Soft Cut Out Sugar Cookies

These thick, bakery-style, soft cut out sugar cookies are a fun and festive addition to your Christmas cookie tray! Every mom (or grandma) should have an easy sugar cookie recipe that she can whip up in minutes.

If you love holiday baking, try a batch of soft gingerbread man cookies, chewy molasses cookies, or soft peanut butter blossoms next. You’ll also find more ideas in my Easy Christmas Desserts collection.

How to Make this Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe | 2-Minute Video

Why This Is the Best Sugar Cookie Recipe

For years, I searched for an easy sugar cookie recipe that would yield perfectly thick, soft cut-out cookies that don’t spread in the oven. Ultimately, I adapted a recipe that I found in Country Woman magazine to create these bakery-style treats that are absolutely the best!

What makes these cookies soft and tender instead of dry or crispy? It comes down to a few key things: room temperature butter creamed with sugar creates a tender crumb, just enough flour keeps the dough stable without making it tough, and chilling the rolled dough before baking prevents spreading so the cookies hold their shape perfectly.

These cookies are easy to make ahead, perfect for sharing with friends and neighbors, and always a hit with kids. My boys love decorating these fun holiday shapes, largely because they’re a vehicle to pile on as much icing, sprinkles, and candy as possible. It’s a holiday tradition that you’ll want to save and enjoy for years to come!

Before You Get Started

A few key steps will set you up for soft, perfectly shaped cookies every time:

• Roll the dough before you chill it. This is the secret to easy rolling and no-spread cookies. Roll while the dough is still soft, then chill the flat discs until firm. The cookies go into the oven cold, which helps them hold their shape beautifully.
• Use room temperature butter (not warm). Butter that’s too soft or melted will make the dough sticky and cause spreading. It should be soft enough to indent with your finger but still hold its shape.
• Roll to ¼-inch thickness for soft, bakery-style results. This is thicker than many recipes call for, but it’s the key to that puffy, tender texture. Thinner cookies will bake up crispier.
• Don’t overbake. Remove the cookies when the edges are just starting to turn golden but the centers still look slightly underdone. They’ll firm up as they cool, and you’ll get that perfect soft, chewy bite.

** A note on batch size: This recipe yields a small batch (up to 36 small cookies, depending on cutter size and how you re-roll scraps). If you’re baking for a crowd or a cookie decorating party, I recommend doubling the ingredients.

** And about the almond extract: I borrowed this trick from my friend Kelly, a professional sugar cookie baker. A touch of almond extract gives these cookies a delicious, slightly unique flavor. I use ½ teaspoon, but you can cut it back to ¼ teaspoon for something more subtle, or swap it out for extra vanilla if you prefer.

How to Keep Sugar Cookies from Spreading in the Oven

Here are a few of my best tips to prevent the cookies from spreading:

• Roll First, Then Chill. I learned this process from America’s Test Kitchen, and it’s genius! Roll out the cookie dough before chilling, while it’s still soft. After the discs of dough have hardened and chilled, you can cut out the cookie shapes and bake them immediately. Rolling the soft dough is much easier than rolling a hard ball of chilled dough, and the cookies go into the oven while they’re still very cold and firm (thus preventing spreading).
• Chill the dough for at least 1-2 hours. It’s very important that you chill the rolled dough before cutting. If you re-roll the scraps and cut out additional cookies, chill again just before baking to make sure that the dough is nice and cool.
• Use enough flour. The total amount of flour required for this dough can vary (often by the humidity in the house, the season, and the way that you scoop and measure the flour). If you don’t have enough flour in your dough, the cookies are more likely to spread. While rolling, add small amounts of additional flour as necessary to make sure that your dough doesn’t stick to your hands, parchment paper, or rolling pin.
• Don’t overmix. Whipping the wet ingredients too much or overmixing can add excessive air to the dough, causing the cookies to collapse and spread in the oven.
• Line the baking sheets. Spraying the baking sheets with cooking spray or greasing with butter creates a slippery surface that causes cookies to spread. Instead, line the baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats for “grip.”
• Use cool baking sheets. Never place cookie dough on warm baking sheets.

How to Make Cutout Sugar Cookies

This easy and delicious cookie dough comes together in just minutes! You’ll need to be patient while it chills in the fridge, but the end result is well worth the wait. Find the detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s a quick overview:

Step 1: Mix the Dough

Cream together the butter and sugar with a stand mixer or hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract and mix until combined. Finally, mix in the dry ingredients until a soft dough forms. The texture should be very similar to Play-Doh!

Step 2: Roll It Out

Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Place each portion on a piece of lightly floured parchment paper or on a silicone mat, then roll to ¼-inch thickness.

Step 3: Chill Until Firm

Stack the discs of dough on a baking sheet (separated by parchment), cover tightly with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour or until firm.

Step 4: Cut Out the Shapes

Once the discs of rolled out dough are nice and cold, use your favorite cookie cutters to create the desired shapes. Transfer the shapes onto lined baking sheets.

Step 5: Bake at 375°F for 8-10 Minutes

The cookies are done when the edges are just starting to brown, but they’re still fairly soft in the center. They will firm up as they cool, so be careful not to overbake them or the cookies will become hard. Cool completely on a cooling rack before decorating (see my decorating tips at the bottom of this post).

Serve and Enjoy!

How to Decorate Sugar Cookies

Decorating sugar cookies is half the fun, especially during the holidays. I include a simple powdered sugar icing made with confectioners’ sugar, milk, vanilla, and a little corn syrup for shine. It sets in about 30 minutes, can be tinted with food coloring, and works well in piping bags or zip-top bags with the corner snipped.

For more detail, use royal icing; for a thicker frosting, try a vanilla buttercream frosting; or keep it easy with tubes of store-bought Betty Crocker cookie icing (a great mess-free option for kids).

More Fun Decorations

• Red, white and green sprinkles are always an easy, festive touch and will stick nicely to your icing before it sets.
• Red hot cinnamon candies make great buttons, ornaments, holly berries, or reindeer noses.
• Mini chocolate chips create perfect little eyeballs on reindeer, Santa shapes, or gingerbread men.
• Candy eyeballs are also a cute way to create a face.
• Cut them into hearts, add red, pink, and white sprinkles, and offer them for Valentine’s Day.

Preparation and Storage Tips

Storage: Store the cut out sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Make Ahead: Prepare the dough up to 1 day ahead, roll out the discs, and chill in the refrigerator overnight. Alternatively, you can freeze the dough discs for up to 1 month. Thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight and then proceed with cutting and baking.

To bake the cookies in advance, allow them to cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw on the counter at room temperature before decorating.

Freezing decorated cookies: You can freeze the cookies after icing and decorating, too. Be aware, though, that the quality of the icing or decorations may not be quite as good when thawed. It can run, thin, or get smooshed.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Holiday Cookies to Try

• Old-Fashioned Williamsburg Gingerbread Cookies
• Fruitcake Cookies
• 3-Ingredient Scottish Shortbread Cookies
• Cinnamon Pecan Cookie Bars
• Amish Drop Sugar Cookies