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,
My Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe
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.
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.
These cookies are a testament that festive, fun treats (you know, mother-of-the-year level) don’t have to be fussy, hard, or stress-inducing.
It’ll take, oh, 15 minutes to whip up the sugar cookie dough and another couple minutes to roll in sprinkles. Done and done.
And you know how sometimes you decide to go big or go home and make a treat to wow the socks off the whole nation, and then after you’ve spent four days, earned a minimum of 12 more gray hairs, and now have permanently stained food coloring fingers, you realize the true-to-life Mona Lisa painted cookies actually taste like dog breath (and look like a preschool class went to work)?
Yeah, these soft and chewy sugar cookies will not invoke anything close to the above scenario. And even better? They taste incredible. Incredible, incredible.
I’ve had this recipe in my arsenal for a while (thanks to my mom’s old recipe binder!) but hesitated posting it because there’s not a lot wow-worthy about a humble little sugar cookie that doesn’t have frosting and might not even have sprinkles (depending on your mood).
But after making this recipe over and over and over, I figure it’s time to get it out there for you to enjoy as well.
See How to Make Them Here!
And besides, I’ve never been after exclamation point cookies and dessert recipes as much as I have been about getting you the best of the best recipes. Even if they aren’t necessarily show-stoppers.
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
Cookies Spreading: if the cookies spread and flatten too much while baking, try increasing the baking temperature to 375 degrees F or use convection bake (if you have that function on your oven - see my Instagram experiment here to come to this conclusion). As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.Soft and Chewy Drop Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Recommended Products
The video in this post was made in partnership with Inspo
Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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.
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
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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?
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!!
The cookies turned out perfectly. My new go to sugar cookie receipe!
Do you know if subbing the flour for gluten free flour would work? Would cooking times change?
I’m sorry, Jenn, I don’t know! I don’t have a ton of experience with gluten-free baking.
Thank you! I’m may try it and see what happens. This recipe is wonderful! My husband even said these are better than his mother’s sugar cookies!
How many cookies does this reactor make?
2-3 dozen.
These are so good! Warm out of the oven they are just perfection!
SO easy and so good! My kids loved them!
Very good and so easy. Will definitely make again.
Quite delicious! Mine ended up more ‘poofy’ than the pictures and they’re so pretty. I thought the dough was too dry at first but it came together and made balls just fine.
Did not have a 2 TBSP scoop, so used a coffee scoop! Repurposing what I have!
These are SO good! I made them into 1 ounce balls and baked for 12 minutes. Perfect!
I hardly ever bake cookies, but I made these for as a nice thing for someone.
Two questions:
The dough strained as it mixed in the mixer. I guess it’s dry today in So Cal. 14% humidity. Is that normal? I added a tap of water after the first batch.
Why both baking soda and baking powder? There isn’t anything acidic in the recipe.
Delicious! Even chocoholic hubby gave them a 10!
A lot depends on your mixer, Judy…but if the dough was overly dry, you might try a touch less flour. A lot of cookies use both baking powder and baking soda for leavening…don’t know all the ins and outs, but it seems to work well!
I have been searching for the perfect sugar cookie recipe for year, probably close to 9 years. Our grocery store gives cookies out to the kids and they were always a massive sugar cookie. My kids could never finish them, so I would. These are sooo close.
What made them over the top for me, I did half brown sugar half white sugar, 5 ounces of each! Soooo good.
Thanks so much for your great recipes.
Followed the recipe, and loved the result. I will be adding these babies to my cookie rotation. The sprinkles make it so festive, but the plain batch came out truly yummy. Thanks so much for the post!
Yummy! I rolled out the dough into a long rectangle, sprinkled crushed peppermint all over, rolled up the dough, chopped off little pinwheels (cinnamon roll style) and baked as suggested. The cookies are super easy and super tasty. Thanks Mel!
That sounds amazing!
An easy, every day recipe that yields a flavorful, delicious cookie.
This recipe made my day, and will be baked in my kitchen soon! And you do get points for mother of the year, jaja, rolling and painting cutout cookies is so laborious!
I like this recipe because they are easy to make. The only thing is for me they don’t flatten out. They just puff up. Still yummy but they’re not as chewy, they are more caky. Not sire what I’m doing wrong I follow the recipe.
Hey Michelle – try adding a couple tablespoons less flour.
Fast and delicious. A good tasting, chewy cookie.
As a person who does NOT lean toward chocolate things — I bake chocolate chip cookie recipes sans chips (I know, I know) — I absolutely love a good chewy sugar cookie. I only had a favorite recipe for rolling/cutting, though so tried this right away. Oh my, even better than you described. I loved everything about them. BTW, I worried about spreading but did not want to chill dough so baked up 3 cookies to test. No spreading, 11 1/2 minutes in my oven, absolutely perfect. My husband who turns up his nose at sugar cookies loved them as well. Keeping this one for sure, thank you!!
Thanks, Julie!
I seem to be having a hard time getting my sprinkles to stick to the cookies, before baking them. Suggestions? Thank you!
Are you rolling the balls all at once and then rolling in sprinkles? If so, I’d recommend rolling a cookie dough ball and immediately rolling in sprinkles before rolling another cookie dough ball. The warmth of your hands will help the sprinkles stick but if the cookie dough balls sit for a little bit, they aren’t quite as sticky. Does that make sense?
It does, thank you.
This will be my first attempt at making sugar cookies. My children want to put Hershey Kisses in the middle. So do I do that when they are almost done cooking or do I do it before I put them in the oven? Thank you for the recipe!
I would probably do it right after they come out of the oven – the cookies are on the thinner side, so I don’t know how they’ll do with a hershey’s kiss – let me know how it goes!
Yahn
Saw them, made them, ate them. As easy as you said they would be and delicious. Noticed the recipe 20 minutes before the kids got out of school and by the time they walked home they were ready. I wasn’t even mad when they disappeared quickly because I hadn’t been slaving away in the kitchen for hours. Took your advice and upped the temp and they were perfect.
Yep, can’t be mad about that. 🙂
I made these yesterday and was quite pleased with the ease it came together and the pretty cookie it produced. Thank you for again sharing a winning recipe.
Thanks, Stacy!
I do not like crumbly, dry sugar cookies. I do not like sugar cookies that taste blah. I really, really, really do not like struggling with rolling/cutting/re-rolling/more cutting/icing glop of traditional sugar cookies to just get all of the above. You are a miracle worker and have introduced a sugar cookie to my repertoire that I will actually enjoy making *and* eating! These were fantastic when I made them yesterday and definitely rock star pretty enough to give away for Valentine’s Day. Thank you!!
P.S. I am at a higher elevation (almost 6000 feet) so I added about 2T extra of flour and used your tip of bumping the oven temperature a little bit (I baked at 365F) and they didn’t spread all over the place. Woohoo, another cookie fail averted!
Thank you, Ruth!! And thanks for including your high altitude adjustments!
Mel, you are an absolute Genius, and very funny too. When I make them, I shall return… Thank you so very much.
Me again! So I’ve come to adore the holy trinity of sugar cookie flavoring (aka vanilla, almond extract, and lemon extract/oil) from your other sugar cookie recipe!!!. I’ve even added a pinch of nutmeg. I can’t make sugar cookie or the frosting without that flavor combination of extracts. Totally takes the cookies to the holy moly level of yumminess! Have you tried it in this recipe?
These are so pretty rolled in sprinkles! I would’ve never thought of doing it!
I haven’t tried that, but I think this recipe would be really adaptable to those flavors!
Made these with the littles as an alternative to the traditional frosted sugar cookie. The kiddos had just as much fun rolling the balls in sprinkles as they have had frosting cookies in the past but there was 10x less mess with these. A win-win in my book! Thanks for recipe!
Yay, yay! So happy they were easy enough for momma and a hit with the kids!
this cookies are exactly what I wanted
These cookies are incredible. I just made them for a church potluck tonight and I have “tested” way too many. Thanks for all the great recipes Mel- you are my “go to” place for great recipes!! Happy Valentines Day!
Thanks so much, Nancy!
These are a keeper! As a sugar cookie lover (who hates rolling!) this is a treasure! Thank you for another great recipe!!
Thanks, Laurel!
Making them for a second time today! They’re that yummy! (this time I promise they’re not for me…at least most of them! )
Yum! Can’t wait to try them!
On a sweet-related sidenote, have you ever made rice pudding in the Instant Pot?
Yes!! It’s amazing (have you?); the one thing I need to perfect is preventing it from scorching as it seems to do that each time a little.
No, I haven’t tried it. I thought I would ask Mel, the expert, first to see if I should give it a try. 🙂 My husband loves rice pudding, Now I know to be on guard for possible scorching. Thanks!
Great taste and easy to make. When I saw these in my email this morning, I knew it would be the perfect treat for my family. I even had some red and white sprinkles in the pantry.
Happy you enjoyed them!
If those store-bought refrigerated sugar cookie disks (that, face it, all kids love) upped their game 100%, this would be their recipe. So easy, so crispy outside and chewy inside. This recipe has made the cut and will be added to my recipe box. In my oven, 350 degrees on convection bake for 10 minutes was perfect.
Haha, loved your comment, Karen. Thanks for letting me know what you think about the cookies! Glad you loved them!
Can these be made with Splenda as a replacement for the sugar?
I’m not sure – I haven’t tried that myself. Sorry!
This is what my mom would call a pantry recipe – meaning that we probably had everything in the house in case there was an ’emergency’ need for something sweet. It sounds fantastic!
Yes! I love that. Pantry recipe (and a good one at that!). 🙂
Quick, easy, SUPER yummy! Thanks for all you do, Mel. Happy Valentines to you and your family
Thanks, Lindsey – Happy Valentine’s to you, too!
I have a recipe for a chewy molasses cookie and I’ve been trying to figure out how to adapt it to make a plain sugar cookie. This may be it. I don’t know that I’ll try it today, but certainly some time this week.
Let me know what you think, Sally! This cookies IS very similar to the texture of those chewy molasses cookies!
The chewy molasses cookie recipe I have is an adaptation of Molasses Crinkles from an early 1950s Betty Crocker Cookbook. Instead of using your recipe, I used that recipe, omitted the molasses and spices, and ,based on your recipe, increased the butter from 3/4 cup to 1 cup. They didn’t get as many cracks on top as the molasses cookies, but they were great.
I also thought about replacing the molasses with corn syrup or Lyle’s Golden syrup, but didn’t have enough corn syrup. Lyle’s has suddenly become difficult to find. Maybe I’ll try that one day.
I usually don’t change baking recipes much — I don’t understand some of the science in baking (chemistry never was my strong suit). I’m a much more adventurous cook. I can’t comment on your recipe, but I’m more than satisfied with the results of what I did.
I was just thinking how I wanted to make sugar cookies today, but didn’t want to have to roll and cut them. Thank you Mel!
Hope you love them, Kerry!
I just made a batch fresh from the oven with Valentine sprinkles! They are amazing fresh from the oven. I can only imagine how they taste cooled.
So happy you loved them! Thanks for checking back in to let me know!
How did you know I needed a last minute Valentines cookie recipe today!?!? These look awesome – I can ‘t wait to try them!
I just made another batch because I needed a last minute Valentine’s treat, too, Kristen!
Mel! These look amazing! What are your thoughts on whipping up a little frosting and using it on top of these anyway? I mean, a good sugar cookie with some good frosting seems like an ideal combo, right? Or is there some reason that these really are best without frosting?
Yeah, I totally think you could do that. I DO think they are a bit sweeter than a lot of cutout sugar cookies, so it might be a little overkill, but hey, I’ve never been one to tell someone to NOT attempt frosting. 🙂
My husband really wanted sugar cookies for valentine’s day, and I wanted some to give to friends, so I made some last night. I have no idea what happened – I used my own tried and true recipe (as in, I’ve made the recipe hundreds of times) – but the dough was the weirdest and most terrible dough I’ve ever worked with. My husband lovingly ate the finished product, but there is no way those cookies are leaving the house with my name associated with them. (If my husband hadn’t come home as they were coming out of the oven I would have put them straight in the garbage and he wouldn’t have been any the wiser.) I’m not ready to make another batch of roll-out cookies after last night’s fail, but these look delicious and doable. THANK YOU for posting, I’ll whip up a batch of these to give to my neighbors today.
Oh, man! I hate it when that happens – how can tried-and-true recipes turn on you like that?? I hope these do the trick, Beth!
I LOVE that you give us all the GREAT recipes! They don’t have to be fancy! I know I will always love the stuff you post. I make your stuff all the time (and for years!) and have never let you know how much I appreciate your site! So thank you for doing what you do! 🙂
Thank you so much, Lynne!
Thanks Mel! I was going to make my cut out cookies for my elderly clients but kind of forgot and haven’t had time amidst my caregiving. This cookie is the answer. You saved the day. I’m going to whip some up now. At least I remembered to buy my butter yesterday. Sometimes I think I should be my own client.
🙂
They were scrumptious. My clients loved them as well as my neighbors. I kind of ate a few too many myself
Thanks for the update! Glad they were a hit!
Chewy cookies are my favorite and these look easy and yummy! If the dough is chilled first it should help with any spreading, right?
Yes, you can definitely chill the dough first (but as written, the cookies shouldn’t overly spread unless you are at high elevation or the butter is too soft or something like that).
Hmm, I came here this morning to get your bar sugar cookie recipe (because I hate rolling and cutting). Now I’m torn!
You can’t go wrong with either of those options, Jackie!
Perfect recipe for today! Thanks, Mel! These just might save me later ;). Happy Valentine’s Day!
Happy Valentine’s Day, Amy!