These easy cut out sugar cookies need just 7 pantry ingredients and a short chill, and they come out with crisp golden edges and a tender bite.
The dough rolls out smoothly after a 30 minute rest, holds sharp edges, and bakes in 8 to 10 minutes. The recipe makes about 24 cookies, and the whole process takes about 2 hours, including chilling and cooling. They are plain by design, which makes them a blank canvas for icing, sprinkles, or colored sugar.
Table of Contents
Why This Easy Cut Out Sugar Cookies Recipe Works
The ratio is a classic one: 3/4 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, and 2 1/2 cups flour. It makes a dough sturdy enough to cut but tender enough to bite, and it needs no cream of tartar or other special ingredients.
A short 30 minute chill is the key step. It lets the flour absorb moisture and firms up the butter, so the cut shapes keep their outlines in the oven instead of puffing into blobs.
Rolling to 1/4 inch gives a cookie with a soft center and lightly crisp edges. Thinner cookies bake faster and turn crisp, so keep the thickness even across the whole sheet of dough.
Ingredients for Easy Cut Out Sugar Cookies
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Butter: Softened butter should hold a fingerprint but not look shiny or greasy.
Eggs: Add the eggs one at a time and mix fully after each so the dough stays smooth.
Flour: Spoon it into the cup and level it off. Too much flour is the most common reason cut out cookies turn out dry.
Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract gives a rounder flavor than imitation vanilla.
How to Make Easy Cut Out Sugar Cookies
1. Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk 2 1/2 cups of flour, the baking powder, and the salt in a medium bowl.
2. Cream the butter and sugar. Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes until pale and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
4. Make the dough. On low speed, add the dry ingredients a little at a time until the dough forms a soft ball.
5. Chill. Flatten the dough into 2 disks, wrap them, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6. Roll and cut. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Roll one disk on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick, cut shapes, and move them to the pan.
7. Bake. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the edges are light golden. Let the cookies rest on the pan for 5 minutes, then cool them on a rack.
How to Serve Easy Cut Out Sugar Cookies
Decorate the cooled cookies with royal icing, buttercream, or a simple glaze of powdered sugar and milk, or leave them plain with a sprinkle of coarse sugar. They look lovely on a cookie tray beside soft Christmas cookies and madeleine cookies, and they round out a brunch table with cinnamon streusel coffee cake or a pan of fudgy chocolate chunk brownies.
How to Store and Reheat Easy Cut Out Sugar Cookies
Store plain cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Freeze baked, undecorated cookies for up to 3 months and thaw them at room temperature. Once decorated, let the icing dry completely before stacking the cookies with parchment between layers.
Tips and Variations for Easy Cut Out Sugar Cookies
Chill the dough. Thirty minutes is enough to keep shapes sharp, and an hour is fine if you are busy.
Roll between parchment. Rolling the dough between two sheets of parchment cuts down on extra flour.
Use even thickness. Roll to 1/4 inch so every cookie bakes at the same rate.
Flour the cutters. Dip each cutter in flour and tap off the excess to get clean edges.
Re-roll once. Gather the scraps, press them together, and re-roll just once to keep the cookies tender.
Bake one sheet at a time. The middle rack gives the most even color.
Keep the pan cool. Place dough on cool pans so the butter does not soften before baking.
Skip the raw dough. The dough contains raw egg and flour, and Ohio State University Extension explains why it should not be eaten.
Frequently Asked Questions About Easy Cut Out Sugar Cookies
How do I get easy cut out sugar cookies to keep their shape?
Chill the dough for 30 minutes, roll it to an even 1/4 inch, and cut the shapes while the dough is cold.
Do easy cut out sugar cookies need to be chilled?
Yes. A 30 minute chill firms the butter and keeps the cookies from spreading.
Can I make easy cut out sugar cookies ahead of time?
Yes. Wrap the dough disks and refrigerate them for up to 2 days, or bake the cookies and freeze them for up to 3 months.
Why did my cookies turn out hard?
Too much flour or overbaking is the usual cause. Spoon and level the flour and pull the cookies when the edges are just golden.
What can I use to decorate them?
Royal icing, buttercream, powdered sugar glaze, or sprinkles all work. Wait until the cookies are fully cool before decorating.
Easy Cut Out Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Rolling Pin
- Cookie cutters
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour plus more for rolling
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Cooking
- Whisk. Stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.
- Cream. Beat 3/4 cup butter with the sugar on medium for 3 minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Add eggs. Mix in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
- Combine. Add the dry mixture gradually on low speed until a soft ball of dough forms.
- Rest. Divide into 2 flat disks, wrap, and chill 30 minutes.
- Roll and cut. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Roll a disk to 1/4 inch on a floured surface, cut shapes, and place on a lined baking sheet.
- Bake. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until the edges turn light golden. Rest 5 minutes, then cool on a rack before decorating.
