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This Cut Out Sugar Cookie recipe is my family’s annual Christmas tradition! They’re easy to make, hold their shape, and are a thick, soft sugar cookie! I’ve been making this recipe for over 20 years and it comes out perfect EVERY time.
BEST Powdered Sugar Cookie Recipe
My daughter is really big on traditions. Things at holidays happened once when she was little and now that’s the way they’re supposed to happen. This means we have to do three things: have Christmas Eve at her Aunts house, have monkey bread for breakfast, and make cut-out sugar cookies on Christmas Eve with my parents.
This is the only sugar cookie recipe I’ve used for more than 20 years….so you know it has to be the best recipe in the world. They are SOFT and you can make them as thick as you want.
The Best Cut Out Sugar Cookies are great ALL year, not just for Christmas! I love making these for every holiday – cookie cutters come in all shapes! They are my favorite cookie, after all.
Important Ingredients
- Butter – I always use unsalted butter, but you can substitute salted by reducing added salt in the recipe. Make sure the butter is softened.
- Powdered sugar – instead of using granulated sugar, this is a powdered sugar cookie recipe. Powdered sugar has a teeny bit of cornstarch in it to keep it from clumping and that plus the powdery consistency of confectioners sugar keeps the cookies soft and tender.
- Cream of Tartar – in addition to baking soda keeps these from spreading AND keeps them soft. You don’t need to use baking powder because of the cream of tartar.
- Flour – All-purpose flour is best for cookies. Be sure to measure it correctly so you don’t use too much or too little!
- Extract – I always use pure vanilla extract in my cut out cookies. Sometimes I add a teaspoon almond extract for some extra flavor.
- Food coloring – I prefer gel food coloring for the frosting, or you can use regular grocery store food coloring (or leave the frosting white).
How to make Cut Out Sugar Cookies
- Cream together butter and powdered sugar until nice and fluffy.
- Add egg, baking soda, cream of tartar, and vanilla, then mix until smooth.
- Add flour and mix until cookie dough forms. It will be slightly sticky.
- Divide the dough in half.
- I always roll my sugar cookie dough before I chill it! Roll it between sheets of parchment paper or wax paper so you don’t need to add extra flour, then chill.
- Once the dough is hard, cut shapes using cookie cutters.
- Chill again before baking!
Rolling Hack
Much like I roll out my pie dough, I roll out my cookie dough between two sheets of wax paper, right after I’ve mixed it up. Just place the dough between two sheets of wax paper and press it into a disk, then roll flat.
While I’m rolling, I’ll occasionally (carefully) lift up the wax paper on the top, put it back down, flip, and do the same on the bottom. That’s because the force of the rolling can cause the wax paper to crinkle.
Using room temperature just-made dough makes rolling out easy. No elbow grease is needed, like when you chill the dough first.
Using two sheets of wax paper makes less mess and eliminates the need for extra flour, which makes a more tender cookie.
How to Freeze Cut Out Cookies
How to freeze unfrosted cookies: Stack similarly shaped cookies in airtight containers and freeze for up to 2 months. Freeze prepared frosting in an airtight container. Thaw both on the counter.
Because of the powdered sugar, these soft easy cut out cookies are delicate, so be careful when freezing them!
How to freeze frosted sugar cookies: Place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and cover them with plastic wrap. Freeze until solid then stack in airtight containers between layers of parchment or wax paper. Separate stacks before thawing.
How to make sugar cookies ahead of time: Roll the dough as directed before chilling. Stack the dough (between sheets of wax or parchment) on cookie sheets and wrap with plastic. Chill up to 24 hours before cutting and baking.
FAQs
Chilled dough means your cookies stay in the shapes you cut them in. I love that about this recipe – the cookies always stay in shape. No bloated men or round hearts here – a candy cane stays a candy cane and a tree stays a tree! It sounds like a lot of chilling but in the time it takes the oven to preheat your cookies will be ready.
Chilling it once it’s already rolled flat makes the dough chill so much faster – you can cut out your cookies after as little as 30 minutes.
Soft Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
Cookie:
- 2 ½ cups (304g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cups (141g) powdered sugar
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter , softened
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
Frosting:
- 4 cups (452g) powdered sugar
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter , softened
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 to 4 tablespoons milk regular, low- or non-fat are all fine (or use heavy cream)
- Food color and/or sprinkles if desired
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer). Mix on low, scraping the bowl occasionally, until the mixture forms a cookie dough. Be sure to start on low or the dry ingredients will fly everywhere!
- Divide the dough in half. Place a large sheet of waxed paper on a large cutting board or flat surface. Place the cookie dough on the wax paper. Place another large sheet of wax paper on top of the cookie dough. Press down into a flat disk with the palm of your hand, then roll out the dough between the two pieces of wax paper. After each 3-4 rolls, carefully lift the top sheet of wax paper off the dough, then replace it, flip the dough over, and carefully peel the other wax paper sheet, replace it, then continue rolling until the dough is about 1/4” thick. Place the dough, still between the wax paper sheets, on another cutting board or cookie sheet.
- Repeat with second half of dough. Place both rolled out cookie dough sheets in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (or wrap them well with plastic wrap and chill overnight).
- When ready to cut cookies, preheat oven to 375°F.
- Cut cookies in desired shapes and place them on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Save the scraps of dough and re-roll them as needed. Note: once you re-roll the dough, you may want to chill those cutouts for about 10 minutes before baking them so they’ll keep their shape.
- Bake cookies for 6-10 minutes depending on the size. I take them out as soon as the bottoms start to brown because we like them softer. If you want crunchy cookies, let them cook longer. Cool completely before frosting and decorating.
- To make frosting, beat butter until smooth in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Slowly mix in powdered sugar, then vanilla and 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until the frosting is the consistency you desire. Tint the frosting if you want it a color.
- Frost cookies, decorating them with sprinkles. Store loosely covered at room temperature.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- If using salted butter, reduce added salt to 1/2 teaspoon.
- Do not skip the chilling steps if you want your cookies to hold their shape. Roll then chill and cut, then chill again. This is important!
- Feel free to use pastry bags and tips or just a knife to frost the cookies.
- These are great in any shape!
- How to freeze unfrosted cookies: Stack similarly shaped cookies in airtight containers and freeze for up to 2 months. Freeze prepared frosting in an airtight container. Thaw both on the counter.
- How to freeze frosted sugar cookies: Place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and cover them with plastic wrap. Freeze until solid then stack in airtight containers between layers of parchment or wax paper. Separate stacks before thawing.
- How to make sugar cookies ahead of time: Roll the dough as directed before chilling. Stack the dough (between sheets of wax or parchment) on cookie sheets and wrap with plastic. Chill up to 24 hours before cutting and baking.
Recipe Nutrition
Some of my other favorite cookie recipes:
- Gingerbread Cut Outs
- Chewy Soft Sugar Cookies
- Sprinkle Cookies
- Shortbread Cookies
- Cake Mix Sugar Cookies
- Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- If you’re looking for other Christmas cookie recipes click here.
These are the BEST Cut Out Sugar Cookies we’ve been making for years. Easy soft cut out sugar cookies that hold they’re shape and topped with sugar cookie icing that’s like a buttercream – it’s easy and fast.
Last Updated on February 29, 2024
I have 2 batches in the fridge…I am going to make my cookies tomorrow. Should I let the dough sit out for a few minutes before trying to roll it out?
Thank you…
Did you roll it out before you chilled it, as called for in the recipe? If so, no need to let it sit. Just cut shapes, then bake, re-roll, rechill, etc as needed. If you chilled the dough before rolling out, you’ll probably need to let it sit so you can actually roll it without it breaking. But make sure that the shapes are COLD before you bake them, so they hold their shape.
Hi! just made this cookie dough for a bake sale (but I added about a tbsp. of caramel topping to a cup of whipped cream for my frosting) and I let it chill for about 1 1/2 hours, but the dough was way too stick to be rolled out and cut into shapes? Should I just let it chill more or did I mess up somewhere? I will say that I didn’t pre-roll out my dough and then refrigerate it- I just put it in plastic wrap and into the fridge!
That’s strange! I’ve made this recipe (it’s from Land ‘O Lakes) so many times and haven’t had that issue. Before I figured out the rolling between wax paper I would just wrap it in a ball and chill it for about that length of time. It’s possible that your butter was a lot softer than mine when you started. Did you alter the cookie recipe in any way (add any additional liquid?) If you have trouble in the future and don’t want to roll it first, try dividing the dough into two parts, wrap with plastic, and chill. It’ll chill faster that way!
i love these cookies but mine spread out and lost their shapes. Any hints? We are high altitude, do I need to adjust for that?
i just made these.
Used only vanilla extract.
They are delicious.
However I found that they were super crumbly and didn’t roll very well. The dough kept cracking.
How do you measure your flour? I’m thinking you may have added too much accidentally, that can sometimes happen if you scoop the flour using the measuring cup, instead of spooning it into the cup. Sometimes adding a little water or milk will moisten up the dough if it’s still giving you trouble.
Can you freeze frosted sugar cookies?
I would freeze the cookies separate from the frosting for best results. I’ve frozen the dough, the baked cookies, and the frosting so it all works. Freezing the frosted cookies is fine, but the frosting may weep a little bit. 🙂
I’m basically as big on traditions as Jordan… Like, to the max. I skipped my family’s Thanksgiving this year to go to my guy’s instead because he had been to our past 2 Thanksgivings. When we got to his aunt’s house and I realized their feast included lasagna, 7-layer bean dip & peach pie, I just about cried. So my parents hosted a second “Thanksgiving” this past weekend for me so I could still bake and cook our traditional dishes. So tell Jordan I can totally relate! 😉
Oh gosh, I know that feeling! The first time I had to go a holiday without knoepfle I about died. Luckily, as an only child, my parents are kind of a package deal and they almost always come (and bring the noodles). 🙂
I was just looking for a cut-out sugar cookie recipe! I’m so glad I came across your blog because this recipe looks PERFECT! I can’t wait to give this recipe a try this year. Cookie decorating is always a HUGE part of the festivities. 🙂
Enjoy!!
Such a fun Christmas tradition! We make these EVERY year! Love all your tips Dorothy!
We do cut out cookies and gingerbread houses every year because the kids love it so much! Yay for fun traditions that live on year to year. These are so pretty…and I’m intrigued by the powdered sugar in these.
Sugar cookies always seem to taste the best as Christmas cookies!
Yes they do!
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