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With their crisp edges, thick centers, and ample space for decorative icing, these soft cut-out sugar cookies are sure to become a favorite in your baking repertoire. You can use your favorite cookie cutters and pair them with my classic royal icing for a delightful treat.
These sugar cookies have been a hit on Sally’s Baking Addiction since I first shared the recipe years ago, and they even made it into my cookbook. Having baked them at least 38,577 times (imagine all the butter!), I’m excited to share updated tips, a video tutorial, and additional helpful information to ensure your baking success.
Why You’ll Love These Sugar Cookies
- Texture: Soft, thick centers with slightly crisp edges.
- Flavor: Irresistible buttery vanilla taste with optional flavor variations like maple and cinnamon.
- Shape: They hold their shape perfectly.
- Surface: Flat surface ideal for decorating.
- Longevity: Stay soft for days and freeze beautifully.
Overview: How to Make Sugar Cookies with Icing
- Make the Cookie Dough: You only need 7-8 basic ingredients. Creamed butter and sugar form the base, while egg provides structure and vanilla extract adds flavor. I highly recommend adding a touch of almond extract for extra flavor. Flour, baking powder, and salt round out the mix. Each ingredient plays a crucial role in creating the perfect cookie.
- Divide the Dough: Split the dough into two pieces for easier handling.
- Roll Out the Dough: Roll it out to 1/4 inch thick or just under. An adjustable rolling pin can help ensure even thickness.
- Chill the Dough: Chill the rolled-out dough for at least 1-2 hours. This step is essential to prevent the cookies from losing their shape.
- Cut into Shapes: Use your favorite cookie cutters to shape the dough.
- Bake and Cool: Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes, depending on size.
- Decorate: Once cooled, decorate with your preferred icing.
The Trick Is the Order of Steps
Roll out the dough before chilling it. This prevents the dough from being too cold and hard to work with when cutting into shapes. Roll it out on a silicone baking mat or parchment paper for easy transfer to the refrigerator.
How Thick Should Sugar Cookies Be?
Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick for soft, thick cookies. If you prefer not to roll out dough, consider making drop sugar cookies instead.
Sugar Cookie Icing Options
- Favorite Royal Icing: This icing is my top choice for sugar cookies. It’s easy to use, dries within 1-2 hours, and has a soft finish. Made with meringue powder, it’s safe and convenient.
- Easy Cookie Icing: This icing is great for beginners. It’s simple to make without an electric mixer and doesn’t require precise consistency. However, it takes about 24 hours to dry and doesn’t provide the same sharp detail as royal icing.
Sugar Cookie Tips & Tools
Here are some tools that I recommend for making sugar cookies:
- Electric Mixer: Handheld or stand mixer.
- Baking Sheets
- Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Sheets
- Rolling Pin: An adjustable rolling pin is especially helpful.
- Food Coloring: Gel food coloring is best as it doesn’t alter icing consistency.
- Piping Tips/Squeeze Bottle: For royal icing, I recommend Wilton piping tip #4.
- Piping Bag: Either disposable or reusable.
- Couplers: Useful for switching tips between different icing colors.
- Cookie Cutters: Use any shape you like!
For more detailed recommendations, check out my full list of favorite cookie decorating supplies. Happy baking!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
The above recipe draws inspiration from the renowned culinary experts, Sally and Lindsay.
Ingredients
With crisp edges, thick centers, and room for lots of decorating icing, I know you’ll love these soft sugar cookies as much as I do. The number of cookies this recipe yields depends on the size of the cookie cutter you use. If you’d like to make dozens of cookies for a large crowd, double the recipe.
😎 Total Time: 4 hours, 45 minutes (includes cooling)
- 2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed for rolling and work surface
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional, but makes the flavor outstanding)*
For Decorating
- Royal Icing or Easy Glaze Icing (royal icing is pictured)
- Assorted sprinkles
Instructions
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- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract (if using) and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Dough will be a bit soft. If the dough seems too soft and sticky for rolling, add 1 more Tablespoon of flour.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Place each portion onto a piece of lightly floured parchment paper or a lightly floured silicone baking mat. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use more flour if the dough seems too sticky. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly 1/4-inch thick.
- Lightly dust one of the rolled-out doughs with flour. Place a piece of parchment on top. (This prevents sticking.) Place the 2nd rolled-out dough on top. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours and up to 2 days.
- Once chilled, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Carefully remove the top dough piece from the refrigerator. If it’s sticking to the bottom, run your hand under it to help remove it—see me do this in the video below. Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Repeat with 2nd piece of dough. (Note: It doesn’t seem like a lot of dough, but you get a lot of cookies from the dough scraps you re-roll.)
- Arrange cookies on baking sheets 3 inches apart. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. If your oven has hot spots, rotate the baking sheet halfway through bake time. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
- Decorate the cooled cookies with royal icing or easy cookie icing. Feel free to tint either icing with gel food coloring. See post above for recommended decorating tools. No need to cover the decorated cookies as you wait for the icing to set. If it’s helpful, decorate the cookies directly on a baking sheet so you can stick the entire baking sheet in the refrigerator to help speed up the icing setting.
- Enjoy cookies right away or wait until the icing sets to serve them. Once the icing has set, these cookies are great for gifting or for sending. Plain or decorated cookies stay soft for about 5 days when covered tightly at room temperature. For longer storage, cover and refrigerate for up to 10 days.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Plain or decorated sugar cookies freeze well up to 3 months. Wait for the icing to set completely before layering between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-friendly container. To thaw, thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. You can also freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months before rolling it out. Prepare the dough through step 3, divide in half, flatten both halves into a disk as we do with pie crust, wrap each in plastic wrap, then freeze. To thaw, thaw the disks in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature for about 1 hour. Roll out the dough as directed in step 4, then chill rolled out dough in the refrigerator for 45 minutes – 1 hour before cutting into shapes and baking.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Wooden Rolling Pin or Adjustable Rolling Pin | Heart-Shaped Cookie Cutter | Americolor Soft Gel Paste Color Kit | Piping Bags (Disposable or Reusable) | Couplers | Wilton Tip #4 | Squeeze Bottle
- Room Temperature: Room temperature butter is essential. If the dough is too sticky, your butter may have been too soft. Room temperature butter is actually cool to the touch. Room temperature egg is preferred so it’s quickly and evenly mixed into the cookie dough.
- Flavors: I love flavoring this cookie dough with 1/2 teaspoon almond extract as listed in the ingredients above. For lighter flavor, use 1/4 teaspoon. Instead of the almond extract, try using 1 teaspoon of maple extract, coconut extract, lemon extract, or peppermint extract. Or add 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon. If using lemon extract, you can also add 1 Tablespoon lemon zest.
- Icing: Use royal icing or my easy cookie icing. See post above to read about the differences.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
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