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Soft, chewy, and super easy, this Sugar Cookies Recipe is a classic and basic recipe that is great for the holidays or any time of the year!
Cookies, give me all the cookies! I’m obsessed with anything cookies in the name, and this Sugar Cookies Recipe is one of my favorites.
Seriously, it’s the best recipe. We make these every single year, they are super easy to whip up and everyone loves them. Rolled in decorators sugar for some sparkle and taste, these are irresistible.
I love having a basic recipe that has simple ingredients and is easy but also super flavorful. These soft sugar cookies meet all those requirements and more.
I’m not really into decorating cookies, so these sugar cookies are the complete opposite of the ones you would decorate.
Don’t get me wrong, I love eating decorated sugar cookies, but I love eating these Chewy Sugar Cookies even more. Soft and chewy all the way!
Also with it’s simple base, you can add to this recipe as you’d like, so that is another reason. It is a great recipe that you can build off of to create other flavors.
So, whether it’s the holiday season or not, if you are looking for that delicious cookie that is simple but everyone will fall in love with then you will love this simple ingredient Sugar Cookies Recipe!
Some of my other favorite cookies we have on our site include: M&M Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies, No Chill Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookies.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- With minimal ingredients, these are the perfect cookies to bake up.
- They store really well so making ahead works perfect.
- You can double this recipe to have a lot of cookies to give as gifts.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR THE FULL RECIPE CARD):
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Fine sea salt
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated white sugar
- Egg
- Whole milk
- Vanilla extract
- Decorators sugar
HOW TO MAKE SUGAR COOKIES RECIPE:
- Line a sheet tray with parchment paper, set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, set aside.
- In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar until smooth with an electric hand mixer. Add the egg and mix it in until combined. Add the milk and vanilla, stir it on low speed until combined, scrape down the sides as needed.
- Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop out the cookie dough onto the parchment-lined sheet tray. They can be close but not touching. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours, but best if you can chill overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line baking sheet trays with parchment paper. Pour the decorator’s sugar into a small bowl.
- Roll the cookie dough balls between your hands to form a smooth ball. Dip the tops of the dough balls into the decorator’s sugar. Place them, sugar side up, onto the parchment-lined sheet trays about 2 inches apart.
- Bake cookies for 8-11 minutes until lightly golden brown around the edges. Let these easy cookies cool on the baking pan for 10 minutes, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS RECIPE:
HOW LONG DO I NEED TO LET MY DOUGH CHILL?
I always find that making cookies where you have to chill the dough produces amazing results.
These must be chilled for at least 2 hours but overnight if possible.
This produces a cookie where that minimizes the spread since the fats in the cookies melt slower while baking, and they are also chewier!
WHAT ELSE CAN I ADD TO THESE COOKIES?
Since the dough is basic, you can add various things to these cookies to amplify or change their flavor if you’d like.
Some ideas include crushed candy canes, toffee bits, and sprinkles (you can change the colors to the holidays).
You can frost them with buttercream, royal icing, or cream cheese frosting.
You can also change up the extracts in these to change the flavor of the sugar cookie dough, lemon zest, almond, rum, vanilla, peppermint, etc.
ANY SUBSTITUTIONS?
These easy sugar cookies are also easy to swap out ingredients.
For best results, experiment!
- Coconut Oil: Substitute the stick of butter with an equal amount of coconut oil for a dairy-free option, ensuring you still get chewy cookies with perfect edges.
- Almond Milk: Replace whole milk with almond milk to make these simple cookies dairy-free and perfect for those with lactose intolerance.
- Gluten-Free Flour: Use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend instead of regular all-purpose flour to turn this classic cookie recipe into gluten-free sugar cookies.
- Brown Sugar: Substitute granulated sugar with brown sugar for a deeper, caramel-like flavor and thicker cookies with chewy centers.
- Almond Extract: Replace vanilla extract with almond extract for a different flavor twist in your favorite cookie recipes, making the cookies taste like homemade sugar cookies with a hint of almond.
HOW TO STORE:
These Chewy Sugar Cookies can be stored in an airtight container where they will keep for up to 4-5 days.
They can also be frozen, to freeze your cookies let them cool and then place them in a freezer bag where they will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Let these perfect sugar cookies defrost on the countertop until soft.
DANA’S TIPS AND TRICKS:
- Do not forget to chill your dough, 2 hours is minimum but overnight if you can.
- You can add different things to this cookie to change the flavor, see my tips above.
- If you are not a fan of decorators’ sugar, you can roll in regular sugar or leave it plain.
- These can be frozen, see my tips above.
- These make a larger batch, but since they store so well, you can absolutely double.
Want a delicious, easy sugar cookie recipe for the holidays or any time of year?
Then you have to make this Sugar Cookies Recipe!
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
If you’ve tried this SUGAR COOKIES RECIPE, let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Soft & Chewy Sugar Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of fine sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup decorators sugar optional
Instructions
- Line a sheet tray with parchment paper, set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, set aside.2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, pinch of fine sea salt
- In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar until smooth with an electric hand mixer. Add the egg and mix it in until combined. Add the milk and vanilla, stir it in until combined, scrape down the sides as needed.1 cup unsalted butter, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 3 tablespoons whole milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add in the dry ingredient and mix until just combined, scrape down the sides as needed.
- Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop out the cookie dough onto the parchment-lined sheet tray. They can be close but not touching. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours, but best if you can chill overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line sheet trays with parchment paper. Pour the decorator’s sugar into a small bowl.
- Roll the cookie dough balls between your hands to form a smooth ball. Dip the tops of the dough balls into the decorator’s sugar. Place them, sugar side up, onto the parchment-lined sheet trays about 2 inches apart.⅓ cup decorators sugar
- Bake for 8-11 minutes until lightly golden brown around the edges. Let the cookies cool on the tray for 10 minutes, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Do not forget to chill your dough, 2 hours is minimum but overnight if you can.
- You can add different things to this cookie to change the flavor, see my tips above.
- If you are not a fan of decorators’ sugar, you can roll in regular sugar or leave it plain.
- These can be frozen, see my tips above.
- These make a larger batch, but since they store so well, you can absolutely double.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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Can you add a little peanut butter to the sugar cookies
I’ve never tried so I can’t say if they would come out or not.