Easy Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies {No Rolling or Cutting Out!}
These soft and chewy sugar cookies are so easy and so delicious, you may never want to go to the work of rolling and cutting out sugar cookies again!
I love a good traditional, cutout sugar cookie. I really do. And I think there’s definitely a time and a place for old-fashioned, use-a-rolling-pin-and-cookie-cutter sugar cookies. Would you agree?
Just as a quick review, here are a few of my favorite cutout sugar cookie recipes,
Chewy Drop Sugar Cookies
But we’re actually not here to talk about traditional sugar cookies today. No, no. Instead, we’re talking about the most delicious, EASY, chewy sugar cookies in the whole world. They are buttery and soft. Sugary and crackly.
They are so, so amazing.
Dress Them Up With Sprinkles
As much as I lean toward chocolate-in-all-things, sugar cookies (a really good sugar cookie) will always be my undoing.
And having a perfectly chewy sugar cookie recipe at my fingertips to make when the sugar cookie craving hits without having to refrigerate dough, pull out the rolling pin, wash the nooks and crannies of cookie cutters…well, it feels amazing.
These soft sugar cookies are wonderful baked up plain and simple. But you can dress them up for a myriad of holidays by rolling the sugar cookie dough in sprinkles before baking.
Perfect Cookie Any Time of the Year
So if you still need a holiday treat (or somehow found yourself promising kids in your life homemade sugar cookies), these babies may do the trick!
I can’t tell you the number of times these soft and chewy drop sugar cookies have saved me when a sugar cookie craving hits (that happens more often than I like to admit) or when I’ve needed a fast, quick, delicious cookie to save the day.
They are reminiscent of the crackly, thin, chewy sugar cookies from Subway…ever had those? But I can promise this homemade version is about a million times better.
One Year Ago: White Velvet Sugar Cookies
Two Years Ago: Winter Minestrone Soup with Garlic Bruschetta
Three Years Ago: Curried Lentil and Sausage Soup with Toasted Almonds
Four Years Ago: No-Bake Berry Yogurt Cheesecakes
Five Years Ago: Nutella and Strawberry Stuffed French Toast
Soft and Chewy Drop Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) salted butter, softened to cool room temperature
- 1 ⅓ cups (283 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups (355 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Additional granulated sugar or sprinkles, for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (see note). Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until lightly and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix again for 1-2 minutes until the batter lightens in color. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Scoop the cookie dough into rounded balls (about 2 tablespoons in size; I use my #40 cookie scoop), roll in granulated sugar or sprinkles and place on the prepared baking sheets a couple inches apart (about 12 cookies per baking sheet).
- Bake for 11-13 minutes until slightly crackly on top (but not much color around the edges or bottom to keep them soft and chewy).
- Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
402 Comments on “Easy Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies {No Rolling or Cutting Out!}”
These are fantastic! I cut the recipe in half and they still came out beautifully. Wonderful soft texture and buttery taste. My favorite sugar cookie recipe yet!
Not yet
They turned out soft and fluffy so yummy. I decided to also make half with cinnamon sugar and I’m glad I did! Give it a try
This recipe is simple with delicious cookies!
Probably the best sugar cookies I have found.
A delicious base recipe that can easily be modified and flavoured! I made this recipe plain the first time as written with just a white sugar roll (abt 1/3 cup is needed to roll) on the outside for ice cream sandwiches with dark chocolate ice cream at the start of the summer and they were absolutely lovely and easy to eat from frozen (stayed chewy). The only addition I’d say for the basic recipe is 2-3 tablespoons of corn starch into the dry portion for maximum maintained softness, especially if the cookies won’t be eaten within a few days. I used that trick this time while adding 1 tablespoon of cinnamon into the dough and cinnamon sugar for the roll to make faux snickerdoodles and they are THE best, so flavorful and moist and chewy. My main complaint about snickerdoodles is that they tend to be sad and bland and dry and these absolutely are not. My niece’s birthday party is coming up and the theme is citrus, and I’m totally going to be making these for favours and use orange, lemon, and lime extracts and roll them in coordinating homemade coloured sugar. Highly recommend, it’s so easy to get creative with this base recipe.
Wow, these are so good! Baked 13-minutes in my oven, perfection!
These look wonderful and I plan on making them soon, I just wanted to ask if there is a way I could make them a bit thicker? I love thick cookies, and these are going in a cookie jar (I’m afraid they might break if they are too thin).
Obviously I can add a bit more flour or chill them, but I’ll probably sacrifice the beautiful crackly top or texture right?
Thank you for the recipe!
For thicker cookies, yes, you’ll want a bit more flour, but like you mentioned, that might affect the overall outcome and texture (and crackly tops).
This Cookie recipe has never failed me! They are so perfectly delicious, yet easy and quick to make.
Can I substitute margarine? I absolutely love real butter, but I live in Thailand where butter is very expensive, so I’ve been experimenting with margarine in baked goods. I make treats for dozens of students every week, so can’t afford to go broke for butter. ☺️
I haven’t tried that, but I think margarine should work just fine!
I have substituted margarine since day one with these and they always turn out perfectly. My whole family loves them year-round in the fall I substitute brown sugar in place of the white sugar and add in some pumpkin spice and its soft chewy, and with the brown sugar its almost caramelly that goes perfect with the spices. I have never had any problems and the margarine cookies tast just as good as the butter ones.
Love this soft chewy cookie! Question, How much lemon juice (or zest) can I add to make this more like a lemon cookie?
You could try 1-2 tablespoons of zest. I don’t know about adding lemon juice – it might affect the overall texture since it’s adding liquid to the dough.
I want to make these but need them to be gluten free. What flour substitute would you suggest?
These work great with any gluten-free 1:1 flour that has xantham gum in the mix.
I first heard about Lorann emulsions on this site. I’ve been wanting to try their “Princess Emulsion” flavor, so I made these cookies and subbed the Lorann emulsion 1:1 for the vanilla. The cookies were simple to make, the texture was perfect, and we all enjoyed the citrusy-nutty flavor of the emulsion.
I made these twice and they turned out so good! We went to a baseball game & my grandson bought some of these there called Birthday Cake Cookies & we all loved them.. I then made your recipe again and they taste the same as the chain cookie store for a lot less money! They all loved them. I LOVE all your recipes and am so happy you share with us
I tried this at Christmas time and absolutely love the recipe. I have made it 17 times since then. My family loves these cookies.
Omg these are so good!!! I couldn’t stop eating them lol
honestly, my go-to sugar cookie recipe. Always taste amazing with a great consistency!
These are delicious!! But now a question for future…..I made the cookie dough, scooped it into balls and froze it. How do I bake these? Can I bake from frozen or do I need to thaw first? If from frozen, do I bake at same temp as normal? Thanks!
Yes, you can bake from frozen. Just add 2-3 minutes onto the baking time (same temp).
YES!! With three kids I have no time to chill, roll and cut cookie dough. This recipe came prefect for me! I rolled the dough balls in cinnamon/sugar, and they taste amaaaazinggg!! Thank U so much!!
A winner every time!!
do you think these will be ok to frost with royal icing?
They are thinner and chewier than a traditional sugar cookie but you could try.
Super easy, turned out great! Everyone assumed they were purchased from a bakery. Perfectly chewy, buttery, and just sweet enough!
Amazing! And so easy!! No chilling, no rolling – yes, please! My kids couldn’t get enough – well, me either but I had to restrain myself. I even realized I didn’t have enough AP flour and ended up using 2/3 bread flour and they turned out fantastic. Thanks for a great recipe!
Question. I used a scale to measure the flour and I used exactly 355 grams as the recipe states. They taste amazing, but they did not flatten or crack. I used real butter set on the counter to soften for about 4 hours. My egg was from the refrigerator, should I have brought it to room temperature before adding? Any other suggestions?
Hi Lee, using a room temperature egg might help…what was the consistency of the softened butter? Could it easily dent if pressed with a finger? Also, what elevation do you live at? If you want to try these cookies again, try reducing the flour to about 320 grams and see if that helps.
Do you reduce flour for higher elevation?
You can google high elevation tips for baking…that might help best!
I tried the SOFT AND CHEWY DROP SUGAR COOKIES
recipe, and it turned out very good! My kid loves it.
I make these every Valentine’s Day and frost with pink cinnamon flavored frosting for my grown grandchildren.
Oh how I wish my wife were still alive as she spent hours rolling sugar cookies and these taste even better. Since I just make them round why go to all of the work?
My question is since I have made these several times mine do not crack on the top. The only change I make is I use 1 tablespoon of home made vanilla and I chill the dough. Any ideas?
Hi Jim, I’m sorry for the loss of your wife. I’d like to think she’d love these cookies. As for the cracks, I’d suggest trying them without chilling the dough. That should help.
Thanks Mel, I am sure she would.
May I ask what would happen if I did not put vanilla in the cookies?
The flavor of the cookies will change without the vanilla (vanilla adds depth of flavor to baked goods).
chewy and sweet with a hit of salt at the end! OMG, heaven in a cookie!
I made these yesterday for a get together and they were a hit. I’ll be using it again for sure
My cookies turned out well but didn’t thin out as much as yours — do you think my butter was too warm ??
Initially I put the butter in the microwave for I thought 10 seconds on low to soften. I came back a minute later and the microwave was still going! So I ended up with a pool of butter that I then had to harden in the freezer. Then soften again in the microwave it did seem a little on the soft side still when I mixed up the batter
Hi Jacelyn – did your cookies stay puffy instead of flattening? If so, it’s likely not the butter…but it could be that the flour was over measured a bit. If you cut down on the flour by 1/4 cup or so, that might help. Everyone measures flour a bit differently which can lead to cookies flattening too much or not enough. I usually fluff the flour in the bin really well and then scoop in the cup and level off.
Ummm SO GOOD
However, it definitely matters what TYPE of sprinkles you use.
While I usually LOATHE nonpareils (the little hard balls) for decorating, they are AWESOME when baked into the crust of the cookie.
Traditional rainbow Sprinkles are way too soft and don’t add good texture to the final cookie.
Colored sanding sugar is nice, but the nonpareils are top notch.
Yummy cookies. My oven is broken so I baked these in my air fryer- the “bake” setting, at 325 for 7 minutes made a perfect cookie.
I made this recipe, I made a few changes because my teenage son and I were being fancy.
We added a little extra vanilla and chilled our dough a bit
used “citrus sugar” (just the zest of a large orange in a half cup of sugar) to roll the cookies in after scooping.
Thank you so very much for giving me a solid base to allow me to be creative!
Delicious … I made these big just cooked for 5 mins longer .. were just lovely!
Delicious … definitely making these again!!!
Greetings! Would this receipe work if I shape the dough into balls and then press a pattern into it, flattening to about 1/4 inch thick?
I think the dough might be too soft to keep a printed shape or pattern while it bakes.
Delicious but they did not spread the way I hoped. I had to press them down with the bottom of a measuring cup. Maybe I added a tad too much flour when measuring?
That might have been the case – too much flour will cause the cookies not to spread very well while baking.
best sugar cookie recipe ever!
Hi! I was wanting to make these but with a strawberry flavor and was wondering if adding abt 2 tablespoons or so of strawberry jam would throw off the proportions?
I’m not sure as I haven’t tried it – I think the jam may get “lost” in the cookie dough. I’m not sure that’s enough to lend a strong strawberry flavor. You might try blended up freeze-dried strawberries? If using more than 1/2 cup, I’d probably reduce the flour just a bit.
I was on the hunt for an easy and relatively quick sugar cookie that wouldn’t disappoint on texture and taste.
This recipe seemed to fit the bill, so I whipped up a batch… Oh my goodness! So good! They are delicious and the texture is wonderful. I rolled them in sugar crystal sprinkles before baking and they made the most wonderful, wintery looking sugar cookies with barely any work! Thank you for this awesome recipe!
I wouldn’t feed these cookies to my dog.
You obviously cant follow a recipe then. These are outstanding. Ive made them 100’s of times…
Nowhere in this recipe did the author recommend feeding these to your dog, so good for you on following directions. 😉
These cookies are wonderful. Though your dog didn’t get to enjoy them, I hope your family did!
best ever!!!!!
I love this recipe! Soft, chewy, delicious, easy. Can’t get any better than that. I highly recommend this recipe.
Love these cookies
Your recipe calls for 2-1/2 cups of AP flour with the weight listed as 355g. I’m wondering if 355g is by chance an error?
I use King Arthur’s AP flour, and 2-1/2 cups weigh just 300g (120g per cup).
Hi Phil, no it is not an error. I test all my recipes using 142 grams of flour per cup. Different recipe sites may test their recipes using different weights per cup, which is why it’s important to use the weight listed in any given recipe since it has been tested with that particular amount.
Thank you for clarifying that the weight listed is in fact correct.
Looking forward to trying your recipe.
Best I have ever made so much good buttery flavor . This recipe is a keeper
Hi! Hope this isn’t too silly of a question. Can my kids decorate these cookies after baking and cooling? I’ve looked everywhere for a good drop sugar cookie as I didn’t want to use cookie cutters and came across this well reviewed recipe. Thanks in advance!
Not yet…I left a question about decorating after cooled. Thank you! This recipe and reviews are great so I wanted to make them today.
Hi Pat, the cookies are a bit thin, but I don’t see why they couldn’t still decorate them!
The best sugar cookies I have ever tasted. Seriously so good. I make these more often than I care to admit to! I usually add an extra teaspoon of vanilla but I’ve also added a bit of almond extract before with delicious results.
LOVED THESE! Easy to make. The extra vanilla in this recipe pops that flavor. I did chill my dough for about 2 hours. I still rolled them in sanding sugar after chilling and they turned out beautifully covered! Perfectly chewy with a nice outer crunch. I doubled the recipe and ended up with 9 dozen 2.5″ cookies!
Omgoodness, these are SO delicious!
My husband was leaving on a camping trip and I wanted to make an easy dessert for him to take and share with his buddies.
He said I need to triple the batch, as they didn’t last long! Thank you!!
Would these cookies work as cookie sandwiches with frosting in middle?
Yes, I think so!
Oh my gosh, sandwich cookies would be amazing.
Wow!!! These cookies are FANTASTIC. I could eat a whole batch by myself. I used freshly milled soft wheat berries for my flour. It’s a good thing there was the flour’s weight listed in the ingredients list, as this aids with consistent results over numerous batches. I think these cookies are perfectly, lightly sweet and don’t require rolling into additional sugar. The trick to getting perfect cookies with freshly milled flour is to let the dough rest for 5 minutes after mixing, so the flour can properly absorb all the moisture before baking.
These cookies are fabulous! I didn’t change anything about the recipe.
This recipe was super delicious!! But for some reason my cookies never flatten do you know the reason why?
Hi Katlyn – how do you measure your flour? Usually if cookies aren’t flattening, the solution is to add a bit less flour
This is by far the best sugar cookie recipe I’ve ever come across! They baked perfectly, even with crinkled tops. My daughters both gave them the title of best cookies ever
I really love these cookies, but one thing I struggle with is they harden really quickly and like I mean insanely quick 30 minutes out of the oven and they are hard as rocks. Is there any way I can fix this?
Hi Caroline – that’s odd since these are intended to stay soft and chewy. Are you using butter (and not a butter substitute like margarine or coconut oil)? How long are you baking them for?
I learned a trick years ago to keep soft cookies soft. First make sure they aren’t over baked. Then add a slice of bread to an airtight container with the cookies and they will keep their moist and chewy texture.
My new favorite sugar cookie! Super easy and delicious! Making these weekly as a welcome gift for guests who stay at beach houses that we manage.
So thankful you chose to share this! This is the perfect sugar cookie (for our family’s preferences anyway).
DELICIOUS COOKIES!!! my only notes is that they dont immediately flatten so you have to smash them down a bit and cook them for longer, but overall 10/10.
I’ve made this recipe several times and they always came out perfect until today. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong as I always follow the recipe to a T. My cookies are flattening and spreading too much to the point it’s all stuck together. I tried increasing the oven temp and putting the dough balls in the fridge. Please advise. These are my favorite drop sugar cookies!
I figured it out! It was definitely my mistake. I might’ve forgotten a cup of flour or my butter was too warm/soft. I made a second batch and they were perfect. Definitely 5 stars for me!
Oh you’re comment just made me laugh out loud! I made these the other night, and they practically melted all over the cookie sheet! I was so disappointed!! (But my adult kids thought they were awesome ( they loved the carmalized sugar) ugh! But I too thought I had forgotten a cup of flour. (I was post surgery and was dealing with a 15 month old…. So, lack of brain cells. Lol) so, I will be making them again with all the floor this time!
The perfect easy, but showstopper cookie! Made them for the first time yesterday to teach my church youth group. Sooooo easy. They turned out exactly as pictured being made by teenagers. Everyone raved about how delicious they were! I love frosting so I wasn’t sure they would be as good with just sprinkles. But they are perfect as written. I couldn’t stop eating them! We used 5 types of of valentine sprinkles; pink sugars, pink nonpareils, white nonpareils, and even some heart sprinkles. They look so pretty displayed all together under a glass cake dome. It’s like I’m in a bakery on Valentine’s Day. Thank you so much for sharing this fabulous recipe! *I live at over 6000 feet and we actually weighed the flour per your amounts and had no problems with them being crumbly or dry.
WOW. These are amazing. I’m surprised they turned out so good!!!!!!!! Making these for Valentine’s Day!
I made ahead and froze them in cookie scoop balls until closer to Christmas. I decorated with red, white and green sprinkles. The children and adults alike LOVED them. I will make this recipe for Valentine’s Day also.
Question! I’m gonna make these! If I put them in a fridge for a little bit to make these into hearts, would that work at all? Or should I just do the dough circles?
I don’t this dough will hold its shape in hearts very well – they do best as a drop cookie and baked into a nice round shape 🙂
Would it be okay if I used unsalted butter? Do I need to change the measurement of salt required? Plan to make these tomorrow please respond!
Yes, you can use unsalted butter – increase the salt by 1/2 teaspoon.
This is an excellent sugar cookie recipe! I rolled some in sugar, some in cinnamon sugar, and mixed in toasted macadamia nuts to the rest. They turned out beautiful and delicious! Thank you Mel for sharing this fantastic recipe!
Perfectly soft sugar cookies. Chose this recipe because of the simple ingredients. Will be making again and again!
I found this recipe while looking to recreate a miniature version of my favorite bakery’s holiday m&m sugar cookie. I prepared the dough as written and then stirred in a half bag (6oz) holiday m&m minis. I used the small size OXO scoop (1 Tbsp) to make this cookie more child-sized. It was exactly what I was hoping for! It’s quite sweet, but that is how a sugar cookie is meant to be.
I made these cookies for the first time today – and doubled the recipe. because I wanted to finish all my Christmas baking today. I thought the dough was a little stiff with the addition of 5 cups of flour but the cookies came out perfect – they spread just the right amount. Perhaps it is my oven but I found baking the cookies for 12 1/2 minutes at 350 degrees was just right and they did not over brown. Since I did not make them too large, I got 7 doz. out of the double recipe. They came very soft and chewy just as stated. I will be making these again – and again. Sugar cookies are a family favorite. Thank you.
These were absolutely delicious! However I had trouble with the dough, it was very crumbly after mixing (followed recipe to the T) so I added another egg and some vegetable oil. Next time I think I’ll just add vegetable oil as some of the cookies tasted more egg-y. Other than that this was a super easy recipe! If you are having trouble with crumbly dough I would add some vegetable oil until it combines and becomes smooth, I just eyeballed veg oil measurement (maybe a teaspoon or two in total)
THESE ARE AMAZING!!! My 3 year old and I had fun making them. She loved rolling them in the sprinkles. My husband- not really the sugar cookie type, couldn’t stay away and even asked me to make more.
Also they were an added blessing. A friend of ours is recovering from jaw surgery and raved about these. They were soft enough that she could eat them. Thanks for the recipie and helping me bring smiles this Christmas season!
Thank you so much for sharing!!! My husband and I LOVED them!!! These were so soft and they decorated beautifully!!! Hands down best sugar cookie recipe!!!
Made these cookies today! Followed the recipe exactly and they were INCREDIBLE. I cannot understand some of the scathing reviews…I didn’t get the same crackle that Mel gets in the pictures but I totally don’t care. The flavor and texture was so perfect. I am printing this one and saving it forever lol!
Does this recipe work the same with a hand mixer or do I need to make any adjustments to the process? Thanks
It should work fine!
Best sugar cookies ever!! Try rolling them in cinnamon sugar, it’s amazing.
Hello,
Can you tell me what kind of sprinkles you put on your sugar cookies also how can I make my cookies be flat and not puffy? What am I doing wrong
Sincerely,
Dana
Hi Dana, if your cookies are staying puffy, it sounds like they need a bit less flour. Try 1/4 to 1/3 cup less flour. I use the non pareil colorful sprinkles that I find in the baking aisle of my grocery store
Thank you for this recipe! I think these are the best sugar cookies I have ever had. I skipped rolling them in sugar – but I bet they’d still be super tasty that way.
Hi Mel. Thank you for this recipe. I need to make these for a wedding. Needless to say there are a million things to do. Will these chewy sugar cookies fair well if I make them ahead of time and freeze them?
N
Yes, I have done the exact same thing for a wedding reception. They freeze great.
Is the dough/batter supposed to be super dry and crumbly? Having issues forming the balls.
No, it isn’t super crumbly. It sounds like maybe there’s too much flour in the dough. How do you measure your flour? I fluff the flour really well, scoop in the cup and level off, so it’s possible maybe too much flour is getting packed into your measuring cup.
LITERALLY the best sugar cookies I’ve ever made. So easy and so delicious. I don’t even have a sweet tooth but I couldn’t keep my hands off these babies. This is DEFINITELY my go sugar cookie recipe!!
I have made these cookies almost weekly since you posted them. They are our faves. They come out perfect every time (even when the kids make them haha).
Don’t waste your time and ingredients on this recipe. Came out beyond flat. I tried upping the temperature, putting the dough in the fridge, trying without sugar on top, and nothing did the trick. So frustrated by wasting all of these perfectly good ingredients. Run away from this recipe as fast as you can.
Yeah this didn’t work at all . I turned my temperature up on my oven and it still melted the cookies all over the pan. Wasted tons of my ingredients .
These cookies are amazing
jkstanley77@gmail.com
Mel, I hope you can relate to this..I made these tonight for my kids bake sale and of course for our own taste buds. As my 6 year old was frosting them, she asked if she could have one..I said heck yes! She took a bite and said “uh, mommy? Somethings wrong with these cookies! They taste Like salt!” Sure enough, I realized I rolled them in SALT before cooking. ♀️ Now because I have a salty taste in my mouth, regardless of my lack of energy.. you better believe I’m making another batch right now. Gotta make it right. Haha! Thanks for a delicious sugar cookie. Let’s hope I roll it in sugar this time.
Oh no, no, no!!! I’m so sorry! And feel a little guilty that I kind of laughed about the salt – but also, what a pain to have to remake them!!
OMG!!!! These are absolutely amazing!!! And I’m not a fan of sugar cookies lol. My granddaughter wanted them for her graduation party so I was looking for an easy no roll recipe. I found it in this AND it’s delicious as well!!! Thank you for sharing!
I made these for my sons wedding open house. I added zest from a lime, orange and lemon. I used your method of rubbing the zest into the sugar. And OH, MY GOODNESS!!! These are now officially my favorite cookie. They have received rave reviews from everyone I’ve given them to.
Super delicious!
These turned out perfect! My 8 year old old made them without any help, and they are amazing.
Perfect sugar cookies!! Chewy, soft, absolutely delicious
Such a simple and delicious recipe! Thank you so much for deciding to share the recipe with your readers. This recipe will be on constant rotation in our house.
Beautiful recipe! They turned out delicious! Thanks so much!
How far in advance can I make these for my daughters birthday? To ensure the fresh, chewy, and delicious cookie experience is still achieved.
I prefer them same day, but you can make them well in advance and freeze the baked cookies. They defrost great and are super delicious.
Very dry and crumbly…way too much flour. I’ve baked a lot of cookies and I have never had such a dry cookie dough. The cookies also did not flatten out at all.
Hi Brooke, sounds like you might be packing too much flour into your measuring cup. This post might help: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/lets-talk-how-you-measure-flour-makes-a-difference.
Is it possible you didn’t follow recipe to flatten with back of glass ?
I cut the recipe in half (used a food scale to get exact- did 6oz of flour instead of 6.25) but otherwise followed the recipe exactly as written. Dough was sticky but workable and I didn’t want to add more flour. Good thing I didn’t because they turned out perfectly. Rolled half with sprinkles and half with sugar. Thanks for the recipe will be keeping it for future use!
Did you still use 1 egg ?
I made these exactly as the recipe called for and they are super fantastic! Rich and soft and chewy. Made 2-1/2 dozen, baked for 11 minutes. Thanks for the great recipe.
Mel, thanks so much for all the work you put into your site. It’s wonderful. I think I remember you making a note on one of your recipes that you usually use salted butter when baking. Am I wrong? If I’m not, in this recipe, do you use salted?
Thanks a lot.
Hi Aimee – yes, I use salted butter!
What’s the purpose of the baking soda and powder. Is it okay if we don’t use it or will something happen to the cookie….. Are there other alternatives? Can’t wait to start baking these cookies 🙂
You definitely need leavening agents. Without them you will likely end up with a flat hard cookie.
The baking soda and baking powder help the cookies rise and contribute to a light and fluffy texture. I think they are pretty essential to the outcome!
Will adding only 1/2 cup of sugar in the mixture affect the overall texture of the cookie? I’m trying to find ways to lessen the amount of sugar. Thanks!
You could definitely experiment, but usually reducing sugar (or other ingredients) significantly will alter the end result.
Quarantine Amateur baker here! I followed the video and recipe and my mixture came out sticky. I even added a little more flour to see if that would help. It didn’t, I was too scared to add any more. I wanted to know what is your experience and where did I go wrong?
It probably boils down to how you and I each measure flour…if the dough is really sticky, a little more flour won’t hurt, although this cookie dough does stay rather sticky.
What about cooking in altitude?
I made these the other day and they are incredible. I followed the directions exactly. I’m afraid to make them again because I won’t be able to resist eating them all. The fact that they are gorgeous is a bonus. I think the people who had bad results either made a mistake or their oven temp is off. My son watched the video and said that the directions in it are more basic, for kids helping in the kitchen. I would use the written directions, mixing dry and wet ingredients separately, unless there is a tiny helper :). Thanks for the recipe!
These cookies are absolutely delicious. My husband and I could not stop eating them! I love how the vanilla flavor really shines. I will be making another batch soon, as they were so quick and easy, too. I used 12 oz of flour (weighed) and mixed with a light hand. I found they crinkled best when I used my cookie scoop and rolled them in sugar straight out of the scoop–rounded on one side, flat on the other–instead of rolling them into balls. They were a bit puffy as I took them out of the oven, but rapping the cookie sheet on the counter took care of that. So, so good! Thanks, Mel!
Has anyone made these using margarine (or another no dairy substitute? If so, did they turn out?
I did and they were extremely sticky and hard to work with.
I had some dough that I made last month put in the freezer how should I cook the frozen dough ?
Is it rolled into balls already?
You defrost on the counter or in the frig overnight and when dough is soft roll them into balls and cook as instructed.
These are the best cookies! I’ve made them with different sprinkles for just about every occasion from Valentine’s Day to a Seahawks games – yes, I managed to find Seahawks colored sprinkles . The one adjustment I make is to just add one tsp vanilla and one tsp almond extract. It gives the flavor of a typical almond sugar cookie frosting without all the work.
I love the cookies, do you use salted or unsalted butter?
I use salted butter
I’m thinking that those of you who have trouble with the cookies not spreading possibly over mixed the dough. It does not take a lot over mixing to toughen up a delicate cookie. Mixing by hand can help to avoid over mixing.
I followed the recipe exactly and although they did not flattened out like the picture they had great flavor!
Made the cookies today- should have read the reviews first, because while they are still pretty delicious, they didn’t flatten and I ended up baking them longer to compensate. I weighed the flour and added the recommended weight, but next time I would probably remove up to half a cup of the weighed flour, as suggested by the other reviewers.
Victory! I feel like I have finally conquered this recipe. For years I have had so many failures with these cookies. They either turned out all flat and smooshed together like one big sprinkled blob or like little cake balls posing as cookies. I live in a very humid east-coast city so I blame it partially on that (I over compensated the blob disaster with too much flour the next time), but today was the day I figured out how to make these work for me. I made 3 modifications (none of them had to do with flour; I measured 2 1/2 c with a light hand). 1. I did not cream the sugar and the butter. I simply mixed in my kitchen aid until the butter and sugar looked evenly combined. Also did not over mix when adding the vanilla and egg. Again just until they looked evenly combined 2. I substituted the baking powder with baking soda…so instead of 1/2 t of each, I just used 1t of soda and omitted baking powder altogether. 3. Bake at 375 instead of 350.
Also, make sure to give them enough space on the pan, and use small sprinkles (and only roll the tops of the cookies in sprinkles not the underneath).
Mine finally look flat and crinkly and chewy! Like Mel’s pictures. Yay!
Can I substitute the vanilla extract with peppermint extract? If so how much should I add?
The cookies never flattened or cracked? Followed recipe exactly.
Sounds like there was too much flour in the dough (everyone measures flour differently – I fluff the flour really well, scoop and level off).
hello i was wondering if i can wrap it in clear sling wrap and put it in the refrigerator because i don’t have time to make the dough tomorrow
yes, I think so. You’ll need to let it come to room temperature before scooping or else the dough will be too stiff (or scoop into balls and then refrigerate)
I’m thinking that those of you who have trouble with the cookies not spreading possibly over mixed the dough. It does not take a lot over mixing to toughen up a delicate cookie. Mixing by hand can help to avoid over mixing.
Amazing! So easy and delicious! I never make sugar cookies because frosting those suckers never look good when I do it. I rolled the cookies in red and green sugar sprinkles and they are super pretty. I followed the recipe to the letter.
The dough was very whippy and hard to mold into balls, but the cookies still turned out beautiful and delicious.
Awesome cookie recipe the best one I’ve ever made.
made these today and as suggested, reduced the flour by 1/2 and I can attest these were the best sugar cookies! I love the texture, so silky with that classic chew. I’m so glad I tried these. Based on the comments it really helped narrow down my search and now this recipe is part of my holiday baking!
correction: reduce by 1/2 cup so 2 cups in total
Could you PLEASE put this change in the ORIGINAL recipe, as I just used my supplies to make crumbs. 🙁 And I’m not good at figuring out the math to make the rest of the ingredients –and the flour is too blended to work well. THANK YOU
Can you make these ahead of time and keep them in the fridge or freezer unbaked?
Yes
One major problem with this recipe – it doesn’t make enough!!! I followed the recipe to a “t” and they were absolutely delicious!
These aren’t considered drop cookies. They are considered molding cookies because you have to form the shape with your hands instead of just dropping the cookie batter on the cookie sheet.
Turned out perfect, so easy. I reduced sugar by 1/3 cup & cookies were still very sweet.
Just made these with the kids. Turned out perfect!!!
The first time i made these, they were horrible. Had no taste, we’re crumby, didn’t even spread just stayed in a little ball. I’m currently making them a second time, the only difference is that they were a little stickier and not as dry dough as the first attempt. I’ll keep you updated.
were perfect. soft and tasty.
Hi there! I tried making these sugar cookies and really hoped for the best but my cookies didn’t spread out, they only rose. I was wondering if you knew what I could do to fix that situation. I’ve tried searching it up but it seems like the opposite situation, where cookies spread too make, usually occur. Thank you!
p.s the cookies did come out delicious, just not chewy as I hoped
Try baking them at 25 degrees cooler and/or adding slightly less flour. That should help!
Yum. I can never make good cookies. They usually go flat. These did a bit but still were soft and good
I’ve made these so many times and they are the definition of addiction! Now I make half the recipe and only bake 4 at a time or make a huge batch and frozen them for future! I ran out of sprinkles and rolled In Cinnamon. LORDY! Delish!
I’m sorry I meant cinnamon sugar!
I made these today and OHMYGOODNESS. They are amazing, I actually just finished eating my third one… I can’t stop/won’t stop.
Anyways, thanks for this awesome recipe. I’m so excited to use it for when I gift cookie boxes during Christmas.
Followed to a T & this recipe is horrible! I should of taken the hint that it would be by looking at the reviews and seeing a 5.0 stars but on the comments there were many bad reviews, I wonder how it got the five stars.
I don not have baking powder or baking soda do I have to use it?
The cookies will not turn out the same if the baking soda and powder are left out (they act as important leaveners in the cookie dough).
Ok. This is officially my go-to sugar cookies recipe. I live in Japan, and for 11 years have not been able to find a recipe that will work with the flour or measuring system differences. Every time I made them, no matter which recipe, they’d immediately flatten and run into each other like a giant, thin, flat, hard cake all over the tray. Blechhh!!! I tried adding more flour. I tried mixing flours – nothing ever worked. Best I’d get otherwise were big, puffy cake-like things. For once, though, this recipe worked PERFECTLY from the first!
If anyone else is in Japan and reading this – go with a 140g cup of flour, and use 1/2 bread flour and 1/2 cake flour. If you have trouble with flattening, don’t be afraid to overmix a little (I did, and they were perfect anyway!). I baked each tray for about 11 minutes each, 6 on a tray.
Thanks so much for this recipe, now I never have to search around again, and I can make these whenever I want! 🙂
These were delicious, not oily like some sugar cookie recipes. I used 2 1/3 cups of flour. Next time I think I’ll dip the top half of the dough balls in sprinkles rather than rolling the whole thing.
I made this recipe tonight, followed the instructions exactly. They turned out exactly as promised. I love them! Buttery, crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside… This will be my go-to sugar cookie recipe from now on.
Adjusted for Albuquerque’s high-altitude and it came out perfect!
Adjustments were:
Oven to 375
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
Bake 11 mins
So good!
I just whipped all this up pretty fast and just put my first pan in the oven. They seem to be flattening just fine so far, and the raw dough tasted great. I followed this recipe exactly and am not having any of the problems I’m reading on here. They also smell great while cooking. However I have had issues in the past
(different recipes) with sugar cookies not flattening and I just slightly flattened them by hand and that worked for me. Great recipe Mel thanks for sharing
I like your enthusiasm, but the reality is these cookies have way too much flour and baking powder for them to come out thin and chewy. I followed our recipe to the “T” and the cookies turned out fat and fluffy, not thin and chewy.
Just made these cookies and they turned into little balls and didn’t spread at all. I guess I will use way less flour next time.
The Absolute BEST Sugar Cookie recipe I have every made. The result of an airy and puffy treat, that just makes you feel good.
Made these cookies today with my kids and they turned out great! I also used only 2 cups of flour as suggested by previous posters so that its not a crumbly dough. Thank you for this recipe, I’ve tried other chewy sugar cookie recipes and they don’t compare to this one.
I also followed this recipe to a T and they definitely did not turn out thin and chewy as pictured. They are puffed up and cake like. I wish I would have read the comments first and known to use less flour…
I’m wondering if the people who have success with this recipe are using very soft butter?
If you tend to measure flour with a heavier hand and pack more flour into the cup than I do, it will definitely make a difference in the outcome. I fluff the flour, scoop and then level off with the flat side of a knife.
Made these tonight because my husband and I were craving something sweet. I had to cut the recipe down to 1/4 because I had barely 1/2 tbsp of vanilla extract go figure. & we only wanted maybe a half dozen so we didn’t eat every single one. I’m so bummed because at the end I accidentally followed the recipe of (1/2 tsp baking powder and baling soda and forgot to cut those down) so all in all I used too much of those BUT, they came out looking perfect and actually weren’t awful. Just an odd after taste. (Could’ve been worse!) I’m going to try again tomorrow Haha Thanks for the recipe! I think this will be my new favorite!
if we don’t use a cookie scoop for the cookies, what size measuring spoon should we use to scoop them onto the pan?
You want a heaping tablespoon (or two tablespoons of dough) per cookie.
I ended up using 1/2 cup less flour than the recipe called for. I just didn’t think any more flour would mix into the dough! They turned out delicious! My kids love sugar cookies, but honestly I hate rolling them out and cutting them, so I rarely do it. These are a great alternative and I think they taste much better! Thanks for the recipe.
Ours aren’t very cracky but they are delicious!!!
That’s why it’s called chewy and soft sugar cookies
This isn’t that big of an issue but my cookies did not have the nice cracks on the top. They spread fine in the oven, but they were smooth on the top. Tasted great though!
I retried this recipe with only 2 cups of flour instead of 2 1/2 and they had cracks!
Made these cookies and the flavor was amazing only thing, they didn’t flatten at all! Will try again with less flour
Made the recipe & followed the instructions to a T & somehow my dough is more of a batter than a dough. I dropped them on a pan as there was NO WAY I could roll them. Fingers crossed them turn out OK. I fear I just wasted a bunch of my items.
Just made these – they are delicious! And so easy to make – you did it again!
Sugar cookies are my favorite kind of cookie. But they are always so much trouble. Not so with these. THEY ARE PERFECTION!!! LOVE!!!
These are amazing! Super simple and so good!
Hi Mel, I want to make these with my kids and some of their friends for Valentine’s Day this week. I know they’ll want to decorate them! Is there any reason they shouldn’t be frosted? This is exactly how I prefer my cookies, pretty flat and chewy.
Sure, I think if you like chewy cookies, they could totally be frosted!
Extremely displeased with this recipe would recommend using FAR less flour. Mine did not come close to flattening and are basically cake balls. Followed the recipe exactly.
I made the cookies yesterday and they’re soft, chewy, thick and I love them. My family thinks they’re store bought! The only thing I didn’t like about the cookies was that they didn’t come out crackly. A few of the comments said to use 2 cups of flour to get the cracks, but that didn’t work. Should I make them smaller, what can I do to get the cracks?
You could try baking them just a minute or two longer…sometimes that helps! Or even moving the oven rack (make sure it’s in the middle or upper middle position).
So I have made these for my 10 month old daughter and she loves them, but I would really like to make some for my grandmother as well. Only problem is she’s diabetic. Would I be able to use a sugar substitute, like Stevia, and still have them turn out the same?
Hi! I’m wondering the same thing, for this specific recipe. I’ve used stevia in other recipes and had good results.
Here’s how to use stevia instead of sugar in baking. Make sure you read it, one reason being that you have to adjust other ingredients when using stevia to replace sugar (you will see why in the article).
Good luck!!
https://www.livestrong.com/article/283456-how-to-bake-with-stevia-instead-of-sugar/
Perfect, delicious, beautiful, easy. Everything you need! This is my new favorite cookie recipe.
Hi my cookies turnout salty and didnt really flatten like the ones in ur pictures so what happend??
I can’t be exactly sure, but it sounds like maybe the dough was overfloured?
Has anyone used this recipe with a 1:1 Gluten Free flour?
Great recipe…soft chewy cookie. My sweet MJ Crew enjoyed decorating and eating these.
My daughter wanted a soft sugar cookie and the ones I have tried in the past were always to crunchy, I just made your recipe and I think they are wonderful. I will be making this recipe many, many, many more times. Thank you!
These are really good and so easy to make!
Love the video! Hope you will do more and more. When ever I make something new, my husband asks if “it is from Mel?” Then he knows it will be good.
Thanks, Beth! You are so sweet. 🙂
So. Good. Tried another before this and bombed. These were yummy and pretty to look at for the simplicity of the recipe
Hello!
I am newly married and i am so excited to make these for my husband and i! Only question….do i NEED a mixer? Can i do it by hand? We only have a nutribullet and i doubt that would help!
Any ideas of an alternative would be much appreciated! Thank you!
You could definitely try mixing them by hand – just make sure to cream the butter as much as possible so it’s light and fluffy!
Omg I made these cookies today and they were so delicious! Great Recipe and I will make them again!
We don’t have a mixer either and I’ve mixed these by hand plenty of times. Works great as long as the butter is nice and soft before you start!
I’ve seen a few times in your recipe not specifying salted vs unsalted butter. Am I to assume it’s unsalted since it is baking? Thanks.
I always use salted butter (and write the recipes accordingly to compensate for any added salt)
I used unsalted, didn’t change the recipe, and the cookies were amazing.
I added almond extract to the recipe and added the flour manually. The best sugar cookies I have ever made. Simple to follow and easy to make. Little under 45 minutes from mixing to pulling the last cookie sheet out of the oven.
Can you tell me approximately how many cookies this makes?
2-3 dozen.
These were good, but were a bit crumbly and didn’t flatten very much. I did not mix for too long and didn’t add too much flour. I am a pretty experienced baker.
Mine came out like cake instead of cookie everyone likes this recipe so much. Did I do something wrong?!
Possibly whipped too much air into the cookie dough? That would account for it being more cake like.
I’ve only made these once, and I’m an admittedly novice baker, but I watch enough baking shows to know you don’t want to add a lot of air to a cookie.
Do you mean the cookies didn’t spread much?
I’m going to guess they were over mixed. You have to be careful once you add flour to not over mix because they will come out cakey.
I just finished baking cookies with my 18 month of granddaughter awhile ago (she fell asleep but I will let her have a cookie on tomorrow – she loves to eat and especially LOVES COOKIES!!!) This recipe is GREAT to say the least! It’s difficult to find a GOOD sugar cookie recipe and I have searched and tried many but, not any more! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this recipe! I LOVE the simplicity of the recipe and not having to chill and roll the dough out. I did substitute the vanilla extract with butter flavoring which is my favorite flavoring to use for baking and it was great! I like the use of both baking powder and baking soda in the recipe, it worked so good! This is now my GO TO recipe and I will also use it for my Snickerdoodle recipe with a little adjustment! Thank for such a GREAT recipe!
These cookies are SO delicious. They are chewy and soft. Will make again for sure!
I don’t have any electric mixers of any kind at the moment but want to make these. Will they still turn out okay if I mix them by hand?
Can definitely try!
I made them without an electric mixer and they still turned out great! Just takes a little more time
Can I refridgerate any left over dough for your soft and chewy drop sugar cookies?
Yes! The dough keeps well in the refrigerator.
We froze small batches of them and have gradually pulled out 6 dough balls at a time, let them come up to room temperature, and then baked them, for the last month or so. Each time, they come out as good as the first batch.
such a great idea!!!
These are the best sugar cookies. Maybe the best cookies, of all the cookies. I’ve done them rolled in sprinkles, plain sugar, cinnamon sugar, and plain. They’re always amazing. Perfectly buttery, not too sweet, surprisingly, and the perfect chewy texture. I will always use this recipe. It’s even converted my partner who turned his nose up initially, stating that sugar cookies are ‘gross’. He requests these frequently now. Thanks for the recipe!!
This is the all time best sugar cookie I have ever made and everything tasted! Out of all the sugar cookie recipes this is the best! Everyone in my family loves them! Thank you & God bless! 😉
The best sugar cookies ever! These were so simple to make and they turned out so beautifully. Most sugar cookie recipes that I try always turn out flat and messy looking these however didn’t. The fluffed up and looked so pretty I didn’t want to eat them. But of course we did and the taste was spot on. This is my new recipe for sugar cookies that I will continue to use for years to come. My children are definitely going to use this recipe when I pass it down. Thanks so much for helping me create new memories just by making great cookies.
I had to add sweetened condensed milk instead of egg because of allergies, and I weighed the flour at 12oz, but it was a little too much I think. I don’t know if it was because I didn’t use egg though! Did some with and some without sprinkles, and they were all delicious!
These are amazing and turned out perfectly! They are my new go-to sugar cookie. Thank you!
I made a batch today and my whole family loved them! I will be making these for an upcoming Halloween party. The kiddos are going to scream with delight…
THESE WERE THE BEST SUGAR COOKIES I’VE EVER HAD!!! SO SOFT AND SO YUMMY!
Made these exactly per the recipe and they were fantastic!
Followed this recipe exactly, and the first batch ended up literally paper thin, greasy and crispy…I think the recipe needs about a half cup more flour, or maybe I didn’t put enough to begin with. I added flour to the rest of the dough and so far so good. They all taste DELICIOUS, and I will make them again to perfect them!:)
Only thing I changed was using half shortening. These came it pretty good, but next time I might cut back some of the flour so they spread more.
These cookies are excellent! The texture is chewy and crunch! I baked them at 375 in a conventional oven. I did not roll them in sugar. I’ve made frosting for my young women at church to frost them and give to neighbors. I used Wheat Montana Natural White Flour. I think it makes everything better. I’d recommend using this recipe!!
Very, very good! I used vanilla that I brought home from Mexico and they are perfectly delicious sugar cookies!
Hi, baked mine for 11-13 mins but the cookies are still ball form with cracks on top… what did I do wrong? They didn’t flatten like I’d expect
Usually that means the dough was overfloured. How do you measure your flour? If you tend to pack the flour into the measuring cup vs fluffing the flour and then scooping in the cup and leveling off, the dough might have too much flour in it. If you back off a bit on the flour that should help!
These by far were the best sugar cookies I’ve had. So easy to make!
These cookies are EXCELLENT! They turned out very soft and chewy! I didn’t have sprinkles, but used bakers sugar. I will use green and red sugar for Christmas cookies. I sprayed my cookie sheets with non stick spray and did not have any issues with the cookies sticking.
Is the baking soda necessary? What if i don’t have any
Yes, it is important for the recipe – the cookies wouldn’t turn out the same without it.
Amazing! So yummy. My family loved them.
I’m pregnant and have been craving a good sugar cookie but didn’t want to go through the work or rolling and cutting. I came across this recipe while searching the web and I’m glad I tried it! These are so easy and so delicious! They practically melt in your mouth. I decided to use 1 tsp of vanilla extract and 1 tsp of almond extract instead and I think it made them that much more tasty. This recipe is one I’ll be putting in my tried and true section of my recipe book! Thanks so much for sharing this!
Best drop sugar cookies EVER. I will be retiring my rolling pin. Thanks for the recipe!
I enjoyed this recipe, thoughmy cookies came out more cake-like than chewy… Can you help me? What did I mess up? The cookies still tasted great! I just have a tendency to follow a recipe and end up with cake textured cookies every time! I’d appreciate the help.
Hey Shawna. Mel is out of town, but I will have her respond to this when she gets back and help you troubleshoot!
Hi Shawna, oftentimes cakey cookies might be due to over mixing the batter or too much flour – so you might measure the flour with a lighter hand next time and mix just to combine once the dry ingredients are added.
And I thought adding flour was helping my cookies! Thank you so much! I’ll try it again!
I just made these cookies using the convection feature and they baked perfectly. The taste is wonderful and my grandkids love the soft, chewy taste. This one is a keeper – Thank you
Made these on a whim because I’m pregnant and needed sweets like NOW and they came out perfectly! I only had enough parchment for one cookie sheet so the other was lined with foil. The foil cookies were less done but that’s the way my husband likes them so it’s a win win over here! I baked for about 10 mins at 350 and made sure my oven rack wasn’t too low like another reviewer suggested. The bottoms were just golden with a little crunch and the tops were puffy and soft. I won’t even bother searching for other recipes or boxed mixes. These cookies could be made into anything you want (as I’m dreaming of adding heaps of M&Ms). Thank you for posting this!!
I made this recipe for my 11 year old who was craving something sweet and loves when I try new recipes. Well, I will NOT ever be trying a new sugar cookie recipies. Perfect cookies!!! Thank You!!
How many grams/ounces is the butter?
8 ounces
Best sugar cookies I’ve ever made! I did not use a mixer but I did have my butter and egg at room temperature. I rolled some in sugar and some in sprinkles. They are beautiful and delicious. I’m sending them to my daughter in another state!
These are the best sugar cookies I’ve ever tasted! We followed the directions step by step and they turned out perfect!! (You don’t need a fancy mixer either btw – we used a regular bowl & mixer) Definitely will be saving this recipe!
Easy and very delicious. I only bake for 8 minutes.
These are delicious and so simple! Mine were much purifier than your pictures. Not sure why, but they were great. I have one favor, could you include in your recipes (especially baked ones) if you use salted or unsalted butter? I think you had a post way back where you said you always use salted, but having it in each recipe would be very helpful! I used one stick of each for this batch to be in the safe side. I thought I commented, but I don’t see it now, so I apologize if this is a repeat comment,
These came out perfectly! They are so soft and EASY to make. Mine did take more like 15-16 minutes (and normally I don’t have to make oven adjustments for Mel’s recipes). I rolled mine in a cinnamon sugar mixture and they turned out to be the perfect little snickerdoodles.
I’m making these (along with cut out sugar cookies, a 6″ cake and a lot of cupcakes) so I was wondering if I could freeze the dough balls, with the sprinkles on them, so I could be a step ahead on these cookies? Thanks. Can’t wait to try your recipe.
I haven’t tried it, but that should work great – I’ve done that with other drop cookie recipes.
This was AMAZINGGGG!
These cookies are amazing! The are buttery, chewy and have the perfect amount of sweetness. After rolling the dough into balls I froze some of them for later. Well, later is right now because after a stressful week at work I decided to make these into a chipwich with cotton candy ice cream. Highly recommend these cookies with or without ice cream! Thanks for another amazing recipe.
Freezing the cookies for better shaping helps
Made these today and the only thing I changed was to separate out the dough into three bowls and add different sprinkles to each bowl. Then I used a cookie scoop and no need to roll!
My tops didn’t crack even after 15 mins but my oven Temp might be off. Cooked 17 mins to a light golden color. Kids loved them..
I’m 55 and just starting to learn how to bake, make cookies etc, this recipe was so easy it made me look good and that’s saying A LOT! Thank you so much for posting a recipe even I could make!!
That’s awesome, Sandi!
I made the sugar cookies but had some slight problems. The bottoms were burnt. Only a few were not burnt. I baked the cookies at 350°F as you said. My cookies’ tops were beautiful. I almost forgot to say, some of the insides were not fully cooked. I think that had happened because I baked the cookies in the middle stove rack. Next time I am going to use the top rack. I tasted one cookie that was perfectly cooked and it was very delicious indeed! I substituted some butter for oil. I also used aluminum foil. Wonderful recipe. I loved your flaky cinnamon roll biscuit recipe by the way. I added it to my cookbook. I wish you had a Youtube channel so you could show people step-by-step how to make things.
Update:
I remade the cookies and they came out perfectly. I changed up the recipe a bit.
This is what I did:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup softened butter= 1 stick of butter= 5 tablespoons of butter & 2 1/4 tsp oil*3
1/2 cup sugar & 2 Tbsp
1 egg
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour and a little more
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
Roll balls into sprinkles
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 250°F. Use aluminum foil.
Using a whisk, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy.
Add the egg and vanilla and mix again until the batter lightens in color.
In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined.
Put cookie dough into refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Scoop the cookie dough into rounded balls (about 2 tablespoons), roll balls into sprinkles and place on aluminum foil sheets a couple inches apart(6 cookies for each baking sheet).
Cook one cookie to be safe then if it comes out well bake the others.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until top is slightly crackly on top and sides are firm to the touch
Let the cookies cool.
Can you replace half the butter amount with coconut oil?
I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure. Sorry!
I believe you can substitute half of the amount of butter for coconut oil. I did something different. First I split the recipe in half then, I used: 1/2 cup softened butter= 1 stick of butter= 5 tablespoons of butter & 2 1/4 tsp oil*3
2 1/4 tsp of oil equals a tablespoon of butter.
Easy and delicious!
Thank you
Mel, can u still cut out cookies with this recipe?
No…this recipe wouldn’t be good (too soft!) for rolling out and cutting.
What? Whoa. Where has this recipe been all my life??
Super easy to whip up. Fun options for finishing. And the best part: the soft, yet crisp, buttery and sweet, and they just melt in your mouth. Wow. This is a keeper!
Thanks for another awesome recipe, Mel!
Holy wow! I have searched and searched for the perfect sugar cookie recipe, and alas I have found it! Christmas time left me with multiple failing batches of sugar cookies; too plain, too flat, too dry, too hard. I finally came across this recipe in my next search. Let me say these cookies are PERFECT! A complete hit at the spring bake sale! You can bake and serve them as is and they have just the right amount of sweetness. I added frosting to some, rolled them in the sprinkles with others (and the sprinkles STAY ON even after baking), I even added chocolate chips in some! I refrigerated some, another batch I left on the countertop, and it DID NOT change the consistency one bit! They were so soft and chewy, I couldn’t believe it. I will be using this recipe forever! Thank you so much for sharing it!
Thanks, Jamie! 🙂
It was my first time making these cookies and my family and I love them!!! They are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside just how I like cookies!!
I never leave reviews but I’m sitting here in my kitchen waiting for my last batch of cookies to bake. I’ve made these at least 10 times since I discovered this recipe. My family loves them. They’re always asking for more. I’m no baker yet, these always come out perfect. I will make these forever in my household. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks, Sonia!
Made these today with a few subtle changes – did 1/2 almond, 1/2 vanilla extract and then mixed in some colored sugar and rainbow sprinkles! My kids called them unicorn cookies and loved them! Made it super easy to scoop and bake with no rolling in sugar! Your recipes never disappoint and I’m thankful you post even the ones you think aren’t show-stoppers!
These cookies turned out perfect! My husband loved them!!