Soft Cut Out Sugar Cookies
These soft cut out sugar cookies are my holiday go-to. They’re easy to make, full of flavor, and freeze like a dream. I love how soft, hearty, and delicious they turn out every time!
I originally published this recipe in 2017. I’ve added additional photos and success tips, but the recipe remains the exact same.
Table of Contents
“Just wanted to say that this is my go to recipe whenever I want to bake shaped cookies to frost! I follow directions to a T! I usually freeze them a week or two until it’s time to frost them a day or so before my party. Saves me so much time! Thank you for sharing. This may be third or fourth year with this recipe!” – Tessa
Why I Love This Recipe
This easy sugar cookie recipe comes from my mom’s old recipe book, and we’ve made it every year without fail. It’s soft, sweet, and a little lighter in taste – perfect for any Christmas or holiday cookie plate. I may be biased, but they’re always a hit!
- I always make a batch of these soft sugar cookies ahead – they freeze great and taste amazing. After thawing, we then add my favorite sugar cookie icing.
- These cookies hold their shape without losing that tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Buttery, just the right amount of sweet. If you need a gluten-free option, try my favorite gluten-free sugar cookies.
- No complicated steps – just a foolproof dough and cookies that turn out perfect every time, like these easy no roll sugar cookies.
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Key Ingredients and Why They’re Important
- All-Purpose Flour: This is the base of the cookie dough, providing structure and a soft, crumbly texture.
- Baking Powder: This is the leavening agent we’ll be using to give our cookies the perfect rise.
- Salt: It helps balance out all the flavors and really bring out the buttery flavor.
- Butter: It adds a rich, buttery flavor and helps the cookies spread just enough in the oven to keep them soft and chewy, rather than hard and crunchy.
- Granulated Sugar: This sweetens the cookies and also helps to give them a slightly crisp outer edge.
- Eggs: They bind the ingredients together and also add moisture to the dough.
- Vanilla Extract: This gives the cookies a classic, sweet flavor that perfectly complements the sugar.
How to Make Soft Cut Out Sugar Cookies
Preparation
To start, mix your dry ingredients. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, and set this mixture aside. This will make it easier to incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ones later on.
Step 1 – Cream the Butter and Sugar
In a large bowl, beat together the softened butter and granulated sugar. You want to mix it until it’s light and fluffy. This will give your cookies a soft, tender texture.
Step 2 – Add the Eggs and Vanilla
Once the butter and sugar are cream, beat in the eggs one at a time. Then, stir in the vanilla extract. This will add richness and flavor to your cookies.
Step 3 – Combine the Wet and Dry Ingredients
Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring until well combined. This will form the base of your cookie dough.
Step 4 – Chill the Dough
Cover the dough and chill it in the refrigerator overnight. This will make it easier to roll out and cut into shapes.
Step 5 – Roll and Cut the Dough
The next day, preheat your oven to 350˚ F. Roll the chilled dough out on a floured surface until it’s about 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick. Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out shapes.
Step 6 – Bake the Cookies
Place the cutout cookies on a baking sheet and bake them in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when the edges are set but the centers are still soft.
Lynette’s Tips
Do Not OverBake: To make the best soft cut-out sugar cookies, do not over bake them! Keep an eye on the oven, and as soon as the edges start to turn lightly brown, take them out. The cookies may seem a bit soft in the middle, but they will continue to set as they cool, giving you that perfect soft texture.
Rolling Pin Secret: Here’s my secret for the perfect cookie – buy this rolling pin! It allows you to be as tough as you want on the dough, which is important when it’s fresh out of the refrigerator. It won’t let you roll too thin. That is KEY. My cookies are perfect even because of this roller. And if you’re like me, you have your kids helping, and this allows them to really roll with it (pun intended), and I don’t have to worry about uneven cookies. I use the 1/4 inch attachment
Storing and Reheating
- Storing: After baking, let the cookies cool completely. Once cooled, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They will stay fresh for up to one week.
- Freezing: If you want to save some for later, these cookies can be frozen. Once they have cooled, place them in a single layer in a freezer-safe container. Separate the layers with parchment paper. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy your frozen cookies, simply let them thaw at room temperature. This will take about 1-2 hours.
Make Ahead Instructions
This recipe is ideal for making ahead of time. Simply follow the recipe as is and chill the dough overnight as instructed to prep a day ahead of time. You can also freeze the baked cookies once they cool for up to 3 months.
Recipe FAQs
Soft cut-out sugar cookies get their soft texture from the combination of ingredients like butter, eggs, and a small amount of baking powder. The high fat content in the butter and the eggs, as well as the sugar, helps to keep the cookies soft and tender.
Chilling the dough is an important part of this recipe. It allows the butter to solidify, which makes the dough easier to roll out and helps the cookies hold their shape during baking. If you skip the chilling step, the dough may be too soft to work with and the cookies may spread more in the oven.
If your sugar cookies came out too hard, it’s possible that the dough was overworked when rolling and cutting the shapes. Over-baking can also make the cookies hard, so make sure to keep an eye on them in the oven and take them out when they’re just set.
More Cookie Recipes You’ll Enjoy
Soft Cut Out Sugar Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 4 3/4 Cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 Cup butter softened
- 1 1/2 Cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. (About 2 minutes on #4 via a Kitchen Aid mixer.) Beat in eggs. Stir in the vanilla and then the flour mixture.
- Cover the dough in plastic wrap. Chill overnight in the refrigerator.
- Roll out dough until it's about 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick. The dough will be stiff but will soften as you roll it out using a rolling pin. Using cookie cutters, create shapes and place them on a lined cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350˚ F in a preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. Let cool on a cooling rack.
Notes
My Favorite Variations:
- Different Shapes: Instead of the classic holiday shapes, try using different cookie cutters to make these soft cut out sugar cookies for various occasions or just for fun.
- Icing: While these cookies are delicious on their own, you can also decorate them with a simple icing made from powdered sugar, milk, and a touch of vanilla extract.
- Sprinkles: Before baking, sprinkle the cookies with colored sugars or sprinkled for a festive touch.
- Margarine: You can use margarine for this recipe if you don’t have butter on hand. I prefer butter. Butter makes the dough a little more stiff after removing it from the refrigerator, but the dough will start to soften up when you start to work with it.
Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
I use salted butter since that’s what I always have on hand. But either will work. 🙂
This looks really good! I just wish you didn’t have to refrigerate overnight :/ It’s not so good for nights when you want to bake, but hopefully one day I’ll get to try it!
It is amazing! You do have to refrigerate for it to bake correctly – the good news is, you can always make it ahead of time when you need it. 🙂
LOVE this recipe!!! I used margarine that was all I had they turned out fabulous thank you
I have found if you roll your dough immediately between two sheets of parchment paper to the desired height and then refrigerate them. This is soooooo much easier than trying to spoon cold dough out of the bowl.
Great tip! Thanks for sharing!
Do you have to chill over nite
Hi Laura. I chill mine overnight to make sure it’s fully chilled. If it’s not, it’s harder to roll out. If you’re short on time, I would chill it for at least 4 hours.