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
save this recipe
Enter your email & we’ll send it to your inbox. Plus get new recipes from us every week!
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,
I been looking for recipes and yours was the only one that stood out to me . So many great reviews , will definitely be trying these soon, will the cookies stay chewy even after the have cooled completely, or are they only going to be chewy after taken out of the oven and then get hard when they have cooled . Pls let me know
They should stay soft and chewy for several days.
My hubby LOVES these! I did this recipe with the flour packed into the measuring cup at first, and it turned out to be a little more thick than what it’s supposed to be which meant that there was more of the cookie with each bite 🙂 I tried to bake it as it was suggested on here when I read through the comments and recipe again on my second try, and they turned out as pictured here, which was awesome! Hubby still preferred the thicker kind. These were a major hit with my family, thank you!!! And I made it without a mixer, which made this to be kind of a workout for my arms… thank you for the tips as well! I was very careful about not over mixing for both tries 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
can you add Cocoa powder to this to make chocolate cookies? if so how much
No, I’m not sure that it would be that simple.
I have to say this was an easy recipe and I even weighed the brown sugar. The three problems I encountered is that first: the batch that was supposed to be 32 ending up being 36. Second my oven is accurate in temperature, but the cookies took about 12 minutes to bake. I pulled the first two pans with 30 cookies on them at 8 minutes, cooled them for 5 minutes then moved them to the rack. Fortunately, I tasted one and it was like lightly crusted dough. I then put them back on the two pans and baked them for about 5 minutes more. The last few cookies I baked for 12 minutes and they are perfect. I found this surprising since I had more cookies than the recipe stated and since I measured each one and there were more than 32 they should have baked quicker not longer. And the last problem and I feel the most important was that they have very little flavor. Maybe more vanilla, or almond extract, something to add some taste. Sorry, I won’t make them again.
For the white sugar: is the 1 cup + 2 tbsp (233g) granulated sugar added into the mixture or is the 1 cup added into the cookie dough and the 2 tbsp set aside to roll the balls into at the end before baking in the oven? Maybe I missed it but this detail felt a bit unclear!! Thanks!!
The full 1 cup and 2 tablespoons are added to the cookie dough. The additional sugar for rolling is listed separately.
Is it sugar you use for rolling or is it flour ?
The cookie dough balls are rolled in the additional sugar.
These were AMAZING! The flavor and texture were perfect. Will definitely save this recipe and make again! Thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
These sugar cookies were SO GOOD. My husband is a sugar cookie fanatic and said these were the best he’s ever had. BIG fan! 🤣
Wonderful! So glad they were a hit!
This is a great recipe. Even my husband enjoyed it. Thank you!
So glad to hear that!
Hi there! I have made this recipe 4 times and cannot get them to spread! I measured everything and even sifted the flour! I bake all the time. Your cookies look like my molasses crunches and mine always turn out but these are giving me a run for my money. They taste great though. Any thoughts?
Cookies can be finicky and it’s hard to say from a distance. Are you refrigerating them before you bake them? Are you making bigger/smaller balls of cookie dough? Are you using a scale or cups to measure the flour?
Will I be able to freeze them to eat on a later day
Yes, that’d be fine.
Every Sunday, we purchase sugar cookies from the store…but not anymore. I made these 30 mins ago and all I can say is…WOW!! So soft and so good. Thank You so much for the recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I have some Lorann baking oils and was wondering if i could add these in at some point during the recipe or will any flavoring mess it up?
As long as you aren’t adding more than a teaspoon, it should be fine.
hi, i made these back in 2018. I was wondering if the recipe back then did not require me to roll the dough in sugar before i put it in the oven? thank you
I believe that has always been part of the recipe.
I loved this recipe!!! Completely soft and chewy. I will never use another cookie recipe again! My friends and family LOVED it as well. I definitely will make it again!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed them!
I baked these cookies and they turned out delicious. Thanks so much for the receipe .
Awesome! So glad to hear that!
I made this cookies so many times in high altitude and on see level and they always turn out great. I even experimented with the size making them a lot larger and cooking them two minutes longer. They are delicious and my go to recipe for having something sweet in the house.
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed them!
Hi Can I use salted butter? All I have is that kerrygold pure Irish butter but it’s not unsalted.
Yes, I’d just add about a 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Just curious, are there any modifications for high altitude. I measured Everything accurately and my cookies didn’t flatten like yours. I was wondering if it might be due to elevation?
It’s possible, but I really don’t know much about high-altitude baking. I’m sorry!