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,
You gave me everything, but the exact measurements I need to make the would be great
The measurements are there at the end of the blog post within a recipe card. If you are having trouble finding it, there is a “jump to recipe” button at the very top underneath the title of the post. It’ll take you straight to the recipe.
My husband and I like our cookies sift and chewy. This recipe turned out perfect. Love them very much.
So glad to hear that!
I have made plenty of sugar cookies in the past and never have truly LOVED one until now! This is my new go to🙂
Anyone having them not come out is doing something wrong! I even added a full TBS of vanilla and OH MY GOSH!
So glad you love them!
They’re certainly soft!
I weighed everything to the milligram, but I found them to taste a bit flour-y. Next time I will decrease the flour a bit, and increase the salt and vanilla. But this was a *very* good starter recipe and just what I was looking for!
Great cookie. The only difference was I had to bake longer but they still came out Perfect. Great recipe 👍
These were so perfect!! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!!
Glad you enjoyed them!
Is it possible to turn this cookie into a salted caramel cookie and if so how much is caramel chips and salt Must it be topped with.. thank you Lindsay
I would take a look at my peppermint sugar cookies. They are based off of this recipe and you could try replacing the white chocolate chips with caramel ones and then just add a sprinkle of sea salt on top. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/peppermint-sugar-cookies/
Perfection! Seriously, don’t change anything!
So glad you enjoyed them!
we subbed 1/4 cup of applesauce for egg. the cookies weren’t so overwhelming sugary just right in middle. sweet enough to please your sweet tooth!!
Glad to know that worked well!
Can you make these vegan? If so can I use oil instead of vegan butter?
I haven’t tried that to be able to say.
These were great. We subbed vegan butter for regular butter and they turned out as expected—chewy and soft.
So glad they worked out well for you!
You can make the recipe vegan by adding 1/4 cup of applesauce per egg. I’m not sure if the oil will work or not, but vegan butter does!
So I’m a somewhat new baker but a quite seasoned cook (not expert but very trained through wonderful cooks in the family)
So 1st my by the book cookies turned out excellent. I followed the recipe precisely except i refrigerated them for maybe a half hour. Chewy , buttery, excellent. I have been a sugar cookie fanatic since i was a kid. I place them and choc chip side by side as favorites go.
But for my trying to be healthier people i did try these with sugar substitutes with the exception of the sugar i rolled them in.
Here are the results:
They spread a bit more, but im not sure if that was due to not refrigerating them. The spread was noticeable enough, but didn’t ruin the cookie at all. The texture was very slightly more bread like, but honestly wouldn’t bother you unless you are set on a perfect chewy cookie. But if you’re not a perfectionist, you won’t bat an eyelash. The flavor was still mouth-watering.
Overall review, I do want to try refrigerating them to see if that makes them spread less. I used splenda monk fruit for one cup and the 2 tbsp were swerve granular (because monk fruit is expensive)
They tasted amazing. I ate 3 before i could stop myself. I also may have baked them slightly longer than i should have. But if you love a good sugar cookie and you don’t want to digest all of that sugar, I’d say subbing with monk fruit turned out A-okay!
Update:
I did overbake my sugar sub cookies. Will do them like i did my first batch, refrigerate and cooked perfectly
This is the best cookies I’ve made. I made a double batch and they turned out perfect. Even my neighbor loved them. And me too. I not much of a cookie freak, but I turn into one. Thank you forever, your great.
I used this recipe and steps with store bought sugar cookies mix. Wow, did it take it up a notch! So much so, I’m making a second batch within one week! Great additives to the store bought cookie mix
These are perfect. We love them.
I followed this exactly including brown sugar and mine didn’t spread at all 😢. My kids were sad bc we planned to frost them and that’s really not possible.
I’m sorry they didn’t turn out for you. It sounds like you may have used too much flour.
These were delicious!! Soft and light and perfectly sweet!!! They turned out perfect! Thank you so much for sharing and I love the scripture!!❤️
So glad you enjoyed them!
Hi! I’m really looking forward to making this recipe! It’s my first time making sugar cookies and this recipe looks pretty perfect to me! I do have one little question, my cookie scoop is for 1 TBS. So how long should I cook them for? Thank you so much for a reply! I will let you know how they turn out!
I would still make cookie dough balls of 1 1/2 tablespoons. Use your tablespoon scoop to scoop the dough then cut some in half to add to the other tablespoon scoops for 1 1/2.