The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe! (2024)

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You cannot beat a homemade sugar cookie with a crisp edge and a soft center. These are the BEST! Topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting and sprinkles, these sugar cookies are a tried and true favorite.

Cookies are just the best all-around because you can bake them up for any occasion! Try my favorite no-bake cookies, peanut butter cookies, and these snickerdoodles that you will die for!

The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe! (1)

A Reader’s Review

I have tried so many sugar cookie recipes over the years! I found this and used it for my son’s grad party, as well as a friend’s. This is PERFECT. I’ve also shared this recipe with a few others who asked for it after tasting the cookies, and it is now the go to for all of us!

-Debs

The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe

I sure do love sugar cookies! Some people’s favorites are chocolate chip but not mine. Not only are they delicious, but my kids love to help make sugar cookies! We love spending some time in the kitchen making cookies together. I have had a lot of sugar cookies in my day. Some are way too crisp and not soft enough on the inside. You are going to quickly agree that they are the best! Trust me. I made sure by eating at least 3!

I love this recipe because it is the best of both worlds. They are a bit crisp on the outside but not too crispy, and they have the softest center! The edges don’t expand while baking, and they come out looking in the perfect shape. This recipe is a classic, and the dough comes together in a matter of minutes. But I found that the secret to the best sugar cookie is added almond extract. The almond extract adds a rich and delicious almond flavor, making them absolutely perfect.

Ingredients in Sugar Cookies

These cookies are perfect for your Valentine’s Day festivities and are so good that you will want to make them throughout the year! Just change up your cookie cutter, and you are ready to go! See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact ingredient measurements.

  • Butter: If your ingredients are at room temperature then they will mix together more smoothly.
  • Sugar: Granulated sugar will make this recipe sweet.
  • Egg: The egg will help bind the dough together.
  • Vanilla Extract: This will enhance the flavors of the sweet ingredients.
  • Almond Extract: The secret ingredient to making these sugar cookies the best!
  • Flour: I used all purpose flour for this recipe.
  • Baking Powder: This helps the cookie be soft and not chewy.
  • Salt: This enhances the flavors.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Cream Cheese: Put this on your counter before you plan to bake so that it can soften up.
  • Butter: I used unsalted, sofened butter to make the frosting smooth,
  • Powdered Sugar: Using powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar works better because this diddolves quickly and creats a smooth texture.
  • Vanilla Extract: This enhances the sweetness of the frosting.
  • Food Coloring: This is totally optional depending on if you want your frosting to be different colors for different occasions.
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How To Make Sugar Cookies

These cookies come together so easily! This recipe will become your favorite go-to sugar cookie recipe that you will make again and again.

  1. Beat: In a large bowl beat the butter until smooth and creamy for about one minute. Add the sugar and continue to beat until creamy for about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract and continue to beat until incorporated.
  2. Mix and chill: In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add to the creamed mixture and continue to beat until the dough comes together. Form the dough into a ball and chill in the fridge for one hour and can be chilled overnight.
  3. Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Roll dough out to desired thickness (mine were 1/4 inch thick) and cut with cookie cutters. Transfer to baking sheet.
  4. Bake: Bake for 8-11 minutes or until just set. I like mine more soft so I cooked mine for 8 minutes. Let cookies cool completely before frosting.
  5. Frost: To make the cream cheese frosting, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until it is smooth and creamy. Frost cooled cookies.
The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe! (3)

Do I Have to Chill the Sugar Cookie Dough?

YES! The dough does require an hour of chilling time. This step is essential to how the cookies hold up and helps ensure that the dough doesn’t spread.

The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe! (4)

Sugar Cookie Baking Tips

These cookies are SOO GOOD, and I want to help make sure that yours turn out perfectly! Here are a few tips and tricks to use while making these cookies.

  • Room Temperature Ingredients: Before mixing up your dough, take the time to set your ingredients out so that they can soften up. Room temperature ingredients mix up SO much better and your batter and frosting will be so smooth with no lumps!
  • Don’t Open the Oven: So many people are tempted to open the oven to check out how their cookies are doing. Don’t do it! This causes the hot air to be released and can result in your cookies being baked unevenly. Use the oven light instead!
  • Frosting: If you want to change things up, you can use different types of frosting on these cookies to change the look and taste. Try this Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting or this Chocolate Buttercream Frosting instead!
The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe! (5)

How to Store Leftovers

Sugar cookies make fantastic leftovers because they can last for about a week! So double up that recipe and make a few extra to enjoy!

  1. On the counter: Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container on your counter. They will last up to 7 days!
The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe! (6)

More Cookie Recipes to Try

Who doesn’t love a good cookie? Cookie recipes are always great to have on hand because they are easy to whip up and always a home run with any family or friends that you are baking them for! These tried and true recipes are sure to all be ones that your family goes crazy for.

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The Best Sugar Cookies Ever!

4.90 from 19 votes

By: Alyssa Rivers

You cannot beat homemade sugar cookies with a crisp edge and a soft center. These are the BEST! Topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting and sprinkles, these sugar cookies are a tried and true favorite.

Prep Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients

Cream Cheese Frosting

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy for about one minute. Add the sugar and continue to beat until creamy for about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract and continue to beat until incorporated.

  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add to the creamed mixture and continue to beat until the dough comes together. Form the dough into a ball and chill in the fridge for one hour and can be chilled overnight.

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Roll dough out to desired thickness (mine were 1/4 inch thick) and cut with cookie cutters. Transfer to baking sheet.

  • Bake for 8-11 minutes or until just set. I like mine more soft so I cooked mine for 8 minutes. Let cookies cool completely before frosting.

To make the cream cheese frosting

  • Beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until it is smooth and creamy. Frost cooled cookies.

Notes

Updated Post on February 1. 2022

Originally Published February 5, 2019

Nutrition

Calories: 266kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 2gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 167mgPotassium: 41mgFiber: 1gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 434IUCalcium: 19mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

About Alyssa Rivers

Alyssa Rivers is the author of 'The Tried and True Cookbook', a professional food photographer and experienced recipe-developer. Having a passion for cooking, her tried and true recipes have been featured on Good Morning America, Today Food, Buzzfeed and more.

Read More About Me

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The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

How do you make sugar cookies taste better? ›

I almost always add a touch of almond extract for additional flavor and highly recommend that you try it too! Flour is an obvious addition, baking powder adds lift, and salt balances the sweet. So many *little ingredients* doing *big jobs* to create a perfect cookie. By the way, I also make chocolate sugar cookies too!

What is the best thickness for sugar cookies? ›

The ideal thickness to roll out your sugar cookie dough is about 1/4"--that way, they'll be tough enough to be handled and decorated, but thin enough to stay a little crunchy.

Why put cream of tartar in sugar cookies? ›

Cream of tartar makes cookies chewy, as it precludes the sugar in the dough from crystalizing, which would lead to crispiness (ie: the opposite of chewiness).

Do you flatten cookie dough before baking? ›

If the dough is chilled before baking then the cookies will be slightly more rounded, so if you want slightly flatter cookies then bake them as soon as you have mixed up the dough. But we would not recommend flattening the cookies completely as this will affect the texture.

How long to chill cookie dough before baking? ›

For cookies that are high in butter content, this step is crucial and prevents them from melting into thin disks while baking. For most cookie recipes, it takes at least two hours in the fridge to fully chill the dough; an annoyingly long time when you're in the mood to eat cookies ASAP.

Should sugar cookies be crunchy or soft? ›

The very best sugar cookies are soft and tender. → Follow this tip: One of the keys to great sugar cookies is mixing the dry ingredients only until they're just incorporated, and not a second longer. Once the dry ingredients are added, less mixing equals more tender cookies.

What is the best piping tip for sugar cookies? ›

The extra-large nozzles are typically used for buttercream cakes and cupcakes. If you are decorating the large floral cookies though, they are used as well. If you already have these down, a different kind is the Russian tips. They do have mini ones that are perfect piping tips for sugar cookies.

Why use powdered sugar instead of granulated in cookies? ›

When creaming butter and sugar, granulated sugar's larger crystals incorporate more air into doughs than confectioners' sugar. A cookie made with granulated sugar will be crispy while one made with powdered sugar will be tender and melt-in-your-mouth.

How important is baking soda in sugar cookies? ›

Baking soda also serves another important purpose when it comes to cookies: It encourages spreading by raising the mixture's pH, which slows protein coagulation. This gives the dough more time to set before the eggs set, which results in a more evenly baked cookie.

Can I omit cream of tartar in sugar cookies? ›

The Best Substitute for Cream of Tartar

For every 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar in the recipe, use 1 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar. As an example, if your cookie recipe calls for 1 teaspoon baking soda, add 2 teaspoons lemon juice instead of the cream of tartar.

What makes a high quality cookie? ›

The best cookies have layers of texture. A slightly crisp outer shell that holds up to some heat with an inner core that's soft and chewy.

What is cookie secret? ›

Cookie Secret is the secret used to encrypt and sign session cookies. If you don't provide a cookie secret, Pomerium will generate one for you.

What makes cookies chewy and not hard? ›

The science is simple: According to the flour authorities over at Bob's Red Mill, cornstarch can help “soften the rigid proteins of the flour, resulting in a light and chewy dessert.” “The cornstarch complements the flour in absorbing the liquids, but won't develop gluten structure like the flour will,” stresses ...

What is the secret to making soft cookies? ›

Baking cookies quickly in a hot oven – at 375 degrees F as opposed to a lower temperature – will make for soft results. They'll bake fast instead of sitting and drying out in the oven's hot air. Ever so slightly underbaking your cookies will give you softer results than cooking them the full amount the recipe says.

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