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,
oops I forgot to leave a rate on my last comment. 5 star!
OMG! I’ve been trying to make the perfect sugar cookies for me and my family but it never worked out, all the other recipes were not that great, my cookies were coming out hard as a rock. I try this recipe and my cookies came out great! Thank you so much! I’ve never thought my cookies would come out so great if it wasn’t for you.
It was good but in the ingredient spot it said brown sugar, and in the instructions it never said anything about brown sugar. 🤔
The instructions refer to adding the “sugars” in plural because you add both at the same time. Glad you enjoyed them!
Hi i just want to know my cookies is not flat it is much bigger. What must i do?
Thank you for the recipe. The cookies turned out perfect. I had to bake mine for 10 Minutes at 200 Celsius for them to bake properly, but maybe the European ovens are different then the American ones. Nevertheless, I’m gonna be making this recipe another 100 times at least, and I’m gonna add some pecans next time. Thanks again!
Very concerning that you would suggest someone use wax paper in an oven!
I have no idea what you’re talking about. The recipe mentions parchment paper. I never use wax paper.
I’ve made these multiple times and the flavor is A+++ EVERY TIME but, no matter what, they’ve never spread properly! Each time I’ve made them, they remain thick. They still taste OUT OF THIS WORLD DELICIOUS, but I wish I could figure out what I’m doing wrong that isn’t allowing them to spread beautifully!
I too had cookies that were too dry and did not spread. At all. I am an experienced baker looking for the “perfect” sugar cookie my daughter requested. These looked perfect. I measured every ingredient possible using my digital scale, and double checked before measuring due to the comments, because using voume to measure is innacurate. I noticed your flour measure and weight don’t match, so I went with the weight. Flour weighs 120 g per cup. Your measurement of 2 3/4 cups flour should have weighed 330 grams, not 358. The higher weight results in a 1/4 cup more flour, or a full 3 cups by measure. The extra 1/4 Cup flour would make a huge difference and I wish I’d held back some. I wonder if the people, like me, that got dry cookies either weighed to the 358 g or did measure heavy in a cup. People who carefully fluffed and used a cup measure could have had softer results. After the first batch I added a TB of milk and then still had to flatten every batch with a glass. Delicious cookies, and tender, but something is up with the measurements. I will do these again, but I’ll use the 330 grams to aim for the gorgeous cookies you show here.
I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with the cookies. As for the flour measurement – weight measurements vary by site but those measurements are accurate for all the recipes on my site. I actually bake with the weights, so I know they’re accurate. I’ve made these cookies dozens of times exactly as written (with weights, not volume) and get the same results every time. If your measurements were accurate, then it’s hard to say where the problem lies. Did you refrigerate the cookie dough at all?
I say this with no exaggeration, the title “Best Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies” has been irrefutably earned. These cookies are soooooooooo good. I have to freeze and make only a few at a time or else I will eat them all single handedly while my children look on bewildered. Usually when someone claims they have the best recipe for something while it may turn out good, great even it doesn’t earn “the best” title—not the case here. Bravo and compliments the chef and a big thank you for sharing the brilliance of this recipe.
Wonderful! Glad you enjoyed them! If you’d like another awesome “best” recipe, I’d try my Best Chocolate Cake. 🙂
wow, these are amazing 🙂 thank you … even passed the picky teenager taste test!!
Just took these out of the oven… because baking cookies at 1am just somehow didn’t seem wrong.. 😏 I used salted butter and omitted the salt referenced in the recipe and added just a touch of extra flour at the very end to make the dough a little less sticky. Baked for 10 min at 350° on a baking sheet with wax paper and they came out PERFECT. Solid but soft and chewy, the ideal chewy center. So glad I found this recipe.. and so is my belly 😁 Considering subbing lemon extract/flavor to make some soft, chewy lemon cookies! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Thank you for this recipe! I’ve been looking for one like it for a long time. My little guy and I really enjoyed making them. We added food coloring and sprinkles ☺️
Wonderful! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed them!
So glad I found this after a major sugar cookie fail from another recipe. It’s especially great that the dough isn’t super sticky and you don’t need to refrigerate the dough. This recipe is a keeper thank you very much!
Great recipe!
They look delicious and easy to make.
My favorite one is the soft and chewy sugar cookies. I think I will give it a try and make it now.
Thank You!
Love love love these cookies! My grandson loves sugar cookies and I have been guilty of buying the “break and bake” from the grocery. One night he really wanted sugar cookies and we were out. I found this recipe and we are hooked! I like that they are not too sweet. We gobble them down warm just out of the oven ☺️ And the leftovers stay soft and delicious for several days in an airtight container. We now make these every week!!! He gets so excited when I surprise him with a batch. Thank you so much, I think this is the perfect sugar cookie 🤗
Awesome! I’m so glad you liked them!
Followed the recipe perfectly. Weighed my flour, was very careful not to overmix and these cookies didn’t turn out well at all. Way too sweet, and not a fan of the rolling in sugar step. Cookies weren’t soft and chewy. They turned out too thin and with hard, crunchy edges.