I love this easy sugar cookies recipe, especially when I want to do some spur-of-the-moment baking. The cookie dough doesn’t need to be chilled, and the finished cookies stay wonderfully chewy for DAYS.
If you love soft sugar cookies, try my copycat Lofthouse cookies for a frosted, bakery-style treat.
Next to a good snickerdoodle, chewy sugar cookies are a total favorite of mine any day of the week. And unlike, say, cut-out sugar cookies, which are definitely a Christmas staple, I feel like this easy drop sugar cookies recipe is perfect for year-round baking.
I tested SO many versions of these homemade sugar cookies. I’m pretty sure my mother-in-law (who watches the twins while I work) thought I was losing my mind. I’d be all, “Just one more version!” and then a week later there’d still be new batches on the counter. But finally, I found the perfect sugar cookie recipe. Everything about these buttery cookies is just right.
So Many Reasons To Love This Easy Sugar Cookie Recipe
- These cookies are the perfect thickness to have crisp, golden edges without losing their soft centers.
- They’re chewy, buttery sugar cookies without being cakey.
- There’s no need to chill the dough, cut out the cookies, or even press the balls flat. They spread perfectly on their own.
- I’m happy to say these homemade cookies stay soft and chewy for days when stored properly.
- These are delicious baked as-is, rolled in sugar for a crunchy finish, and they’re great for decorating with sugar cookie icing or sprinkles.
- They’re easily adaptable for holidays like Christmas, Easter, and Valentine’s Day. See my favorites in the Variations section later on.
Ingredients Needed
Let’s talk about the key ingredients you’ll need to make chewy classic sugar cookies. See the recipe card for the full recipe with exact measurements.
- Flour – Use a kitchen scale or spoon and level the flour to avoid overmeasuring. See how to measure flour correctly so you don’t end up with too much flour in the dough.
- Baking soda and baking powder – In all my testing, I found that my favorite sugar cookies used a combination of baking soda and baking powder. Cookies made with only baking soda are chewy but thinner (see my coconut sugar cookies). Meanwhile, just baking powder yields a thicker, more cakey cookie. The combination of the two was just right for these bakery-style sugar cookies.
- Butter – I use unsalted butter. Bring the butter to room temperature before you start. If you forget, microwave it for 5 seconds at a time, turning a quarter turn after each interval, just until it’s softened but not melted. You can also slice the butter into thin slices and it’ll come to room temperature much more quickly.
- Granulated sugar and brown sugar – Brown sugar has more moisture than white granulated sugar because it contains molasses. I swapped out two tablespoons of white sugar for brown sugar in this sugar cookie recipe, and the results were fantastic. It makes a much softer and chewier cookie that stays fresh longer. It also adds a touch of extra flavor.
- Egg – Also at room temperature.
- Vanilla extract – Please use pure vanilla extract for your homemade sugar cookies, and not imitation vanilla. You’ll taste the difference.
How to Make Chewy Sugar Cookies
Follow along to make the best soft sugar cookies from scratch. Before you begin, preheat your oven to 350ºF and line your baking sheets, either with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
Mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
Add the dry ingredients and mix to form a thick dough.
Portion the dough into 1 ½ tablespoon-sized balls. Roll the dough balls in sugar.
Bake the cookies at 350ºF for 7-8 minutes, until they’re just set in the centers.
The cookies will look a bit puffed up when they leave the oven…
… And they’ll settle as they cool on the baking sheet.
How Long to Bake Sugar Cookies
Mine baked just enough at 7 minutes, but keep an eye on them to see how they do in your oven. I removed mine when they had spread nicely, looked just done enough without looking undercooked, and the edges weren’t quite golden. Don’t worry if the centers of the cookies are still quite soft; they will firm up as they cool.
Variations and Decorating Ideas
These make great holiday sugar cookies, but they’re also wonderful for everyday baking. Here are some of the many ways I’ve adapted this sugar cookie recipe over the years.
- Frosting: You can make simple decorated sugar cookies with royal icing or use vanilla buttercream frosting to follow my tutorial for rosette cookies.
- Sprinkles: If you’re looking to make sugar cookies for a holiday or an event, these cookies would be great rolled in sprinkles instead of sugar. See my Christmas sprinkle cookies. Use any color you like!
- Christmas: Make peppermint sugar cookies or turn these into Grinch cookies with green food coloring and red heart sprinkles.
- More flavors: Try my chocolate sugar cookies, strawberry sprinkle cookies, and lemon sugar cookies for fun flavor variations.
Tips for Chewy Sugar Cookies
- Make sure your butter is at the right temperature. Room temperature can be a little misleading if your house is too warm or too cool. Your butter shouldn’t be so soft that your finger goes right through it if you press on it, but it should also be able to make an imprint. If it won’t, or it barely does, it’s likely still too cold.
- Be sure to use just two tablespoons of brown sugar. It adds just enough additional moisture to the cookies to help them spread correctly and stay soft and chewy for days!
- Avoid overmeasuring. Measure the flour correctly using the spoon-and-level method or a digital kitchen scale for accuracy. Don’t scoop directly from the bag. You’ll end up adding too much, which makes the cookies dry.
- Don’t over-mix the dough after you add the flour. It can over-develop the gluten and cause the cookies not to spread as nicely or to be tough.
- Make sure your cookie dough balls are 1 ½ tablespoons each, or you’ll want to adjust the baking time. I also found this size to be just right for a perfect spread.
How to Store and Freeze
- Counter: Store these cookies on the counter in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Fridge: If you want to extend their shelf life, you can pop the container in the fridge. The cookies will keep in the fridge for up to 7 days.
- Freezer: These cookies freeze nicely too! Just let the baked cookies come to room temperature, then pack them in a Ziploc bag and freeze them. Thaw them in the fridge or on the counter when you’re ready to eat them.
More Classic Cookie Recipes
Easy Sugar Cookies
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Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups (358g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (224g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp (233g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons (28g) light brown sugar (packed)
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (52g) granulated sugar (additional for rolling)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugars together in a large mixer bowl on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. You should be able to see the change in color happen and know it’s ready.
- Add the egg and mix until well combined.
- Add the vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until the dough is well combined. It will be thick and shouldn’t be sticky. Do not over mix. Once it’s well combined, use a rubber spatula to help it come together to form a more cohesive ball.
- Create 1 ½ tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough. Gently roll into a ball, then roll each ball in the additional sugar to coat. Set the balls on the baking sheet.
- Bake cookies for 7-8 minutes. The cookies will spread and the centers will look soft, but should look done. Remove just before the edges begin to turn golden. Don’t over bake. The cookies will be a little puffy when you take them out of the oven but will fall a bit as they cool.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for 4-5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Categories:
Christmas, Cookies, Easter, Holidays, Recipes, Recipes with video, Sweets and Treats, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day,
Can these be made with out the baking soda?
Not really. They wouldn’t turn out the same.
I have tried a lot of sugar cookie recipes and I have never looked for another one after making these for the first time last year. I know everyone has different taste buds, but these are by far the best I’ve ever made!! It’s a problem, I always eat so many when I make them, and I always double the recipe. My family loves them and anytime I give them anyone else they ask for the recipe. Thanks for the most delicious recipe. I use bread flour because it’s all I have and don’t know if that makes a difference, but oh my goodness, yum!!
These were quick to make and are deliciously soft and chewy. I’ve “tested” two before I’ve begun decorating 😂 dipping half in white chocolate and then peppermint pieces. Followed the directions exactly. Lovely cookies! Thank you for the recipe. Will be a keeper for sure!
After baking for eight minutes the cookies balls had not spread out AT ALL. I had to flatten them with the back of a spoon. Baked for another eight minutes and they were delicious!
Mine tasted like four and did not spread at all. I cooked for 14 minutes and still doughy inside. Not sure what I did wrong. not good.
Hi, these look delicious! I was looking for a sugar cookie recipe that I could place Hershey kisses on top of – similar to the peanut butter blossoms but I don’t want peanut butter. Do you think this recipe would work well with something like that?
These will spread more than the pb blossoms so I’m not sure it’s ideal.
Can i make the dough ahead of time and freeze the dough? I have made these cookies before and they are woderful.
I haven’t tried it before but it should be OK.
I always put leftover cookie dough in the freezer and have baked these by thawing them out first and straight from the freezer and they’ve turned out great both ways! I do freeze them into preportioned balls.
Hello!
I have made this recipe to a T however, I did not see the pointers at the bottom about the flour until I was done. I packed and leveled the flour. Is there anyway to save the dough? Thanks!
I made these cookies and they are so good! My boys loved them! I cooked them for 12 mins on 350° but they still are light soft and chewy. Plus I mixed everything by hand after just finding out my mixer conked out 😢 but I’m so happy I found your recipe! Thank you!!! Happy Holidays!🎄🎅🎉
So glad you enjoyed them!
so i made these cookies the other day and the are already very crunchy any suggestion of why that is and i was also wondering if you can chill this cookie dough over night
This was my first time making sugar cookies from scratch! I usually buy pre-made dough from the store but this time I wanted to try something different. So I followed this recipe and the cookies turned out great! They tasted good and smelt delicious. I totally recommend if you’re looking to make simple sugar cookies from scratch! 🙂
First time making sugar cookies from scratch, and this recipe was perfect! I saw other comments about dough being sticky and maybe being due to the flour. Since I don’t have a scale, I followed you tips on stirring the flour and not packing it. Game changer! Thanks you so much!
So glad you enjoyed them!
This is an amazing cookie recipe! First off it’s simple… no crazy special ingredients … no waiting for the dough to rest in the fridge… I was planning to make cake mix cookies with my kids colored green like grinch cookies- but it’s 40 miles to the grocery store and I didn’t have a cake mix…. so a-recipe-hunting I go! The recipe had rules. It had to have ingredients I have in my house and I am not a baker, no crazy stuff to drag it out of the depths of the cabinet …. must be easy and boom – I found this one! I tried it! I was iffy when the dough was like a crumble in the bowl after getting the flour incorporated, but then it just came together in a ball and amazingly made the best cookies ever! I added food coloring for the Grinch effect…Green marbled to perfection! And so yummy! Thanks for sharing this with the world!
So glad they worked well for you!
I baked these 2 weeks ago and my family just can’t stop eating them! I definitely recommend these sugar cookies for beginners. I just started baking and I already mastered these sugar cookies! I LOVE THE SUGAR COOKIES (in fact I’m snacking on one right now)
So glad to hear that!
Best cookie I ever made !!!! Thank you so much !!!
This recipe didn’t work at all. I followed it down to the tee. It stuck to everything. I even tried rolling it out to help. Made it worse. They were supposed to be a birthday surprise for my sad. But nope.