Best Cut-Out Sugar Cookie Recipe
, Updated Nov 28, 2025
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The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe! Perfect cut out sugar cookies that keep their shape and you don’t even have to chill the dough. Use this recipe to bake Christmas sugar cookies with the children and have fun icing them!
Turn these into Stained Glass Cookies this Christmas!
If you’ve been hunting for a cut out sugar cookie recipe that actually holds its shape, doesn’t need chilling and still tastes amazing, this is the one. These classic vanilla sugar cookies bake up with neat edges, a tender bite and just enough sweetness to stand up to icing and sprinkles without being cloying.
This is the dough I come back to every single holiday season. It’s sturdy enough for Christmas sugar cookies, pretty snowflakes, Easter bunnies and birthday numbers, but still soft and buttery when you bite into them. You can roll it quite thin for crisp cookies that snap, or a little thicker for softer, bakery-style sugar cookies – it’s very forgiving either way.
The best part? There’s no chilling required. As long as your butter is at the right temperature and you measure the flour correctly, you can go straight from mixing the dough to rolling, cutting and baking. That makes this recipe perfect for last-minute baking sessions and decorating days with kids when nobody wants to wait for dough to firm up in the fridge.
Once you’ve got a batch of these cooling on the rack, the fun really starts: pipe with royal icing, dip in a simple glaze, add sanding sugar or go all out with sprinkles. Use this one base dough for everything from simple everyday sugar cookies to fully decorated showpieces for cookie boxes and gift tins.
Here’s What You’ll Need
Sugar cookies need just a handful of everyday pantry ingredients – butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, flour and baking powder. Depending on how long you bake them, you can go softer and pale or a little crisper and golden around the edges.
- Unsalted butter – softened to cool room temperature so your finger leaves an indent when pressed, but not so soft that it’s greasy or melting. This gives the cookies a lovely buttery flavor and tender texture.
- Sugar – granulated or caster sugar both work.
- Vanilla – vanilla bean paste gives the best flavor, but vanilla extract is absolutely fine.
- Egg – binds the dough together and adds just enough richness.
- All-purpose (plain) flour – the base of your dough. Measure accurately, ideally with a digital scale, so the dough is just right – not sticky or dry.
- Baking powder – gives the cookies a little lift. Make sure it’s fresh.
- Salt – just enough to balance the sweetness and bring out the vanilla.
How to Make Sugar Cookies, Step-by-Step
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
- Put the butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Cream the butter and sugar for at least three minutes, stopping halfway to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add the egg and beat until incorporated.
- Gradually add the flour, beating it in until the dough comes together. The dough might look a bit crumbly / stiff when all flour has been added, but you will finish off by kneading by hand.
- Turn the dough out onto your worktop and use your hands to gently knead the dough until you have a pliable, non sticky, cookie dough the consistency of Play Doh.
- Divide the dough into three chunks, keeping any dough you are not using covered with plastic wrap to keep from drying out. Lightly dust your liner or baking parchment with a little flour. Use your rolling pin thickness rings to roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick.
- Cut out the cookies using your favorite cookie cutters. Transfer the liner (or paper) onto a heavy baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough, gathering and using any scraps and bake the cookies in batches.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes for smaller cookies and 9-11 minutes for slightly larger ones. The cookies can be baked less time for softer texture and a little longer for a crisper texture. Leave the cookies on the baking tray for a minute after you take out of the oven and use a spatula to transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to Decorate Sugar Cookies
You’ve got a few options, depending on how much time and patience you have:
- Sprinkles and sanding sugar – sprinkle over wet icing so they stick, then let dry completely before storing.
- Royal icing – made with egg whites (or meringue powder), powdered sugar and a little vanilla. It’s ideal for piping outlines and details and can be thinned to flood (fill) the cookies. Once dry, it sets hard and glossy and travels well.
- Simple powdered sugar glaze – quick and fuss-free. Just mix powdered sugar with a little water or lemon juice until you have a drizzleable icing. Great for dipping or drizzling and adding sprinkles on top.
- Melted chocolate – drizzle over cooled cookies, or dip half of each cookie in chocolate and add sprinkles.
Storing and Freezing
- Room temperature – once completely cool and (if using icing) once fully dry, store the cookies in an airtight tin or container for up to 1 week. Moisture will soften them over time, so keep them away from steam and humidity.
- Freezing unbaked dough – you can freeze discs of dough well wrapped in plastic and then in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then let it soften slightly before rolling.
- Freezing cookies – plain, undecorated cookies freeze well. Cool completely, layer with parchment in an airtight container and freeze for up to 2–3 months. Thaw at room temp, then decorate.
- Freezing decorated cookies – royal-iced cookies usually freeze fine once the icing is completely dry; glaze-iced cookies are a little more delicate and may lose some shine.
Tips for perfect cut out cookies
- Use room temperature ingredients – soft butter and room temperature egg help the dough emulsify properly and prevent it from splitting.
- Measure flour accurately – too much flour = dry, crumbly dough. If you’re using cups, fluff the flour, spoon it into the cup and level it off with a knife.
- Use rolling pin guides – rolling to an even thickness keeps the cookies baking evenly so some don’t burn before others are done.
- Rotate the trays – every oven has hot spots. If you notice one side browning faster, rotate the tray halfway through.
- Don’t overbake – the cookies firm up as they cool. Take them out when the centers still look pale and the edges are just turning light golden unless you specifically want a crisper cookie.
- Work quickly once rolled – try not to handle the dough too much once it’s rolled out; re-roll scraps gently so you don’t overwork the gluten.
Your Questions Answered
No chilling needed! This dough is designed to hold its shape without refrigeration as long as your butter isn’t overly soft and you’ve measured the flour correctly. If your kitchen is very warm and the dough feels sticky, you can chill it briefly, but it isn’t essential.
Roll the dough slightly thicker and bake for the shorter end of the baking time (6–8 minutes for small shapes). The cookies should look pale and set but not golden. Let them cool on the tray for a minute, then move carefully to a rack – they’ll firm up as they cool.
Yes. Even though this is a no-chill recipe, you can make the dough up to 2 days ahead, wrap tightly and refrigerate. Let it sit at room temperature until just soft enough to roll, then proceed as normal.
Yes. Cut out large shapes, then use a smaller cutter to remove the centers. Place the cookies on a lined tray, fill the cut-outs with crushed hard candies (like Jolly Ranchers) and bake. The candy melts into a “stained glass” center as the cookies bake.
Absolutely. You can replace part of the vanilla with almond extract, lemon extract or another flavor you like. Just don’t add too much – stronger extracts can quickly overpower the dough.
🌟 Want to create a stunning Christmas cookie platter this year? Pair your sugar cookies with German Lebkuchen, Greek Melomakarona, Belgian Speculoos and classic Gingerbread Cookies!
HAVE YOU MADE MY SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE? Please leave a rating, post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes and make my day!
Best Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 3 cups (375g) flour all purpose / plain + more for dusting and rolling
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter , softened
- 1 cup (200g) sugar , granulated or caster
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
For the Royal icing
- 3 large egg whites ⅓ cup / 80ml
- 4 cups (480g) powdered sugar (icing sugar)
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract optional
- lemon juice or water to thin the icing as needed
For a simple glaze
- 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar (icing sugar)
- 2 tbsp water or as much as needed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract optional
Instructions
Make the cookie dough
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.3 cups (375g) flour, 2 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp salt
- Put the butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Cream together for at least three minutes, stopping halfway to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200g) sugar, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- Add the egg and beat until incorporated.1 large egg
- Gradually add the flour, a little at a time, mixing it in until the dough comes together. You can mix in the last of the flour using your hands if needed.
- Turn the dough out onto your worktop and use your hands to gently knead the dough until you have a pliable, non sticky, cookie dough the consistency of Play Doh.
- Divide the dough into three chunks, keeping any dough you are not using covered with plastic wrap to keep from drying out.
Roll out dough and cut out cookies
- Lightly dust your liner or baking parchment with a little flour. Use your rolling pin with ¼ inch rings to roll out the dough.
- Cut out the cookies and transfer the liner (or paper) onto a heavy baking sheet, spacing the cookies slightly apart. Repeat with the rest of the dough, gathering and using any scraps and bake the cookies in batches.
Bake the Cookies
- Bake for 6-8 minutes for smaller cookies and 9-11 minutes for slightly larger ones. The cookies can be baked less time for softer texture and a little longer for a crisper texture.
- Carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool while you bake the remaining cookies.
Option 1: Royal Icing
- Put the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of your stand mixer. Start whisking on low speed until frothy.3 large egg whites , ½ tsp cream of tartar
- Increase the speed and once the egg whites form soft peaks, start adding the sugar a tablespoon at a time. Continue to whisk until the icing drops slowly off a spoon. Always keep the royal icing covered otherwise it will quickly dry out.4 cups (480g) powdered sugar
- If the icing is too thin you can add more icing sugar. If too thick, thin it with a little water or lemon juice.lemon juice or water
Decorate the cookies
- Put the royal icing in a piping bag and snip a very small hole at the tip (or use a silicone bottle as I have done).
- If you wish to fill (flood) the cookies, thin half of the icing with a little water and use it to fill an outlined cookie – pushing the icing to the edges using a toothpick. Leave to dry completely at room temperature.
Option 2: Simple glaze
- Put the icing sugar in a bowl and gradually add enough water until you have a thick glaze that drops slowly off a spoon. Stir in the vanilla if using.1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar, 2 tbsp water, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Dip the cookies into the glaze to ice or drizzle it over them. Add any sprinkles while the glaze is still wet.
Notes
- Room temperature – once completely cool and (if using icing) once fully dry, store the cookies in an airtight tin or container for up to 1 week. Moisture will soften them over time, so keep them away from steam and humidity.
- Freezing unbaked dough – you can freeze discs of dough well wrapped in plastic and then in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then let it soften slightly before rolling.
- Freezing cookies – plain, undecorated cookies freeze well. Cool completely, layer with parchment in an airtight container and freeze for up to 2–3 months. Thaw at room temp, then decorate.
- Freezing decorated cookies – royal-iced cookies usually freeze fine once the icing is completely dry; glaze-iced cookies are a little more delicate and may lose some shine.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
Good morning. I’m a non-baker who wishes to try this recipe. Question: what is a rolling pin with ¼ inch rings? Can I use a conventional wood pin?
Thank you
Hi David, its a conventional rolling pin that has spacer rings at the end such as this one https://geni.us/MD5hBYn
Hello! I made this recipe last night, and I had a problem with my dough being very crumbly and dry. The cookies tasted amazing, though. Is there something I can add to the dough if it ends up feeling to dry again?
Maybe add a little less flour or a tablespoon of milk if it really feels dry. Work the last bit of flour in with your hands to get a feel for the dough 😘