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,
This recipe will be saved for when i want sugar cookies again. turned out perfect. i did have to leave mine in oven for about four more minutes than instructed bc i have an old one lol. but still turned out just the way i wanted. thanks!
I am a vegan and I made this recipe with egg replacement and Earth balance butter and they came out FANTASTIC!!! Super soft and no one in my family could tell they were vegan. I’ll definitely make this again!
I am anxious to use this recipe for Volunteer week. Our Women’s Hospital Association is packing these up for all Volunteers working at the Vaccine clinic.
After reading many of the comments, I am thankful I do have a scale …. My question is … Can I add lemon extract to them? If so what should my lemon to vanilla pure extract be?
I wouldn’t normally recommend lemon extract because it can have kind of a weird artificial taste to it. But if you want to use it, I might just use half to 1 teaspoon, depending on how strong you want it.
Thank you, everyone said they were perfect! This is a great recipe. Saving this for all future cookie making!!!
I was wanting to make a larger sugar cookie, 5-6 inches with sprinkles as teachers gifts. How would I do that with this recipe?
I haven’t tried it, so it’s hard to say.
Best sugar cookies ive ever made/had
I did not like this recipe. We can’t even eat them. Way to much butter. The butter flavor is too overpowering
I tried this recipe three times. Finally, it turned out as it should the third time. I am not sure what is the reason. but if you do it right and follow the recipe, it should turn out awesome.
I just got the cookies out of the oven! They look amazing and I cannot wait to taste them! The dough was too flour-y so if yours is like mine I suggest using a little bit of milk or water to fully combine them! As a young amatur baker and cooker this was easy to do and follow! I rated 4 stars because of the flour-y situation. I would suggest to any baker of any level to try these amazing cookies out!
Mine turned out great! I think some people are confused that weighing ingredients versus using a measuring cup is not the same. I don’t have a scale, so I used a measuring cup. I started with 2 cups of flour and added a little more with a tablespoon until it was the desired consistency. I think I used a total of 2 1/4 cup. It was a little dry so I added a teaspoon of milk. Once I started rolling them into balls with my hands they softened up a ton. They cooked perfect and are amazing! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
I love a soft sugar cookie and these were delish. I weighed the ingredients and ended up with 3 cookie sheets worth of doughballs. I put the first two sheets in at the same time and flipped them around halfway thru baking and that batch ended up underdone. The last cookie sheet, cooked all on its own for 8-9 minutes, was the winner. Deliciously crisp on the bottom and edge but still soft in the middle and top. Threw that tray’s cookies in a gallon bag in the freezer – they were quick to thaw and texture was great.
I weighed the first 1.5 Tbsp doughball (it was 30g) and used that weight to make the balls at the end rather than messing around with tablespoon measures.
These cookies saved my life, lol. I was down in the dumps and didn’t know what to do and then I saw this recipe and tried it and it instantly lifted my spirits. This recipe must have fallen from Heaven. Thank you!
Can this recipe be used to make sugar cookie cups or is it to soft?
Sugar cookies are my son-in-law’s favorite sweet treat. He says these are the best he’s ever had! I baked the cookies at least 10 minutes.
I made these. As suggested, I measured the flour using my kitchen scale. I added an extra egg, and ran just a little short of vanilla (those bottles are so small).
The extra egg added a little more liquid, so I had no trouble with these being dry or crumbly. the texture was just right.
Baked 1 sheet at 7 minutes, the others at 8. In my oven, 8 minutes gave just a little brown along the edge and across the bottom, which helped the cookies hold their shape and boosted the flavor.
I did not bother with icing. A good sugar cookie is perfectly delicious on its own and these certainly pass that test.
Maybe not quite as good as my mother’s recipe, but close–and a whole lot faster and easier (no chilling, no rolling, no cutting). I will be making these again.
Can I use gf flore
Need to know if can use Gluten-free flour
I haven’t ever tried it.
Not sure, I haven’t tried it.