Sugar Cookie Recipe
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Sep 28, 2026 
I’ve tested and tasted a LOT of sugar cookies over the years, and this is hands down my favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe! I use pantry staples like butter, sugar, flour, and good quality vanilla, plus a few baking tricks, to give these cookies their signature light and pillowy texture and incredible flavor. They are a tried-and-true classic dessert that’s perfect for the holidays.
There’s something spectacular about a simple, yet perfect, soft sugar cookie. Today, I’m going to show you how to make sugar cookies that will make your head spin. I bake my best sugar cookies recipe for holidays and parties regularly, and have used this recipe as a base for all sorts of sugar cookie variations, like my brown butter cookies. (I’ll share more options below!) I’ve been asked for this sugar cookie recipe more times than I can count, always with a statement like, “These are just sugar cookies, right? OMGeeeeee. I’ve got to have the recipe.” I found the base recipe, at least two decades ago, in an old version of Cook’s Illustrated’s Best Recipe Cookbook. Over the years, I’ve tweaked it, so that now I have the absolute best soft sugar cookie recipe around.
Sally – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I have made a lot of sugar cookie recipes over the years and this is THE best! My family absolutely loved them! I made the dough, wrapped tightly in plastic and set in the fridge until the next morning because I was baking 16 dozen for a graduation party. Make sure you let the dough set out for an hour to make it easier to handle. I used a cookie scoop, rolled into a ball and into colored sugar, flattened slightly with the palm of my hand and baked. They were big, beautiful cookies. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Table of Contents
Sommer’s Recipe Highlights
These cookies put all other sugar cookies to shame. Friends, this is the end-all of sugar cookie recipes. Better than your mom’s. Better than your grandma’s, may she rest in peace. Better than that fancy bakery down the street. And sure as heck, better than any grocery store sugar cookies you’ve ever tasted. Here’s why I love them so much…
The perfect texture – This is what really sets my sugar cookies apart! They’re light and pillowy in the center, with delicately crisp edges and a sparkly sugar-crusted exterior. Rolling the dough in sugar before baking gives every cookie that little bit of crunch before you hit the soft, buttery middle.
Simple ingredients, BIG flavor – There are no hard-to-find ingredients hiding in this recipe, just basic baking staples like flour, butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. The secret is in the proportions and technique. Plenty of good-quality vanilla, the right amount of salt, and properly creamed butter and sugar turn a very simple cookie into something that tastes special. (Also try my super simple cool whip cookies!)
Tested, trusted, and seriously loved – I’ve been making and tweaking this recipe for decades, and it’s become one of those recipes I’m asked for again and again. It’s also one of the most heavily reviewed recipes here on A Spicy Perspective, with more than 400 ratings and a 4.89-star average. (PS, that’s REALLY high for baked goods, which have a higher risk of failure than stovetop recipes!) When I need a dependable cookie for holidays, parties, or just because, this is the recipe I come back to.
Key Ingredients You Need
- All-purpose flour – As with my oatmeal raisin cookies, I use classic all-purpose flour, measuring it carefully before sifting it into the bowl. Proper measuring is especially important with cookies because too much flour can make them dense and prevent them from spreading properly. Always stir in the bag/container, spoon into measuring cups, and level the top.
- Baking powder – This is the main leavening ingredient that gives the cookies a little lift and helps create the light texture.
- Fine sea salt – A little salt balances the sweetness and brings out the buttery vanilla flavor. Fine sea salt is my preference, but regular table salt will also work.
- Unsalted butter – I use unsalted butter so I have complete control over the amount of salt in the dough. Make sure to soften it so it creams beautifully with the sugar and creates a light, fluffy base.
- Granulated sugar – I use sugar in two places… Plenty in the cookie dough for sweetness and a little extra for rolling the dough balls before baking. That final coating gives the outside of the cookies a delicate sugary finish.
- Large eggs – Eggs bind the dough together while adding moisture and structure. I prefer room-temperature eggs because they incorporate more smoothly into the creamed butter mixture.
- Pure vanilla extract – Good-quality vanilla adds wonderful depth and gives these simple cookies their classic flavor. For a slightly different twist, I sometimes use half vanilla extract and half almond extract. The almond adds a lovely bakery-style flavor without overpowering the cookies.
How To Make
Find the full recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, and video tutorial in the printable recipe form at the bottom of the post.
Prep the oven – First, I preheat the oven to 375°F and line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Then I whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl, so the leavening and salt are evenly distributed throughout the flour.
Cream the butter and sugar – Next, I add the softened butter and sugar to the bowl of my electric mixer and beat them together on high for a full 3-5 minutes, until the mixture is noticeably light and fluffy. Don’t skimp on the time here! Properly creaming the butter and sugar breaks down the sugar crystals, incorporates air into the dough, and is one of the secrets to that light, pillowy cookie texture. Then I turn the mixer to low, add the eggs and vanilla, and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Finish the dough – With the mixer running on low, I slowly add the flour mixture. Once it’s incorporated, I scrape the bowl again and mix for another 30 seconds, just until the dough is smooth. I don’t want to overmix at this point, or the cookies can lose some of their tender texture.
Shape and sugar the cookies – I pour some additional granulated sugar into a shallow bowl. Then I scoop the dough and gently roll it into 1-inch balls. The dough should feel soft and delicate, so I try not to over-handle it. I roll each ball in sugar until it’s completely coated and arrange them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Give them a gentle press – Using the flat bottom of a drinking glass, I gently press each dough ball down until it’s about ⅓ – ½ inch thick. Keeping the cookies uniform in thickness helps them bake evenly and gives me those perfectly crisp edges and soft centers.
Bake until JUST set – I bake each sheet for 9-11 minutes, until the edges are only slightly golden and the centers are just barely set. This is important: don’t wait for the centers to look fully baked! They’ll continue setting on the hot baking sheets as they cool, and pulling them at just the right moment is what keeps the centers soft and pillowy.
Cool on the baking sheets – Finally, I let the sugar cookies cool completely right on the baking sheets. This gives their delicate centers time to set without overbaking them in the oven. Once cooled, they have that irresistible combination of lightly crisp edges, a glistening exterior, and a tender middle.
Expert Tips
- Perfect sugar cookies should always have equal parts butter and sugar. The butter and sugar should be creamed together (beaten on high) until the butter is lighter in color and ultra-soft and fluffy. You should be able to tell that the sugar crystals have broken down into the butter because the mixture will no longer look granular. This usually takes several minutes to achieve.
- For extra light and delicate sugar cookies, sift your dry ingredients. Measure first, then sift.
- You need to use a generous amount of good-quality sea salt and pure vanilla extract to bring out the best flavor in the sugar cookie dough.
- Do not over-beat the cookie dough. Stay by your stand mixer and think gentle thoughts.
- Roll the dough into balls, coat the cookie dough balls in extra sugar, and press the tops flat with the bottom of a drinking glass. This creates a crispy, glistening exterior and a uniform shape.
- Do not over-bake. The moment the edges start to look remotely golden, take the cookies out of the oven and let them cool.
Easy Sugar Cookie Icing (Optional)
These chewy sugar cookies are marvelous with glaze and sprinkles. You can add gel food coloring to bake in fun colors.
This is my favorite BOURBON ICING: Once the cookies are cool, whisk 1 tablespoon of heavy cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon bourbon together. Then whisk in 1 cup powdered sugar until smooth. Dip the face of each cookie into the glaze. Allow the excess to drip off, then place them back on the parchment paper to dry.
PS – If you’re not interested in the bourbon, but still want the icing, swap it with extra cream or another extract to create a custom flavor!
Storage
Store the cookies in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to a week.
You can store the cookies and/or the dough in the freezer for later use. Keep the unbaked dough or baked cookies without any frosting in the freezer for up to 3 months, as long as it is contained in an airtight container. If you want to freeze baked cookies, separate them with layers of parchment paper so they don’t stick together. Then, you can thaw them in the fridge or at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are five things that can cause flat cookies…
Your oven thermostat is faulty. This is a very common baking issue. To fix it, purchase a hanging oven thermometer to hang off the center oven rack. Then you can adjust your oven temperature accordingly. (You can usually find a calibration video on YouTube for your oven model.)
You did not use parchment paper. Parchment paper is a magical baking tool that helps cookies avoid burning on the bottom, prevents them from spreading too thin, and ensures a consistent bake. Don’t skip the parchment!
You used melted butter instead of softened butter. Yes, it does matter. When butter is melted, as opposed to softened, it has a different chemical reaction in the oven. Softened butter that is creamed well with sugar will cause cookies to rise before spreading. Melted butter creates a denser, chewier cookie.
You mismeasured your flour. In the United States, most bakers don’t weigh their ingredients. Therefore, it’s easy to mismeasure things like flour, which can be sifted or packed into cups. To ensure the best results, when measuring flour, stir the flour in the bag to lift and lighten it. Then scoop the flour and use the flat edge of a knife to level the top.
Your leavening agents are old. Baking powder and baking soda can lose their lifting power over time. I suggest buying new ones at the beginning of the baking season, even if the old ones aren’t past their expiration date.
This goes back to mis-measuring flour. Most likely, your flour was packed too tightly into the measuring cups, so there is too much flour in the recipe.
Yes! I’ve made this recipe with several brands of 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour, with great success.
The texture is slightly different. Yet the cookies are still light, soft in the middle, and crispy around the edges.
My sugar cookies recipe is not a roll-out recipe for cookie cutters. It’s just too darn delicate for that.
If you’re looking for a roll-and-cut cookie recipe, use our Cut Out Cookies with Sugar Cookie Icing recipe. The extra egg yolk and flour make the cookies slightly sturdier, allowing them to withstand the abuse of cutting and decorating. You can also try my 3D Christmas Cookies recipe.
Yes, there are a few options… Try using vegan or plant-based butter, vegetable shortening, or margarine instead of unsalted (dairy) butter.
You can use any sugar substitute, as long as it is measured in a 1-to-1 ratio with granulated sugar.
Help Me Spread the Word about this Fabulous Free Recipe! Sharing this recipe link on Pinterest and Facebook is super impactful, and I greatly appreciate it! Find the share buttons below the recipe form.
More Homemade Cookies You Will Love
Sugar Cookie Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, measured then sifted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened (1 1/2 cups)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar + extra for rolling
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Place the softened butter and sugar in the bowl of your electric mixer. Cream the butter and sugar together on high until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. (Don't skimp on the time here.) Then turn the mixer on low and add the eggs and vanilla extract. Scrape the bowl.
- With the mixer running on low, slowly add the flour mixture. Scrape the bowl and beat again for 30 seconds.
- Pour some extra sugar into a bowl to coat the cookies. Scoop the dough out and roll into 1-inch balls. The dough should be soft and delicate – don't over-handle. Shake each ball in the sugar bowl to coat, then place on the cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Use the bottom of a drinking glass to press down on each ball, until it's 1/3- to 1/2-inch thick.
- Bake each sheet of sugar cookies for 9-11 minutes, until the edges are slightly golden and the centers are just barely set. Cool completely on the cookie sheets.
Best sugar cookies I’ve tried. Light and airy but with a rich butter flavor.
Hi Brent,
Thank you so much for the five-star rating on the sugar cookie! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a five-star review.
It was delicious, my family loved it but my mother does not like sweet things so I reuced the sugar and even that was delicious.
Thank you for sending the recipe.
Hi Nia, thank you so much! I’m so happy your family loved these, and that reducing the sugar still worked out well for your mother. I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review.
The texture turned out great but honestly they were too salty for me. I would probably half the salt in the recipe personally.
I have made a lot of sugar cookie recipes over the years and this is THE best! My family absolutely loved them! I made the dough, wrapped tightly in plastic and set in the fridge until the next morning because I was baking 16 dozen for a graduation party. Make sure you let the dough set out for an hour to make it easier to handle. I used a cookie scoop, rolled into a ball and into colored sugar, flattened slightly with the palm of my hand and baked. They were big, beautiful cookies. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Hi Sally, thank you so much! I’m thrilled these were such a hit with your family, and I love your make-ahead tip for a big event like that. Your review helps other readers know this recipe is a keeper.
10/10 sugar cookie recipe!! Would definitely recommend chilling it for about 10 – 15 minutes before rolling and putting them on the pan, they are easier to handle and roll that way, also comes out a lot cleaner and prettier out of the oven.
As a very experienced baker, including time spent as a professional baker, I followed this recipe exactly as written, and while the cookies are absolutely delicious, they came out crisp rather than soft. Looking at the formula, that result makes sense. The high butter content combined with all granulated sugar encourages spread and crispness, not softness. There’s also nothing in the recipe to retain moisture or create a tender texture, such as brown sugar or other softening elements.
This isn’t a technique issue, it’s how the recipe is structured. So if you’re expecting a very soft sugar cookie, this may be misleading. That said, if you’re okay with a crisp, buttery cookie, the flavor is excellent.
Really? Mine turned out pretty much perfect. Slightly crispy on the outside and super soft on the inside. I’m not a professional, but I do bake a lot, and had no issues at all.
Can I use Crisco for dairy free
Hi Lisa,
You can! This will make the cookies a little fluffier than shown in the image, but they will still taste delicious. Especially if you use butter flavored shortening.
I followed the recipe exactly, using gluten-free flour. the cookies spread out thin, and turned med–‐dark brown on the edges. I added a bit more flour, but not much improvement.
I cooled the dough some more, and only a slight improvement.
Help
Hi Beverly,
I’m sorry that happened! It sounds like your oven runs a little too hot. I would buy a hanging oven thermometer to get a better read on the temperature, then recalibrate your oven. You can find a video tutorial for most oven make/models on YouTube. I hope this helps!