The Best Cutout Sugar Cookies {My Favorite Recipe!}
This is easily the best recipe for cutout sugar cookies! They are soft and tender but hold their shape very well during baking.
I’ve been making this cutout sugar cookie recipe for over fifteen years, and it is truly the best of the best. For the perfect sugar cookies, make sure to follow all the tips in the recipe!
The Best Sugar Cookie Dough
This cutout sugar cookie dough is pretty straight forward. What makes it a little bit unique (and extra yummy) is the addition of fresh lemon zest to the batter.
That subtle hint of lemon flavor is absolutely phenomenal and may change your sugar cookie game forever.
However, if you don’t have a fresh lemon hanging around, you can leave it out. (Just promise me you’ll try it eventually!)
The cookie dough also calls for granulated sugar AND powdered sugar. This helps make the cookies incredibly soft and perfectly sweet.
To Chill or Not to Chill
This sugar cookie dough benefits from a few hours of chilling in the refrigerator. Not only will it be infinitely easier to roll out and cut into shapes, but the flavor of the cookies will taste better, too.
However, you can roll and cut the sugar cookies right away. The dough will be sticky, so make sure the counter and rolling pin are adequately floured so the dough doesn’t stick.
The Key to Perfect Sugar Cookies
For the best sugar cookies ever, roll the dough at least 1/4-inch thick (slightly thicker is even better).
If the dough is rolled too thin, the cookies can easily over bake in the oven, which means they’ll be dry-tasting and kind of crispy.
And while I firmly subscribe to the “you do you” belief, I’m going to have to put my foot down when it comes to sugar cookies. We want buttery soft, fluffy, ultra-tender sugar cookies.
For that reason, err on the side of rolling the dough thicker than you think you should.
Trust the Baking Temperature
You may notice that the baking temperature in this recipe is much higher than most “normal” cookie recipes.
I promise that there is a method to this madness! Because sugar cookies already go into the oven much thinner than, say, a ball of chocolate chip cookie dough, they benefit from a shorter baking time.
Using a high temperature perfectly bakes the outside of the cookies quickly and leaves the inside of the cookies super super soft. Pull the cookies out of the oven before you think you should. A slightly underdone middle is just fine. The cookies will set up as they cool.
Frosting for Sugar Cookies
These cookies work very well frosted with:
- royal frosting
- other types of hard-drying, stackable icings
- buttercream frosting
- whipped frosting
When this recipe was originally published, I included a recipe for the most amazing whipped cream cheese frosting. It’s the ultimate in super soft, easily spreadable cookie frostings.
If you are looking for that frosting recipe, it’s in a recipe box all its own below the sugar cookie recipe…so keep scrolling and you’ll find it. 🙂
A Favorite of Many
This cutout sugar cookie recipe is beloved by many! With over 300 5-star reviews, it is a tried-and-true favorite.
Ashley says: I have been using this sugar cookie recipe for years and years! It is seriously the best. I omit the almond extract but I love using the lemon zest. It is my kids favorite recipe. They are soft but not doughy at all.
Tracy Ellen says: My favorite, go to sugar cookie recipe.
Jen M says: I don’t know how I’ve never made these before. They are SO good and the dough is a dream to work with. I rolled it out with powdered sugar as suggested and it is so much better than using flour! I’ve made them twice in the past couple weeks. I was worried the lemon and almond would be too strong, but they are just the perfect amount of flavor so the cookies aren’t bland. You won’t regret making these.
PJ says: I’ve been looking for this recipe for a couple decades now. I personally testify that these are the best butter sugar cookies ever! They are so good I’ll eat a plain one while decorating the others.
My Favorite Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies:
- 1 ½ cups (340 g) butter, softened to cool room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (318 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (57 g) powdered sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon almond extract, optional
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, from about 1 lemon
- 5 cups (710 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and powdered sugar for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract (if using) and lemon zest; mix until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix just until flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth and soft.
- Press the dough into a thick disc on a sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap until fully covered and refrigerate for several hours (or up to 2 days). *The dough can be rolled out right away; however the cookies won't hold their shape quite as well in the oven – if doing so, you'll need to use quite a bit more flour on the counter to make sure the dough doesn't stick.*
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. If your oven bakes hot, reduce the temperature to 375 degrees F.
- Lightly dust a counter with powdered sugar or flour and roll the dough to 1/4-inch or slightly thicker. If the dough has been chilled longer than a few hours, let it rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to soften enough to roll out.
- Cut the dough into shapes. Place the cookies several inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Bake for 7-8 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE! There should be no browning on the edges or the bottom of the cookies and the center of the cookies may look just slightly underdone.
- Let the cookies rest on the baking pans for 2 to 3 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Frost and sprinkle as desired.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Recipe originally published October 2010; updated February 2024 with new photos, recipe notes, etc
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting for Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 8-ounce (227 g) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 ½ cups (171 g) powdered sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- In a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer or in an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla.
- Mix until very smooth and light and no lumps remain, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- In a separate bowl, beat the cream to stiff peaks. Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture. Mix until well combined and smooth. Store in the refrigerator for up to one week.
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Well, I have probably already commented somewhere on here, but have to say I have made these several times and they are perfect every single time. I love this recipe. They hold their shape so perfectly-puff up so beautifully, and are so delicious. a no fail sugar cookie! I cut out letters last time, which I was sure would end up looking like blobs after cooking, but even they came out perfectly! Thanks- as always.
Mel, we need to talk. I’ve been following your blog for years and have loved everything I’ve made, but until today, I’ve stuck with my MIL’s recipe for sugar cookies. Today I was out of sour cream, so naturally I turned to your recipe next. These were SO good, I may have downed four without hesitation – honestly, I lost count. Only problem, how am I going to explain to my mother-in-law why I’m not using her recipe anymore?
Amy – I’m not sure how you’ll break the news to your MIL…but I’m really happy you loved these. 🙂
OK Mel, I’m giving these a try tomorrow. My son has been begging to make sugar cookies for a while now. Since my GF days are on sabbatical for some time (think nausea and severe sugar cravings) I was finally convinced (easily I might add) to make them tomorrow. I sure hope I love them. I’m not a huge fan of almond extract, but I am trusting you on this!
Thank you for the recipe. I made these with my 8 y.o. daughter and although I loved the frosting and think it would be great on carrot, pumpkin, or banana cake, I thought it was not sweet enough for these sugar cookies. And I also found out, as others have mentioned, it does not harden so we just frost the cookies as we eat them.
Really good compared to my other recipe I have been using which make dense flat hard cookies, that I am now embarrassed to say I used to make. These really were light, moist, soft but kept their shape and hardly spread much at all.
Right! now this is the weird part and we can never blame Mel for her recipe for any disaster to this recipe as (like in her testings) different factors produce different results. I did two batches with the exact same ingredients (one had almond essence left out as daughter didn’t like it and was worried about nut allergys in her class even though I pointed out most cheap almond extract is made with peach kernels not nuts)
My first I did by hand as was at 5am and the butter slightly colder, curdled with the egg!!! The flour brought it together fine and I just rolled right away, cut shapes then baked. Delic but 1/2 tsp was still strong so make sure you like marzipan flavor.
Next batch made about 10am with same stuff was so overly greasy it was difficult to work and I added loads more flour in the end (my hands were all buttery) but the butter was still only room temp so must have warmed up more. You experiment was spot on!!
dough kept sticking to roller in small parts even when sugared or floured.
Anyway still made a great cookie and kids loved them. Looked fantastic and tasted great (though not a huge cookie fan) Loved the lemon with the vanilla on second batch more.
Just a tip which you may have put out before, I roll in cling film to desired height and then fridge for brief time before cutting, saves over adding more flour or sugar.
thanks again
These look great!, I love sugar cookies. I was wondering if they freeze well with that frosting? If you froze them in a single layer before you stacked them would they still smudge?
Larissa – I’ve never tried freezing the cookies already frosted so you’ll definitely have to experiment. Good luck!
Hi Mel!!! I loved these cookies! I made them last night for a Valentine’s day party at school. The lemon zest made them taste so bright and fresh, and the almond extract wasn’t overwhelming at all (I may have to add more next time!). 🙂 They didn’t spread and they held a wonderful shape! I did have to pay attention to the baking time as 7 minutes was too long for my oven, so I did as you said and reduced the times by 30 seconds each time. DH loved them too (which is a lot to say, since he isn’t a big ‘dessert’ person).
Anyway, I wanted to post here, in case people like me were novice bakers and your answer may help someone else too..it is regarding the frosting. So first time in my life….I whipped cream. Never, ever did it before, so I was pretty nervous. I didn’t want to overwhip it (if that is even possible), so I stopped when it looked like it was thickened. (I think I read somewhere up there in the comments that the cream can break if you overwhip..is that right?) I don’t think I did it until I got stiff peaks!? ?? Anyways, after making it and folding it into the cream cheese/sugar mixture, it tasted kind of ‘milky/creamy’, (the whole frosting) so I’m guessing I didn’t whip it enough and maybe was too scared to even mix it properly. Is my guess right? Is there anything I can do to it now, or is it too late, since I already mixed it with the sugar and creamcheese mix? Is it okay to mix it well with the cheese/sugar mix, or do I have to just fold it in? Also, is it possible for you (in your spare time…I know, what’s that? LOL), to do a little tutorial on whipping cream? Maybe a video!!! ????
Thank you ahead of time, a million times over, for all that you do to help us out here in the world! 🙂
Hey Miss Sujoo – long time, no see. 🙂 I’m glad you liked the cookies! I made them yesterday too. Ok, about the frosting, I’m sorry it took me a day or so to get back with you because yes, you can go ahead and whip the frosting again even once the whipped cream has been added to the sugar and other ingredients. In fact, many times, I don’t whip the cream separately, I pour it into the whipped sugar/cream cheese mixture and blend it for 4-5 minutes until it is thick and fluffy. Were you able to make it work? I’m kind of a cheater, too, because when I am just whipping cream on its own, I usually use my Blendtec blender. It sounds like you probably needed a bit more whipping time with the cream but all is not lost – you should be able to whip that frosting right back into creamy, fluffiness.
How long and at what setting do you whip cream in a Blendtec?
I use speed 1 or 2 and the time really depends on how much cream I’m using – a minute or two (I give it a few good stirs during the process, turning off the blender before doing so, to get the runny cream up from the bottom).
Hi Mel, thank you for posting this great recipe! Valentine’s Day is Friday and my 5th grade daughter’s teacher requested sugar cookies. I reluctantly volunteered, knowing that I have miserable luck with sugar cookie recipes. I decided to check your site and I gave this recipe a trial run last night, making a half batch.
I’m so glad I did! The dough was easy to work with, the cookies did NOT lose their shape at all, and they tasted great. Instead of using your frosting, I new I’d be sending these in and wanted to be able to stack them. So I used a crusting vanilla buttercream recipe. They are perfect. Exactly what I was looking for. The next day, they were even better. It’s like the frosting melded to the surface and became one with the cookie. So good! Can’t wait to share this recipe with my other “sugar cookie challenged” friends. 🙂
Just made these cookies for Valentine’s Day with my 2 1/2 year old daughter and they are a-mazing! Never had batter this easy to work with and the taste is fabulous. Mel, you are my go-to for getting great tasting recipes right the first time! Thanks for all you do.
Mel- I made these cookies yesterday. They taste great but they are fragile & break easily. Sorry, but I think I will stick to my recipe for sugar cookies. The dough is wonderful to work & holds up when frosting without crumbling.
FAB as always!! Made these with kids and were PERFECT! Love love love how soft they are- very thankful husband also as sugar cookies are his fav- and these were off the charts perfect. THANK YOU!! best. sugar. cookies. ever.
I’m so bummed! The cookies just didn’t have much flavor and the frosting never came close to hardening. You mention 3 sticks of butter as well as 1 1/2 cups of butter, these are different measurements. Alot of work for a fail.
Hi Rachel, I’m sorry you weren’t impressed with these cookies – a few points of clarification, though, 3 sticks of butter actually does equal 1 1/2 cups so either measurement can be used interchangeably. Also, the whipped cream cheese frosting will stay soft; it isn’t a royal icing that will harden at all. I don’t like the flavor of royal icing and so I prefer this creamy, whipped frosting – if you want a stackable, frosted cookie, you’ll want to use a royal icing that hardens.
Help!!! What happens if you forget to put in the baking powder? Any way to add it once the dough has already been refrigerated? Thanks a ton!
Laurie – hmm, that’s a good question. I suppose you could try one of two things: baking them as is to see how they turn out (my guess is they will be a bit flatter and more dense) or try letting the dough come to room temperature and kneading in the baking powder to the dough and refrigerating again. Good luck!
We made these today and again, you do not disappoint with your recipes! Best sugar cookie ever, and super easy! The dough rolled out beautifully and I made the icing and had to try some with the cookie… Amazing. The kids will decorate the cookies tonight with the icing, they don’t like the royal icing so I’m always looking for a better icing recipe, they will love this one! Thanks again, you Rock!
First off, I want to tell you that when it comes to my weekly planning of meals this is the first place I go. I’ve NEVER been disappointed. With that being said, I know you said that the almond extract can be omitted, but can it be replaced with vanilla extract instead? You’re awesome Mel! Keep the recipes coming!!!
Mammacani – yes, most definitely! As of late, I’ve been leaving the almond extract out and using vanilla. Works great!
Just a tip…..I normally use flour to roll the dough out on, but this time I thought I would try powdered sugar, and my cookies were A LOT harder to scrape off my pan (even though it was sprayed with cooking spray). I even ruined my whole first batch cuz right when I took them out I had to run to get my waking baby and came back to them completely stuck to the pan and had to scrape them all off in a crumbled mess. I switched to flour for the remainder of the dough, and it was MUCH better. delicious cookies!
Hi Mel, I have an important Q…most sugar cookie recipes state to get the dough cold in the fridge before rolling. Your recipe does not say to do this. Do I need to? Thanks!
Lisa, I’m usually too impatient to chill the dough so I don’t but other commenters have said this worked out better for them if they chilled the dough first.
Hi, can the lemon zest be left out? I am allergic to lemons and all citrus.
Thanks so much, ShaNae
ShaNae – sure, you can omit the lemon zest.
Wow. Nevermind. For some reason, I didn’t see the comment from yesterday! You can just delete that!
Hi. I am looking forward to trying this recipe this week, but I’m wondering if you used salted or unsalted butter for the cookie dough? Thanks!
Do you use salted or unsalted butter for the cookie dough?
Hi Debbie, I always use salted butter.
Well, sadly my cookies didn’t hold their shape either… The dough was fine when I was first rolling it out, but it got soft really quickly so balled it up and chilled it. They still lost their shape. Next time maybe a bit more flour?
No matter what they LOOK like, they taste delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
I made these for Valentine’s Day this year and they were fabulous!! Thanks so much for your website. I use it all the time and look forward to your posts.
Can I substitute the butter with Crisco butter flavored? I need to make sugar cookies for preschool and they have to be dairy free.
Thanks!!! Love your website!
Hi Jessica – I never use shortening in my cookies because I don’t like the after-taste so I haven’t tried it but if you are working around food allergies, then I definitely think it’s worth trying. I think it should work just fine with minimal other changes needed.
Santa loved these cookies. I left out the lemon – but he (and the family) loved them anyway.
Can I say that what helped me was refrigerating it all night, then rolling it out between the parchment paper, and THEN I peeled the dough from the letters I cut out and left the letters on the parchment paper and baked them in the oven, now they are perfect and only the slightest bit puffy, so no extra flour added.
After mixing and freezing my dough, I finally baked them last night. They came out yummy but I did have some problems with the first batches. I cut about a 1/3 of the dough off, rolled in between wax paper and cut them but that batch came out like a little puffy and more like blobs. And that batch, I had a hard time peeling the cookie from the wax paper. After that, I lightly dusted the wax paper and then rolled. Better. I found the later ones that I had to work the dough a little bit and add a little bit more flour came out the best and maintained their shapes. So I’m not sure if that means I should add more flour in the mixing stage or if I’ll need to work the dough a little bit when I’m at the cutting stage. I’ve also read another blog who does beautiful cookies and she always leaves out any baking powder or baking soda. I’m afraid to try that but her cookies are so pretty. Will try again!
Dear Mel,
I’ve never made anything of yours but I just did this sugar cookie recipe and it makes me SOOOOOOOOOOOOO happy! I love making sugar cookies with the kids and have tried different recipes but never found one that tasted good AND didn’t puff up too much or twist out of shape while cookie. So I am so happy with yours and I will never need to find a different recipe. Thank you my dear! Merry Christmas! I really feel like this is a Christmas miracle! (I know I sound like a dork, but oh well). Oh, and I put them in the fridge and then rolled them in between parchment paper so I didn’t have to even add any flour so it is such little mess when you have kids help. Yay! I’m the best mom ever!
I made these this year, the first time I’ve strayed from my great-grandmother’s recipe, and I have to say… Best. Things. Ever. I made four dozen with some corn syrup frosting, and they were gone in less than a week. There are only three of us (and 3 elves who keep eating all my sugar!). Thank you so much!
I thought the frosting needed 2 cups of the powdered sugar, as it wasn’t very sweet, and I usually hate sweet frosting. Maybe I’m just not a fan of cream cheese. None of my kids liked them much. I thought all those different flavors (vanilla, almond extract, lemon) would make for a taste sensation, but in the end I felt the cookie couldn’t figure out what it wanted to be. Plus I took them to a family, and since that frosting is so whip-creamy, they don’t cover well, or travel well, and have to remain refrigerated if not eaten soon.
Still sticking with my sugar cookie which I adore, but was glad to give something else a try. If nothing else, I learned that I am not a fan of cheese in my cookies!
I thought the frosting was too “whippy” too. I prefer I thicker and sweeter frosting.
I love your blog! My husband thinks I am addicted to it. I do check it every day – but hey, your recipes make me look good. 🙂 I tried this recipe out. My favorite cookies are sugar cookies as well. I tried a litte dough – amazing! But I run into this problem every time with sugar cookies – the dough is so soft/sticky that I end up having to add quite a bit of flour as I roll/cut them. In the end the taste is nowhere near what I’m sure it could be (although they were still delicious). My cookies puff up quite a bit & don’t hold their shape very well (the circles look more like flattened biscuits when they come out). 🙂 Any suggestions?
Hi Trish – even though this recipe says you can roll out without refrigerating, it sounds like a good chill of your dough may help. Not only will chilling make it so you can add much less flour while rolling, but the cookies will hold their shape better. Also, someone once told me they roll their cookies in powdered sugar, not flour. I don’t know if that would make them too sweet but it might help the rolling issues.
These are delicious! Since moving to a high-altitude city I’ve struggled with flabby, over or under-cooked cookies. These came out perfect. I baked them on parchment paper, and I didn’t happen to have lemon zest or almond extract, so I just used a little extra of my Mexican vanilla extract. They are amazing!! I’m so glad I found this recipe!!
Thanks!
Steph
http://www.curioussoup.blogspot.com and
http://www.filmcriticsdaughter.blogspot.com
Mishelle – when I thaw the cookies, I just carefully (so they don’t break) place them on the counter and they are defrosted within an hour or two (if they are in a single layer).
I am getting ready to make these yummy cookies for Thanksgiving! If they are a hit (I’m sure they will be based on all the awesome comments) I want to make these for my little girl’s first birthday. Quick question, you mentioned these can be stored in the freezer for up to a month. I plan to try this, but only store them a week or so. Just wondering, what is the best way to thaw the cookies?…on a counter? refrigerator? length of time? Thanks so much!
Sandra – if it is cool room temp, I’ll leave the frosted cookies out for up to 8 hours, otherwise I refrigerate them.
How long will your “favorite frosting “, the one on your sugar cookies , hold ? Do the cookies need to be in the fridge after frosting because of the whipped cream ? Thank you.
Sara – the cookie maintain their shape but they do puff a bit larger and expand. Not overly so, but just enough to make them soft and thick.
These look great. Do these cookies maintain the shape well during baking, or do they expand?
Wow…did I write this blog post??? Like you, I am always on the hunt for the best sugar cookie recipe and have tried several. My downfall is that I make a recipe and forget to take notes about why I liked or didn’t like a recipe so every year, I make something different! I have tried one from another blog that does great decorating but I didn’t like the taste. I am always looking for one that is easy to roll (since I agree that they are A LOT of work), retains their shape AND tastes delish. I hate putting a lot of work into the dough only to have the cookies all spread into blobs. My favorite cookie is the Lofthouse Sugar Cookie and I could eat the whole container by myself over a few days but have never attempted to make those with the copycat recipes out there. I’m not a huge cream cheese fan and I like to stack my cookies so I don’t think I’d use the frosting but I’ll try this and your White Velvet Sugar Cookies. Can’t wait to bake for the holidays! Thanks for the recipes!!
I was wondering if the icing remains sticky? I like to make them and ship them to my out of town family. Thank You, Terry.
Hi Terry – yes, the icing stays soft so it’s probably not ideal for shipping.
Angie – I’ve never subbed in lemon juice or extract so I’m not sure. If you have a box grater, you can shave the outer yellow peel of the lemon on the small holes of the grater and that will get the zest for you.
I haven’t used lemon zest before, can I use lemon juice or extract instead? I don’t even know how to zest a lemon.
SOOOOO good 🙂 Made these into soccer balls for treats after my 5 year olds’ first soccer game (which they won! proud mama :)). The dough was too sticky to roll out right away after making, but firmed up nicely in the fridge. Loved the combo of almond and lemon, they were subtle but added great flavor. And the cookies were so soft, I could have eaten a ton if I wasn’t making them to give away!
Kyvele- I have a simple tutorial on measuring flour:
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/01/kitchen-tip-measuring-flour.html
just forgot to check the notify me box via e-mail
How do you measure the flour for the sugar cookies? I lightly spooned the flour into the measuring cups and the dough was way too sticky so I added more flour. Unfortunately the cookies turned out doughy or even bready. I’m never sure about flour measurements for cookies. I’d appreciate your input. Thanks.
I just made these cookies Sunday night for my hubby to bring to work for the 4th! They are fantastic! My first attempt at the frosting failed miserably though (user error-not recipe) and I ended up with a runny mess. I decided to freeze it and hopefully make the best of it later. Sure enough, I tried again this morning and it’s perfect. And let me tell you, this makes a delicious fruit dip–forget frosting cookies! 😉
You’re recipes have yet to fail me! Exceptional cookie!
Maryse – I’ve never used this dough to turn into a giant cookie cake. Sorry I can’t be of much help! I’d probably suggest lowering the heat of the oven, if you try it, though, so that the cookie bakes all the way through. I’d think it would make more like 2-3 huge cookies. Good luck!
Have you ever tried to turn this into a giant cookie cake? I have never make sugar cookies before. My family is very partial to chocolate chip cookies…. My daughter in law has requested a sugar cookie cake with cream cheese frosting for her birthday (on Sunday) and I want to try out your recipe as I have always had great success with your recipes. How would the baking time change? Would it make more than 1 cookie? Thanks.