Baking basic sugar cookies always reminds me of cozy afternoons. It’s a perfect recipe for beginners and kids, but fun for everyone.

These simple treats are wonderful for holidays, parties, or just a simple weekend baking project.
What I truly love is their versatility; you can shape and decorate them in so many ways!

Recipe Overview: Basic Sugar Cookies

These sugar cookies are your classic, roll-out kind.
They have a lovely, crisp edge and a slightly soft center.

We’re aiming for that perfect balance of buttery sweetness, not too much, not too little.

These are great on their own, with a glass of milk, or decorated with icing and sprinkles.
You can also use them as a base for more complex desserts.

They’re a blank canvas for your creativity!

Ingredients for Perfect Sugar Cookies

Here’s what you will need to make these little cuties:

3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour: Make sure you measure your flour correctly. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup, and then level it off with a straight edge. Too much flour can make the cookies dry.
1 teaspoon baking powder: This helps the cookies rise just a bit, giving them a nice texture.
1/2 teaspoon salt: Enhances the sweetness and balances the flavors.
1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened: Using softened butter is super important. It should be soft enough to easily blend but not melted. If you’re in a rush, you can soften butter in the microwave, but be careful not to melt it.
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar: Provides the sweetness.
1 large egg: Binds the ingredients together. For best results, let your egg come to room temperature before using it. It mixes in better that way.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract: Adds that essential warm, sweet flavor. You can substitute with almond extract, for something different.

Step-by-Step Instructions: Making Your Sugar Cookies

Whisk Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Doing this ensures that the baking powder and salt are evenly distributed.
Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. This usually takes about 2-3 minutes. You’ll notice the color will become paler.
Beat in Egg and Vanilla: Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter-sugar mixture. Beat until everything is well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to make sure everything is incorporated.
Gradually Add Dry Ingredients: Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough; mix just until you no longer see streaks of flour.
Chill the Dough: Divide the dough in half. Flatten each half into a disk, and wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight. Chilling is crucial, for easy roll.
Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line your baking sheets with parchment paper. This prevents the cookies from sticking and makes cleanup a breeze.
Roll and Cut Dough: Lightly flour your work surface. Take one disk of dough from the refrigerator. Roll it out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Re-roll any scraps and cut out more shapes.
Bake the Cookies: Place the cut-out cookies onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving a little space between each cookie. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Keep a close eye on them! The cookies are done when the edges are lightly golden brown.
Cool the Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. They will firm up as they cool.

Variations & Tips for Your Sugar Cookies

Flavor Variations: Try adding lemon zest, or orange zest to the dough for a citrusy twist.
Make-Ahead: You can make the dough and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before rolling and baking.
Storage: Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Freezing: You can freeze both the unbaked dough (well-wrapped) and the baked cookies (in an airtight container) for up to 2-3 months.
Reheating: If you like warm cookies, you can microwave a cooled cookie for about 10 seconds.
Icing and decoration: You can use your favorite icing colors and sprinkles.

Key Details

Prep time: 30 minutes (plus chilling time)
Cook time: 8-10 minutes
Total time: 38-40 minutes (plus chilling time)
Servings: About 24-30 cookies, depending on the size of your cookie cutters
Equipment you’ll need: Mixing bowls, electric mixer, cookie cutters, baking sheets, parchment paper, rolling pin.

Basic Sugar Cookies

Classic, roll-out sugar cookies with crisp edges and slightly soft centers, perfect for holidays, parties, or a simple weekend baking project. Versatile for shaping and decorating.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 10

Total Time 40

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 24 cookies

Calories 160 kcal

Ingredients

3 cups 375g all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup 226g unsalted butter, softened
1 cup 200g granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Whisk Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Beat in Egg and Vanilla: Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter-sugar mixture. Beat until everything is well combined.
Gradually Add Dry Ingredients: Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough.
Chill the Dough: Divide the dough in half, flatten into disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll and Cut Dough: Lightly flour work surface. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Re-roll scraps.
Bake the Cookies: Place cookies on baking sheets, leaving space. Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges are lightly golden brown.
Cool the Cookies: Let cookies cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.