Julie Clark
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Easy Cut Out Sugar Cookies
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Tips on how to make easy cut out sugar cookies. Buttery and lightly sweet, this cookie dough holds its shape when you bake it. Perfect for Christmas cookies and other holiday shapes, this here is the best sugar cookie recipe!
Cut out sugar cookies aren’t just for Christmas. Yes, rolled cookies are fun at Christmas time with the stocking, tree and bell shapes, but they can be just as festive in the spring with flowers, sunshines and bird shapes. And they are a must cut as hearts for Valentine’s Day.
This is an easy cut out sugar cookie recipe and we’ve been making it for years. Only 6 ingredients. A simple, lightly sweet buttery flavor. The shaped cookies remind me of shortbread texture and I could eat a whole tray of them even without any frosting.
If you’ve been looking for perfect sugar cookie recipe that hold their shape, look no further. Give this one a try!
Looking for a drop sugar cookie? Try our classic Pillsbury copycat cookies or ricotta sugar cookies.
Cut Out Cookies that Hold Their Shape
How do you keep cut out sugar cookies from spreading? There are 4 important things to remember:
- Use real butter. No substitutes! For even better results, use a high fat European butter.
- Don’t add leavening. Baking powder and baking soda both make the dough rise, causing the shapes to get out of proportion and not hold well. This sugar cookie dough is perfect without those ingredients.
- Fully mix the ingredients. If there are pockets of butter, they will melt during baking and cause the cookies to spread. Scrape the sides of the bowl often during mixing to ensure all ingredients get well incorporated.
- Refrigerate the dough. It’s sometimes a pain to wait for dough to chill, but it greatly helps sugar cookies keep their shape.
Ingredients for Cut Out Sugar Cookies
- Butter. Use real butter, not margarine. The butter should be at room temperature, not at all melted. Just soft to the touch. Let the butter sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before mixing the cookies.
- Flour. Use a kitchen scale to measure the flour accurately.
- Princess Cake & Cookie Extract. I use this extract (get it on Amazon) for my sugar cookies. It gives a unique flavor and people try to guess what it is. Use vanilla or almond extract if you prefer.
✨ See the recipe card below for full ingredients and amounts. ✨
How to Make Cut Out Sugar Cookies
- Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt with a wire whisk.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat on medium speed until mixed well.
- Combine the two. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour mixture. Mix just until combined, being careful not to over mix.
- Roll the dough. Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out one piece of dough to 3/8″ thick. Use cookie cutters and cut as many shapes as possible, re-rolling the dough scraps and cutting again.
- Refrigerate the dough. Place the shapes on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Refrigerate the cookie dough for an hour.
- Bake the dough. Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Bake cookies for 12-13 minutes, pulling the cookies out just before they start to brown. Allow the cookies to cool for 2-3 minutes, then transfer them to a flat surface to cool.
Sugar Cookie Icing
This easy cut out sugar cookie recipe holds frosting really well.
- They make a great base for royal icing cookies. If you need a royal icing recipe, try this one. We’ve used it before and it works well
- If you want something simpler, you can use a easy sugar cookie icing or simple powdered sugar glaze. Use a spoon to spread the frosting or dip the cookies. The color stays vibrant and the frosting sets well.
- If you’re looking for a fluffy sugar cookie frosting, try our vanilla buttercream frosting recipe. You can pipe this in swirls on the cookies or use a knife to spread it and then top with sprinkles.
Can you freeze cut out cookies?
Yes! This easy cut out cookie recipe freezes really well. Make these cookies up to a month in advance, wrap the cookies well in an airtight container and freeze them. Place parchment paper between the cookie layers. The cookies are soft and may stick together if you don’t. They keep in the freezer for up to 8 weeks.
Allow the cookies to defrost completely either in the refrigerator or at room temperature before you unwrap them. Doing this will help the moisture to stay in the cookies and not become dry.
Read all about how to freeze cookie dough here.
Other Sugar Cookie Recipes
- Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
- Refrigerated Sugar Cookies
- Chewy Sugar Cookies
- Bakery Style Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Sugar Cookies
- Rolled Chocolate Chip Cookies
You may also love our brown sugar butter cookies and soft pumpkin cookies.
Easy Cut Out Sugar Cookies
Tips on how to make easy cut out sugar cookies. Buttery and lightly sweet, this cookie dough holds its shape when you bake it. Perfect for Christmas cookies and other holiday shapes.
Servings 36
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Chilling Time 1 hour
Total Time 37 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour 520 grams
- 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 grams
- 1 1/2 cups salted butter (room temperature) 12 ounces
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 300 grams
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 10 grams
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt with a wire whisk. 4 cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat on medium speed until mixed well. 1 ½ cups salted butter, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour mixture. Mix just until combined, being careful not to over mix.
- Divide the dough in half. On a floured surface, roll out one piece of dough to 3/8" thick. Use cookie cutters and cut as many shapes as possible, re-rolling the dough scraps and cutting again.
- Place the shapes on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Refrigerate the cookie dough for an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Bake the cookies for 12-13 minutes, pulling the cookies out just before they start to brown.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 2-3 minutes, then transfer them to a flat surface to cool. Once the cookies are cooled, decorate as desired.
Video
Notes
- The butter should be stick butter, not tub butter…and not margarine! Use 100% real butter sticks. And make sure the butter is at room temperature, not fully softened or melted at all. The butter should just give slightly when you press into the stick of butter.
- The amount of cookies you get will greatly depend on how thick you roll the dough and how large your cookie cutter is. I’d say you’ll get anywhere from 3-5 dozen cookies with this recipe depending on those factors.
Nutrition
Calories: 155kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 104mg | Potassium: 20mg | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 250IU | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.7mg
Making cookies now and wondering if I could leave the rolled dough in the fridge until tomorrow and then use cookie cutters or would the dough dry out too much?
Best cut out sugar cookie recipe I’ve ever used. Cookies were flawless, and so easy! Seemingly fool-proof. Thanks so much, I’ve already copied this recipe into my recipe journal!
This recipe is amazing! I needed 32 heart shaped sugar cookies for my sons class to decorate tomorrow, and every grocery store I could get to, was out!
I didn’t think I would be able to make them good enough for decorating…. Boy was I wrong! This recipe was so clear and easy to follow, and the cookies came out AMAZING! They look exactly like the store bought, but they taste 10 times better!!! I even went nuts and made a bunch of other designs for home:) A million thanks for sharing!
These were the best sugar cookies I have ever made! (I’ve tried quite a few recipes over the years). They held their shape very well while baking- and they tasted soo good! 5 stars for texture, flavor and ease of making.
Can this cookie be made with a hand mixer? If so are there any other adaptations that need to be made?
Hi I made the cookies according to your recipe but my dough was too sticky, endedup putting I cup of flour more. They came out great. But then i looked at the video and you show putting 1 1/2 sticks of butter which is NOT 1 1/2 cups, that is 3/4 cup is of butter. This is a huge difference. I believe it’sa typo in your recipe. My cookies were not like shortbread but instead like regular sugar cookie. I did like your written recipe, have to yet your video one.
I was skeptical about this recipe considering the facts that it had so few ingredients and it lacked a couple of traditional sugar cookie ingredients. But these were a breeze to roll out, they held their shape, and the best part was that they were soft and delicious. Bake as directed because it’s hard to tell when these are done. If you wait until the edges brown you may lose the softness that these cookies have. To test doneness I just touched the top of one and if it was no longer doughy, I pulled them out. This one is… Read more »
Trying out this recipe. It calls for salted butter. Any particular brand of salted butter and I am used to baking with unsalted butter because the salt content can vary from brand to brand. Would adding an extra quarter teaspoon of salt suffice if I used unsalted butter? Curious as I bought tons of unsalted butter for my other cookies and confections for the season.
Fantastic recipe!
First time trying this cookie When cut out do I put back in fridge? Or are you referring to the scraps to go back in fridge. #9 on the recipe.
This is my new go-to recipe for Christmas cookies!! I’ve tried numerous recipes and they either didn’t hold their shape or they didn’t have the taste or texture I was looking for. These held their shape perfectly, no spread at all, and they taste wonderful. They are not overly sweet and are the perfect texture for decorating. This recipe is a home-run in my book!!
Hi this recipe sounds great but I have concerns with the cookies sticking together since they are on the soft side….. Any suggestions … Thanks in advance!!!
I’m about to make my third batch of these cookies and I have gotten SO many compliments on them, even from my mom who has been making Christmas sugar cookies for years (which is what I’m using the recipe for). They are such a nice, soft texture that holds their shape well.
Great taste and easy to work with.
This recipe is great! The cookies come out soft, but not too soft. Perfect for decorating. Great tip about rolling out the dough before refrigerating! Don’t know why I never thought of it before.