October 23, 2023
Review RecipeSoft Sugar Cookies
This is the best soft sugar cookie recipe we’ve ever tried and results in delicious cookies with the perfect texture and a fantastic flavor.
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Table of Contents
These chewy soft sugar cookies with frosting are a classic recipe you will love adding to your cookie jar. Made with simple pantry staples, you will be rewarded with a delicious treat that will melt in your mouth.
Soft Sugar Cookies Ingredients
You’ll need:
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- Lofthouse frosting and sprinkles (optional)
SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS
COATING: You can also roll the cookies in a little bit of granulated sugar for a little crisp around the outside. This will change the texture of these chewy cookies just a bit.
How to Make This Soft Sugar Cookies Recipe
OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS
For best results, make sure to use room temperature butter and eggs for this recipe.
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside.
STEP TWO: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set dry ingredients aside.
STEP THREE: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy (about 1 minute).
PRO TIP:
Creaming the ingredients as instructed is important to achieve the right texture for the cookie. The dough will turn visibly lighter in color as it creams together.
STEP FOUR: Add vanilla and almond extracts, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat until well combined.
STEP FIVE: Add the egg and egg yolk. Beat for 3 to 4 minutes on high speed, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl occasionally to fully cream the wet ingredients.
STEP SIX: Add ½ of the flour mixture and beat in on low speed just until combined. Add the other half of the flour mixture and beat in until combined. Do not overbeat.
PRO TIP:
The sugar cookie dough does not need to be chilled. Cookies will spread less if the dough is chilled, but you will still achieve a nice soft, chewy texture. Cook time may need to be adjusted.
STEP SEVEN: Use a cookie scoop to scoop 2½ tablespoon-size balls of dough. Roll between your fingertips to form smooth balls. Place balls on a prepared baking sheet spaced 2 inches apart. Press down the center of the ball just slightly.
PRO TIP:
Pressing down the cookie dough balls isn’t necessary, but it helps them to spread more evenly. I would especially recommend this if your dough is cold.
STEP EIGHT: Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until cookies have just a hint of brown around the bottom edges and are set on top. Allow to cool for 3 to 4 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
PRO TIP:
Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your cookies at the lower end of the recommended bake time.
STEP NINE: Frost cooled cookies and garnish with sprinkles if desired.
How To Serve
Serve these soft cookies with a warm mug of hot chocolate or a pumpkin spice latte for an evening snack. You could also add them to a tray along with our spritz cookies and shortbread cookies.
For more classic recipes for delicious sugar cookies, our lemon sugar cookies and swig sugar cookie recipe are two of our favorites.
MORE COOKIE RECIPES
Storage
ON THE COUNTER: Store the unfrosted cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
IN THE FREEZER: You can also freeze these soft, chewy sugar cookies for up to 3 months.
This delicious cookie recipe creates super soft cookies with a nice bit of chew to them. Change the color of icing depending on the time of year, and add them to your cookie jar for a fun and sweet snack.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the best way to transport homemade sugar cookies, so they stay looking nice?
Store and transport these soft frosted sugar cookies in a single layer so that the icing and sprinkles don’t get flattened.
Does sugar cookie dough need to be chilled?
Chilling this soft sugar cookie dough is optional, and they will turn out perfectly even if the dough has not been chilled.
Can I freeze these cookies?
You can freeze easy sugar cookie recipe stored in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
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- Pumpkin Roll
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- Peppermint Snowball Cookies
- Rocky Road Cookies
- Sugar Cookie Icing
- Lemon Raspberry Cookies
- Disney Cookie Fries
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Soft Sugar Cookies
This is the best soft sugar cookie recipe we’ve ever tried and results in delicious cookies with the perfect texture and a fantastic flavor.
Prep Time 8 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 16 minutes
Servings 24
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk
- Lofthouse frosting and sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy (about 1 minute).
- Add vanilla and almond extracts, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in until well combined.
- Add the egg and egg yolk. Beat for 3 to 4 minutes on high speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally to fully cream the wet ingredients.
- Add ½ of the flour mixture and beat in on low speed just until combined. Add the other half of the flour mixture and beat in until combined. Do not overbeat.
- Scoop 2½ tablespoon size balls of cookie dough. Roll between your fingertips to form smooth balls. Place balls on prepared sheet pans spaced 2 inches apart. Press down the center of the ball just slightly.
- Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until cookies have just a hint of brown around the bottom edges and are set on top. Allow to cool for 3 to 4 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Frost cooled cookies and garnish with sprinkles if desired.
Notes
- For best results, make sure to use room temperature butter and eggs for this recipe.
- Creaming the ingredients as instructed is important to achieve the right texture for the cookie. The dough will turn visibly lighter in color as it creams together.
- The sugar cookie dough does not need to be chilled. Cookies will spread less if the dough is chilled, but you will still achieve a nice soft, chewy texture. Cook time may need to be adjusted.
- Pressing down the cookie dough balls isn’t necessary, but it helps them to spread more evenly. I would especially recommend this if your dough is cold.
- Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your cookies at the lower end of the recommended bake time.
Nutrition
Calories: 171kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 89mg | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 258IU | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg
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Comments
Jordan harrison says
I love and prefer soft cookies and I added purple frosting with yellow sprinkles and a ball of chocolate frosting on the top ❤️❤️😘 it was amazing 🤩 can’t wait for more recipes
Dianne Bellaire says
Love the soft cookies! This recipes is the best!
Don Phillips says
I have never baked a sugar cookie but will try this recipe.
Amy Remington says
I bake a lot. But for some reason I’ve never made sugar cookies.
Carol Loveless says
I love sugar cookies..
Dina Bushrod says
Your recipe sounds delicious
Like soft sugar cookies
I use coloured sugar sprinkles, as well as various candy toppings
Bake and serve whenever kids want ad well as on Easter and Xmas
Shawna says
When do you like to serve homemade sugar cookies?
I love sugar cookies. I like to serve them with a warm chai latte. It makes a perfect after dinner treat. I tend to prefer soft cookies that have a little crunch on the edges.
Missy Smith says
I like to make and eat sugar cookies just warm out of the oven. No dressing it up.
Jennifer Haynes says
I am so excited to try this recipe. We love soft sugar cookies with the frosting and sprinkles. It’s going to be a huge hit!
Suzette Holmes says
I like the soft baked sugar cookies, like to use lavender and teal colored frosting and for the sprinkles I use the colorful sprinkles it makes them pop with color.Yes I would love to try chocolate on my sugar cookies 🍪!!!!
Lori Lucas says
Looks great.. Can’t wait to make! I love alltypes.. Crisp or soft.. Love with spring olds and at holiday time.. Cherries on top!
Jennifer-anne Creekmore says
These look delicious and soft just like I like my sugar cookies!
Lori Pennington says
We love sugar cookies especially around the holidays…..we like making ours soft we roll them in sugar and bake them…..they are delicious
Christine says
Soft sugar cookies are my jam! These look amazing 🤩
Carla Tipton says
My all time favorite sugar cookie!! I have to be careful when I bake them because I want to eat them all!! No kidding! I always hide a few from my family like a hidden treasure ❤️ Thanks for sharing your. recipes with all of us. CJ
Shaunda Snider says
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I definitely prefer soft sugar cookies.
Linda S says
I have never had Soft Sugar Cookies, however, am willing to give these a try. There is no specific time, Season or festivity in our household for Sugar Cookies. We enjoy them any time of the year.
Gail Gehly says
Yes I have made sugar cookies before but will definitely try this recipe as all your recipes are great
Cheryl Gainey says
These look awesome! I make these around Christmas time. Love the idea of dipping them in chocolate. I usually just put regular sugar on them instead of sprinkles. That is how I like them but, my grandkids like the sprinkles.
Alice seabron says
Yes i have made these cookies before and everyone love them with rainbow sprinkles thank you i appreciate you for sharing
Mary Winter says
I usually make sugar cookies around Christmas time.
Angie Smith says
I can’t wait to try these Soft Sugar Cookies. Soft sugar cookies frosted with vanilla icing and blue sprinkles are my favorite.
Patricia Peck says
I have made sugar cookies at home. This recipe is tasty and made my granddaughter very happy. Oh, we made purple frosting with multicolor sprinkles.
Janice says
I’ve made sugar cookies very similar to these and they’re amazing!
Jennifer says
I have baked sugar cookies before, but not in a really long time!
Yari says
I have never baked homemade sugar cookies before but I am so excited to try.
Kay S says
My new go to recipe. Fast, easy and soooo good. My grandchildren are coming tomorrow. They will be so excited to decorate the cookies! I have white icing and a lot of sprinkles and other small eatable goodies. Wonderful day!
Cynthia says
I would serve these cookies with a cold glass of milk with ice.
Tiffany Smith says
I have never hade success in making cookies at home but this recipe makes it so much easier
Anissa says
Soft is my favorite but I have been known to eat a crispy sugar cookie. A cookie is a cookie after all. 😂
Karen says
Yes, I have baked soft sugar cookies before but the recipe I used did not call for brown sugar at all. It was the recipe my best friend and neighbor’s Grandma used to use from Steubenville OHIO!
Dee says
I have baked sugar cookies before. It’s was a long time ago. I might make some of these at Christmas time.
Laura Gomes says
Can’t wait to try these! We prefer soft textured sugar cookies.
Mary Riethmiller says
I have not tried this recipe yet but I haven’t made anything from you that hasn’t been delicious.. I am wondering if this cookie dough could be rolled out and use a cookie cutter for Halloween? We have a neighborhood Halloween party and parade on the 2 streets in our neighborhood for over 60 years. All residents that partiipate bring some finger foods after they parade on the 2 streets. All residents donate some money and the children receive treat bags and there are hot dogs and soft drinks from that money collexted. I have some Halloween cooki cutters and thought this year lI may do that and decorate them. Please let me know what you think. I am looking for a soft sugar cookie to take as some of the children are very young. Thank you.
Layne Kangas says
Hi, Mary – here are our Halloween sugar cookies, enjoy!
Natasha says
I make cookies weekly and will be adding this to the rotation! My kids will love the frosting and sprinkles!
Amy Bailey says
I love soft cookies! Last time I made them I dropped in white chocolate ganache and they were delicious 🤤
Jessica says
No, I have never baked homemade sugar cookies before. I will try blue frosting and rainbow sprinkles. Yes! I will try dipping my sugar cookies in chocolate. I prefer soft cookies. I would like to serve sugar cookies for holiday gatherings.
Kay says
I haven’t made sugar cookies before. I was looking for a good recipe to try with some new cookie cutters. This looks likes a good recipe to try.
Karen says
I prefer soft cookies!
Summer says
I like to serve homemade sugar cookies at Christmas.
Claire says
I prefer soft cookies!
Nancy says
Yes I’ve made some I fostwith buttercrem I would dip them chocolate
Ashlie says
Yes, I have baked soft cookies before!! YUM!
Linda says
I love my sugar cookies to be soft and chewy. I usually make them around the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays.
Amie Mirides says
Yes I’ve made homemade cookies before.
Maureen says
I defintely have made sugar cookies in the past. I like mine soft. For the icing I would use a buttercream and die it black and orange for Halloween, The sprinkles on top would most defintely be orange and black. I could very easly make these tomaroo. I was going to make cookies and these would be perfect.
Stephanie says
I have made quite a few different cookies over the years but never a sugar cookie so I definitely look forward to trying this recipe😋😋😋😋
Tammy Boiteau says
So very similar to my own recipe. I decorate with Christmas icing and my grandsons help, along with the sprinkleslol
Trisha cypher says
I love my sugar cookies soft….
And with frosting. Soooo good 👍
Teresa Gerber says
I have never made sugar cookies, but love them, especially a little crispy, lol!!
Tracy Korb says
I have made sugar cookies before, but they were very difficult
Judy says
I have used your recipes and are very happy with the results. Yes I have made sugar cookies before but haven’t made cookies for 1 tear or so. You have me wanting to do it again. Sprinkles or conf. sugar depends on the mood of the baker!!! Eat when they come out!! Thank you
Debbie Bolls says
I prefer crisp sugar cookies, and I particularly like to freeze ice cream between them.
Claudia Stokes Stoltz says
These remind me of the ones my Mother made as an after school treat. I would top these with whatever season sprinkles. A glass of cold milk or a cup of hot coffee would go great with a couple of these sugar.
Natalye Weiner says
What color frosting and sprinkles would you add to your cookies?
I love pink frosting, purple sprinkles and a hint of edible glitter!
Dia says
Would you try dipping your sugar cookies in chocolate?
I haven’t ever done that, but I’d like to try it. Milk chocolate, not dark. 😊
Jean says
I’m always on the hunt for a great sugar cookie recipe. I can’t wait to try these, will definitely be adding frosting to mine!
Antonina Lechowicz says
I like making sugar cookies with my grandchildren. I think I would try dipping them in chocolate the next time I bake.
Cheryl Troll says
I would help my mom make Christmas cookies, when I was a little girl. She would make red Santa’s and green trees. We would spend all day making them. I continued with my children and stepchildren. I have used the same recipe all these years and didn’t know you can add brown sugar. I will try to incorporate the brown sugar next time.
Marlene Wilson says
I made peanut butter cookies.I like the soft cookies.
Janet Manning says
I make sugar cookies every year at Christmas. I prefer crisp cookies and I decorate them with icing and sprinkles.
Lily Z says
I love both crisp and soft sugar cookies! It’s a staple here around Christmas time. We make cookies for our neighbors and deliver usually several days before Christmas.
Teri Pratt says
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I definitely will since I LOVE soft sugar cookies! I’m looking for a new recipe that’s tastier than the one I have.
Hela says
I love making sugar cookies.
I make a large batch every time in the hope that they last longer in the tin.
Lasting longer never happens as apparently they are always too delicious. X
Adriana says
I’ve never made homemade sugar cookies before but this recipe is making me want to, it would be fun to decorate.
Scarlet says
I have a friend make my sugar cookies for Christmas. They too are soft and delicious. I share them with family at our Christmas celebration. This recipe sounds like even I could make delicious sugar cookies.
BARBARA CUMMINGS says
YUMMY
Teri Vapenik says
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I normally prefer a crispy cookie, but I do love the soft sugar cookies you get at the grocery store!
Catherine Sokolowski says
I love these cookies but never tried making them. I excited that I have a recipe for them now. Thanks!
Beth says
LOVE a good sugar cookie recipe! We will be featuring you starting Wednesday at the Creative Crafts Linky Party! Pinned and shared
Creatively, Beth