to add a few minutes of bake time (depending also on the thickness/thinness I roll them out) as we prefer them a little more crispy than doughy. They are delicious enough to eat plain as well! Wish I could add pictures of my cookies! Love this recipe! I especially love making big batches and bringing them to work to share with everyone!
Love the ease of making and the great taste of this recipe.
This is THE BEST sugar cookie recipe I have ever tried. I’m a very amateur baker and these turned out perfect! They were easy to roll. I rolled them on parchment paper and I own a non stick rolling pin which may have helped but still, these roll and cut beautifully! They were easy to transfer and they held their shape perfectly through baking. I doubled the batch and made these with a bunch of kiddos and everyone got a great result! Can’t say enough about these. Other recipes I’ve tried are over complicated and too sweet. These are delicious and just the right amount of sweet once the icing and decorations go on. This will be my go to sugar cookie recipe from now on. Thanks for this gem Katrina!
can I freeze the baked cookies a couple of days before decorating? and how should I store the.
These are my go to sugar cookies every year now. I absolutely love that they don’t need to be chilled. The cookies hold their shape nicely.
I make these cookies all the time and they come out perfect every time! this is one of my go-to recipes for cookies.
Great recipe. I made as directed except used all vanilla extra instead of vanilla and almond extract. It is really a no chill recipe. I measured dry ingredients by weight and the dough came together in my kitchen aide mixer with no issues. The dough was a dream to work with. Easy to handle and not sticky. No spreading. Exactly as advertised. I made about 24 large cookies (about 3 inch) from one batch of dough. I made a second batch to get as many cookies as I needed and the dough was exactly the same. I haven’t frosted the cookies yet, but they seem very study. I baked 9 minutes and they are firm, but soft in the middle. They taste like your basic sugar cookies, but not too sweet which is perfect because they are essentially a vehicle for frosting!
These are by far the BEST SUGAR COOKIE & Sugar Frosting !! I am 68 yrs old and never have I made a cookie that tastes this wonderful !! Thank You for sharing this fabulous recipe & helpful suggestions too !
I’ve been using this recipe for years and it has never failed me. The BEST recipe I’ve ever found for perfect and delicious sugar cookies!
you said it makes a large batch . how many medium size cookies is that?
It is so hard to say a serving size since cookie cutters vary. I would say just short of 2 dozen medium size in my opinion.
Excellent recipe. So easy and redeemed my experience with cookie cutter cookies (and rescued my children from a life deprived of cookie cutter cookies). Thank you for sharing!
Been making these cookies for years but always run into same problem: dough way too crumbly so I have to add water, which causes the cookies to puff up during baking and the details from cookie cutter disappear. Wanted to make another recipe but ended up making this same one, realizing that it’s the same dang recipe that I had printout of pinned to the fridge, doh!
Super soft dough which I love, cuts perfectly, baked perfectly and evenly (8 min for my oven), great taste. Don’t skimp on the flavoring (vanilla and almond or others). This will be my go-to recipe from now on. Thanks!
This has become my go to for every holiday and there are a lot of holidays! I pass this one to all my friends and family. Makes a perfect cookie without hassle.
I didn’t like this recipe. I made some dinosaur shaped cookies for my family but once they were out of the oven the didn’t hold shape at all and now look deformed. They taste good, but if you are going for a complex shape I would not recommend this recipe.
Greatest success ever with your wonderful recipe!! I’ve used it now about 6 times, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentines, St. Patrick’s day, babies birthday cookies- all have been consistent and perfect!!
I’m getting the hang of decorating- slowly it surely- haven’t quite mastered the flood technique, but I’m not giving up! Thank you!
These cookies are sincerely the very best . A lovely cross between a traditional surger cookie and an amazing shortbread!💕
Hi katrina
love this recipe how many dozens does this recipe make?
This truly is the best sugar cookie out there! I make them every Christmas. I have not failed yet.
Thank you ,God bless.
best one I’ve made yet. I’m 69 and made cookies a while
Wow! This recipe was soooo easy!!! And the cookies tasted great. I printed it and put with my Christmas cookie cutters so I’ll have it for next year.
Love this recipe. Super simple, comes together quickly. I’ve made it twice this week during the holidays. The weighing of the flour is key I think to getting the perfect texture on these and takes all the guesswork out. The first batch I rolled into a cylinder in plastic wrap and refrigerated for a couple of days until I had time to bake them. I then simply cut the “log” into 1/4” circles and put directly into the preheated oven without bringing them to room temp. They turned out totally perfect! Second batch I mixed, rolled out and cut then placed directly into the preheated oven with zero chilling. They were good but I feel the ingredients needed more time to “gel” all the flavors together in the fridge like the first batch as they tasted not quite as flavorful. But both batches were awesome so it comes down to personal preference and time if you have a day or 2 to let the dough chill.
Beautiful, no extra flour “kneaded” , perfectly rolled and cookie cut dough.
I was worried I had screwed up this dough because it was SO crumbly but I just had the trust the process. After hand kneading the dough came out perfectly and after baking they tasted amazing. I’m bookmarking this recipe to use every year!
I made these with my grands this Christmas and they were just perfect! The cutouts held great and they tasted delicious! Everyone raved and this is the only recipe we will use from now on. Thank you!
These really were the best ever!!! Omitted the almond extract and just used extra vanilla. They are so soft and tasty! This will now be my go-to sugar cookie recipe!
Tried this recipe and was pleasantly surprised at how they turned out just as described. They were sturdy enough to be decorated by 3 to 8 year olds. The adults asked for the recipe they were so good. I also made the cookie icing recipe from this site as well. Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful keeper receipes!
Easiest and most delicious sugar cookie ever!
Has anyone tried adding gingerbread cookie ingredients to this recipe?
Thank you for this recipe! It was exactly as advertised. My dough was very crumbly after beating with my hand mixer so I did what you suggested and kneaded it on a floured surface with wet hands and it came together beautifully! Mine took 10-12 minutes to bake, but that’s my oven’s fault. Very easy and very tasty.
So easy, fun and DELICIOUS! Cookies held perfect shape. I added cinnamon too to some of them – so good!
Easy to roll out but came out dry. I made these last weekend but used baking soda instead of baking powder and they turned out great but when I used baking powder this time, they came out really dry?
I’ve never made from scratch a no chill recipe. These were pretty good. Some of them got a bit too thick and broke, but most that were made thinner did great. I didn’t expect them to be so soft, but like it. Soft but firm. Perfect for cookie cutters! Edges were perfect. Thanks for the recipe! Fun for a mom and her 15 yr old teen! Merry Christmas.
made them for christmas and everybody loved loved them!!
My neighbor used your sugar cookie recipe and shared her cookies with my husband and I; they really are the best sugar cookie ever! The neighbor used a light glaze to cover the cookies. I hate to keep asking her, so I think I will try your eggnog glaze recipe for them. I’m so glad she shared your recipe, and I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes Katrina. Merry Christmas!
THE BEST!!!!Came out soooo good!! Are family will use this again!!TYSM!!!
I made this recipe and it is true! They are the best sugar cookies ever! The dough is amazing, cookies stay soft and taste delicious. My grandkids loved them, we had fun making them. I will definitely be making them again. Thank you for sharing!
Made them as directed. Came out perfect! They really do hold their shape. 8 minutes was exactly enough cooking time-they come out looking not quite done but firm up after resting for a few minutes.
Awesome recipe! Thank you!
This is the only and best recipe. This is our second year using this recipe. My family loves it so much! Thank you!
Is this recipe good for stamping as well?
Just made some with my kiddos & they absolutely loved the process! it was easy, fast, pretty, & delicious!
My kids and my go to recipe for perfect cookies every time. The dough is always so easy to work with and the instructions and trouble shooting steps are very easy to follow and they taste delicious. I love that I can easily double or half the recipe if needed.
Great recipe and very easy!!!
Did recipe as described and they came out really well! We beat it in the Kitchen Aid using the icing/frosting attachment, and wet our hands a couple of times when kneading the dough to keep it from crumbling. I wish I could add pictures!
make the every year now! love they don’t need to be chilled! kids love them!
This is as Described, a non refrigerated recipe that is super easy. Just made this for the first time and cut them out with cookie cutters and they were perfect. This will be my employer go to recipe for Christmas cut out cookies!