This cookie recipe is so wonderful, it holds its shape when baked and tastes just WONDERFUL!
SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE, that does not need chilling, holds its shape and doesn’t spread, perfect for any shape cookie cutter.
You will fall in love with this sugar cookie recipe.
The cookies are light and tasty without being heavy or tough.
They are not overly sugary and taste great alone or with a thin or thick glaze icing on top.
This recipe makes approximately 3 dozen 2 1/2 inch cookies rolled about 1/4″ thick ( of course it will depend on the shape of the cookie)
This dough is tender and the scraps can be rolled again and again without becoming tough.
Oh, how I just LOVE the smell of fresh baked cookies!
Be sure to let the cookies cool before moving them, or the shape will distort.
I bake my cookies without having them brown and let them cool on the baking sheet completely.
This cookie recipe is GREAT, they really hold their shape so when baked the cookies come out of the oven in the shape they went in!
Be sure the butter is at room temperature but not warm. Measure your flour by scooping the flour out of the container you have it in, then into the measuring cup and leveling it off. Don’t pack the flour in or you will have dryer dough and tougher cookies.
I like my cookies and baked goods to have a great balance of salty sweetness, I often use salted butter and yes still add salt to the recipe. If you are in doubt and do not like salty sweet, use unsalted butter, and add half the amount of salt in the recipe.
Be sure your baking powder is fresh.
Now my rant on vanilla. BUY the best vanilla you can. It really does make all the difference in baked goods. Just because you CAN buy it in a big bottle at a great price doesn’t mean it will result in the best tasting baked goods. I have vanilla that says Madagascar, Tahitian, Bourbon, there are many brands like this, this, and oh my goodness I love this one from Orlando Natural Vanilla it’s delicious no alcohol taste and great in icings and frostings that don’t get cooked or baked, that is where great vanilla is essential.
HERE is my post on my foodie favorite items with baking sheets and other items I find essential in the kitchen.
Here is an image of the cookie cutter I used for these cookies. It’s 2 1/2 inches wide at the largest part of the heart.
CLICK HERE For MORE info on HOW TO BAKE PERFECT COOKIES
- 1 cup salted butter
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 2¾-3 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Preheat oven to 400°
- Cream together butter and powdered sugar.
- Mix in egg and vanilla.
- Blend in flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Mix until the dough forms a ball.
- Roll out on floured surface and cut with cookie cutter,
- Bake at 400° for 7-9 minutes, until cookies are golden but tops are not browned yet.
- Cool completely before icing.
adapted from Sweet Sugar Belle’s Lemon Poppy Cookie Recipe
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Take a look at these RED VELVET cookies too (Click HERE)
Trevor says
Thanks for sharing the recipe…The cookies look amazing! I’m thinking of trying to make some for Christmas this year but had a quick question that I was hoping you could answer (and possibly save me a baking nightmare). Does the recipe scale up okay? Have you tried making a large batch of the dough?
Diane says
Yes you can double the recipe with no problems, happy baking!
Trevor says
Hi Diane,
Thanks for getting back to me about being able to make larger batches. Wish me luck!
Happy Holidays
Mahika says
hi i just wanted to clarify
the temperature is given in fahrenheit right?
Diane says
yes 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Freja says
thanks for answering that question I was just going to ask.
Mahika says
I am making a dozen cookies what should the temperature be?
Diane says
Bake at 400 degrees
Courtney says
These cookies look super easy – question though.. How do I know whether or not to up the flour to 3 cups?
Diane says
By the texture of the dough, as there is no control over the butterfat and liquid in the butters each and every person who will be making this recipe, the flour is the one item you can control. So add a tablespoon at a time as needed. I don’t work on a floured surface, I work between waxed paper. You’ll have to adjust the flour to your liking, the dough should be soft and not have a floury consistency when you touch it. Too much flour will result in drier cookies. That is why there is a range. There is varying degrees of protein in flour and how stretchy and firm the dough will get is effected as well, but the flour is the easiest to control.Begin with 2 3/4 cup flour, then add a small amount if the dough seems too moist, most often you will be fine with 2 3/4 flour.
Bonnie says
I just made these cookies, they are delicious! I chilled the dough for a few minutes to make it a little easier to handle, they held their shape perfectly and taste wonderful. Thanks for the recipe.
Ellen says
I have ruffled edge cookie cutters–sets round and square–and after baking, never get the distinct marking at the edge like yours look. How can I achieve that? Do they puff up a lot with the baking powder? Thanks.
Diane says
It does all depend on the cutter itself and how sharp the wavy edge is, as well as the cookie recipe. I haven’t had any trouble with this cookie recipe. It does not change shape that much at all when baked. The wider the wave on the cookie cutter the softer the edge when baked. No, they do not puff up excessively with the baking powder. I added a link to the post for my red velvet cookies, you can see the dough in that post and how clean the edges are when cut with the cookie cutter. I’ve updated the post “sugar cookie recipe” with a photo of the cookie cutter I use so you can see it.
Stacy says
Should I put the dough in the fridge before rolling out and cutting? I see this a lot as it says the cookie will be less likely to spread because the butter will be firm. I have seen it said that if the recipe doesn’t say to put it in the fridge, then don’t. Your recipe doesn’t say it. What are your thoughts?
Diane says
I do not refrigerate the dough and it does not spread. I’ve made thousands of cookies with this recipe and there is no need to refrigerate the dough. That just more reason to love this recipe, it’s easy and quick.
Kelly says
Is The end result of this cookie crunchy or soft when you bite into it? Looking for soft cut out.
Diane says
this is a softer cookie, crunchy cookies will have granulated sugar and way more of it 🙂
Kaleigh says
Since this is a softer cookie, will it hold up to a larger cookie cutter or will it be too prone to breaking? I’m thinking maybe three inches across, four or five inches tall. I would like to make oversized stocking cookies for Christmas
Beatriz says
Thank you so much! Just finished the first batch of these cookies with the kiddos. I used the whole 3cups, as well as some on the surface for rolling. They have an awesome consistency almost like cloud dough. And worked great with our 3D sitting santa cookie cutter!
Diane says
Happy to hear you liked the recipe, we love it!
Happy Baking!
Janice Laroche says
Hello,
I agree with all the comments! These ARE easy and they ARE delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Debi Martone says
Do you grease your cookie sheets, or bake on parchment or a Silpat? Or can they just go onto an ungreased sheet?
Making a double batch today. 😉
Diane says
I bake on parchment lined commercial style baking sheets, the cookies do not turn out greasy on the bottom, so you can easily stack them before or after icing them. The thicker style baking sheets allow for the more even baking. Here is a post on my favorite things, and I’ve included the parchment sheets and baking sheets if you want to see them.https://www.createdby-diane.com/2015/12/foodie-favorites.html
Kelly says
Can you freeze the dough or maybe even the made cookies ?
Diane says
I have baked the cookies and triple wrapped them and then froze them, then thawed them completely unwrapped and iced them with great results. I have also iced and then frozen the cookies will great results, I have not frozen the dough and then made them, I prefer the cookies to be made when the dough is made, but go right ahead and try it and let me know how it goes.
Kim says
I know this dough does not need to be refrigerated but can it be? Will the dough still hold its shape when baked of the dough is made a day in advance and kept in the fridge?
Diane says
I don’t refrigerate this dough, it tends to make the dough a little “tougher”. I prefer it made the same day as it’ll be baked. You can, of course, refrigerate the dough, just be aware of the change. The dough takes 5 minutes to make. If you do refrigerate the dough be sure you bring it to room temperature before you roll it out to cut the cookies.
Christine says
I’ve made this recipe twice and both times added an extra 1/2 cup of flour on top of the stated amount and still cannot get the mixture to cut out with a cutter. My mixture is very soft. I rolled it into balls & pressed flat on the tray. They cooked well and tasted great, but wanted to use a heart shape cutter. Was worried putting any more flour in will change the texture and taste. I’m in Australia- maybe our ingredients are different. Will play with the recipe again!
Diane says
Hi Christine, I’m not sure where the trouble lies, I’m using all purpose flour, and I’m not sure if any other ingredients are different that they are here in the states. Since you are having trouble, yes you can add more flour, the more flour and the more you “work” the dough the tougher the cookies get here, the cookie dough is soft but certainly manageable to roll and cut with a cookie cutter as I’ve made this recipe for years and dozens and dozens of cookies, so you can try more flour, I don’t chill my dough but maybe there is more moisture in the air where you are, try chilling the dough for 10 minutes, to get the butter a little firmer so the cookies roll easily. Let me know specifically what you think could be the difference in ingredients or weather or whatever and I can try to help you trouble shoot so you can have a great result with these cookies. *powdered sugar, also called confectioners sugar.
Norma says
Hi, thank you so much for sharing. I love this recipe! Is there a chocolate version of this recipe?
Diane says
Yes, here is my Chocolate Cut Out Cookie Recipe https://www.createdby-diane.com/2016/12/chocolate-cut-out-cookies.html
Sarah says
How many cookies does this recipe make?
Diane says
This recipe makes 3 dozen heart cookie, about 2 1/2 inch cutter across. It will depend on the cookie cutter size and how thick you roll them.