Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe (with Video) - Bigger Bolder Baking (2024)

Cookies, Gemma's Best Recipes

4.70 from 335 votes

  • Jump To Recipe
  • Jump To Video
  • Loading…Save Recipe

My Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe is a holiday staple that can be baked into any festive shape you like!

By Gemma Stafford | | 557

Last updated on December 8, 2022

Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe (with Video) - Bigger Bolder Baking (1)

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure for details.

Hi Bold Bakers!

Create a Profile!

Already have an account?

When the holidays roll around, there are certain recipes you need in your back pocket. You know, those recipes you can whip up in a flash and that are fan favorites. My Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe is exactly that. Holiday Cookies are so much fun to bake because they are great for little hands to make and decorate, and you can even give them out as holiday gifts.

Whether you’re decorating cookies for Santa, or just to have with a cup of hot chocolate, these cookies are always my go-to.I break out my holiday cookie cutters and go to town making festive shapes. Then I store them away in an airtight container and I have them to hand when guests drop by.

How To Make My Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe

Holiday baking is the kind of baking that gets the whole family involved. So, it’s time to get the kids in the kitchen too, as it’s just a handful of simple ingredients combined in the food processor. After making the dough from my Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe, what you’re left with is a play-dough-like cookie dough perfect for rolling out and cutting into fun shapes.

I love classic holiday shapes, but you can use any you like! What makes these my Best Ever Sugar Cookies is that they are truly foolproof to make and decorate. The sugar cookie dough consistently comes out perfect every time and is always so easy to use, never too soft or too hard to work with like the store bought stuff can be.

[ If you want to decorate these cookies to the nines, you need my recipe for royal icing! ]

Do You Have To Make Sugar Cookies In The Food Processor?

If you don’t have a food processor, you can absolutely make these by hand in a large bowl. The reason I use a food processor is because it allows me to bring together the dough in minutes flat.

The most important part, whether you’re using a food processor or making the cookies by hand, is making sure that the butter is properly rubbed into the dry ingredients. By doing this and creating the texture of bread crumbs, you ensure the dough has lots of pockets of butter throughout — which makes for a rich and tender cookie.

Can You Substitute the Sugar for Another Sweetener?

If you would like to make my Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe sans the sugar, then you are in luck. The sugar in this recipe can be swapped 1:1 for either Swerve sugar alternative or Lakanto granulated sugar. You can also use a 50/50 sugar and Stevia blend. I really like the results I get with regular granulated sugar, but these alternatives to yield a very similar texture and flavor, which is great for those who are wanting to bake with less sugar.

How To Decorate Sugar Cookies

After cutting the cookies into adorable shapes and baking them, you do not have to decorate them. However, if you want to add to the cookies, I suggest accenting the shape of the cookies with my royal icing. In addition to the royal icing you can add sprinkles and little metallic nonpareils. These cookies are the perfect base to make 3 Easy Christmas Cookies to Bake and Decorate With Kids!

Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe (with Video) - Bigger Bolder Baking (2)

Do You Prefer Chewy Or Soft Over Crunchy?

My Best Ever Sugar Cookies recipe results in cookies with a slight crunch! If you’d rather have more of a chew, I have you covered: try my Perfect Chewy Sugar Cookie Recipe. If you rather your sugar cookies soft, give my Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe a go!

Also, have you seen my Holiday Baking Headquarters page? You’ll find every recipe you could possibly need for the holidays including Christmas Cookies, edible gifts, and my best holiday baking tips!

If you like these sugar cookies you’ll love these recipes!

  • The Easiest Soft Sugar Cookies
  • 3 Ingredient Shortbread Cookies
  • Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
  • Snowball Cookies
  • Homemade Gingerbread Men

Follow Bigger Bolder Baking on Pinterestfor more recipes and ideas!

Try These Recipes!

Almond Flour Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe
Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
How to Make Almond Crisps

Watch The Recipe Video!

Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe

4.70 from 335 votes

Print Recipe

My Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe is a holiday staple that can be baked into any festive shape you like!

Author: Gemma Stafford

Servings: 30 -40 cookies

  • Dessert
  • Vanilla
  • Holiday Baking Headquarters
  • Baking Pans
  • Oven
  • Food Processor

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 18 minutes mins

Total Time 38 minutes mins

My Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe is a holiday staple that can be baked into any festive shape you like!

Author: Gemma Stafford

Servings: 30 -40 cookies

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cups (6oz/170g) butter, cubes and cold
  • 1 cups (8oz/225g) sugar
  • 2 eggs*
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups (12oz/340g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • In a food processor add in the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Stir a little with a spatula

  • Add in the cold butter and blitz for seconds JUST until the mix looks like big bread crumbs

  • Whisk together the eggs and vanilla extract. Pour into the food processor and pulse for a few seconds until the dough comes together. Take care not to over mix. If your mix seems dry you can add a tiny bit more egg or milk. (This dough can also be made by hand by rubbing in the butter into the flour)

  • Chill the dough for a minimum of 2-3 hours. Preferably chill overnight. Also it can be frozen at this stage for up to 8 weeks.

  • Once chilled, roll out some of the dough on a well floured surface to about 1/4-1/8 inch thick.

  • Cut out your desired shapes and transfer them to a baking tray lined with parchment. (this is a soft dough so work fast).

  • Bake at 325°F (160°C) for 18-20 minutes or until a light golden brown. Set aside to cool.

  • Decorate withroyal icing if you wish and store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

Recipe Notes

*Eggs: To replace eggs in this recipe the best substitute would be condensed milk. Reference my Egg Substitute Chart for the amounts.

Subscribe

557 Comments

most useful

newestoldest

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe (with Video) - Bigger Bolder Baking (9)

Angelique

4 years ago

Hi Gemma, can I use cake flour instead of all purpose flour ?

8

Reply

View Replies (1)

Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe (with Video) - Bigger Bolder Baking (10)

Heidy Heidy

4 years ago

Hi Gemma,
I made this recipe, this cookies taste really delicious… but it was a bit hard to work with. Its really sticky even after came out of fridge. So i can’t shape it well. Should i skip the eggs ? Thanks

8

Reply

View Replies (1)

Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe (with Video) - Bigger Bolder Baking (11)

Rebekah Murphy

4 years ago

Gemma, first off I want to say how much I appreciate you! You have absolutely made my baking abilities go to the next level! I’m so thankful for you! Also, congratulations on your pregnancy! You will be an amazing mother! I do have a question in regards to the dough. I’ve used two different recipes now for these cookies, one being yours, and another being a recipe that called for melted better instead of cold. The melted butter recipe made the dough much harder to work with, but I had better luck with your recipe. However, my dough was stillRead more »

7

Reply

View Replies (7)

Eliane

4 years ago

Truly Best ever sugar cookies recipe Gemma, thank you so much for sharing it

5

Reply

View Replies (2)

Gemma Rose

3 years ago

Hello! My name is Gemma, also! Which I’ve talked to you before… Anyway, I made this recipe for my family this Christmas and it was delish!! I couldn’t have chosen a better recipe:-)

3

Reply

View Replies (1)

Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe (with Video) - Bigger Bolder Baking (14)

Vinutha Rao

5 years ago

Thank you Gemma!!

3

Reply

View Replies (1)

AliciaA

3 years ago

This was an easy and delicious recipe!

2

Reply

View Replies (1)

Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe (with Video) - Bigger Bolder Baking (16)

Anica

3 years ago

It may not be Christmas, but this recipe sure makes great valentines hearts ♥️ I used few to decorate my red velvet cake and most were given away in a decorate yourself box for second graders at school as goodie bags! Best decision ever! At least 4 moms asked for the recipe! I made glace icing too! Thank Gemma!

1

Reply

View Replies (1)

Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe (with Video) - Bigger Bolder Baking (17)

Kanai Yee Chea

3 years ago

Hi Gemma!
Happy 2021!! I’m looking forward to trying many of your recipes this year!

I wonder have you announce the winner of December Bold Baker challenge? Or I have just missed the announcement?!?!

I have baked this cookies so many times and shared it with many friends. They all liked it very much! Thanks for the recipes!!

1

Reply

View Replies (1)

Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe (with Video) - Bigger Bolder Baking (18)

Roxanne Cortese

3 years ago

At 73 years old I have to say easiest to make and roll out and delicious and holds icing perfect. Thank you so much. Merry Christmas from Puerto Rico

1

Reply

View Replies (1)

This Recipe Made By Bold Bakers

161 Images

Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe (with Video) - Bigger Bolder Baking (19)

Anelia

Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe (with Video) - Bigger Bolder Baking (20)

huzaifaarif

Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe (with Video) - Bigger Bolder Baking (21)

JulesK

Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe (with Video) - Bigger Bolder Baking (22)

JulesK

Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe (with Video) - Bigger Bolder Baking (23)

JulesK

Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe (with Video) - Bigger Bolder Baking (24)

Νιόβη Ζορμπά

About Us

Meet Gemma

Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe (with Video) - Bigger Bolder Baking (25)

About Us

Meet Gemma

Hi Bold Bakers! I’m Gemma Stafford, a professional chef originally from Ireland, a cookbook author, and the creator of Bigger Bolder Baking. I want to help you bake with confidence anytime, anywhere with my trusted and tested recipes and baking tips. You may have seen one of my 500+ videos on YouTube & TikTok or as a guest judge on Nailed It! on Netflix or the Best Baker in America on Food Network. No matter your skills, my Bold Baking Team & I want to be your #1 go-to baking authority.

Read More

Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe (with Video) - Bigger Bolder Baking (26)

Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe (with Video) - Bigger Bolder Baking (2024)

FAQs

What to add to sugar cookie mix to make it better? ›

There are a few things you can add to your ready - to - bake sugar cookies to give them more flavor . One option is to mix in some vanilla extract or almond extract to enhance the overall taste . You can also add in some cinnamon , nutmeg , or other spices to give the cookies a warm and cozy flavor .

What makes cookies more dense? ›

Baking Powder. The type of leavening you use in your cookies doesn't just help them rise while baking, it affects their texture and structure too. Baking soda in cookies yields a denser cookie with craggy tops, while baking powder causes cookies to rise higher during baking for a cakier texture.

What makes sugar cookies expand? ›

6 Reasons Why Your Cookies are Spreading
  1. Room Temperature Butter. If it's too soft, it will melt faster in the oven and ultimately spread out. ...
  2. Excess Sugar and Fat. Measuring is key in baking. ...
  3. Mixing Butter & Sugar. ...
  4. Dough is Too Warm. ...
  5. Greased Cookie Sheets. ...
  6. Warm Cookie Sheets. ...
  7. Oven Temperature. ...
  8. The Test Cookie.

What does extra sugar do to cookies? ›

What happens if you increase the amount of sugar called for in cookies? Conversely, when you increase the sugar in cookies, you'll get cookies that spread more and have an ultra moist and chewy texture in addition to a sweeter flavor.

What happens if you add too much sugar to sugar cookies? ›

Sugar sweetens the cookies and makes them an enticing golden brown. Adding too little sugar can affect the taste and texture of cookies. Adding too much can cause them to be brittle. Take your time creaming the sugar and butter together at the beginning.

How to make cookie mix taste like bakery? ›

No one will even suspect they're store-bought (and we won't tell anyone!).
  1. Add brown sugar. ...
  2. Experiment with extracts. ...
  3. Mix in different candies and snacks. ...
  4. Add espresso or coffee grounds. ...
  5. Deepen the flavors by refrigerating the dough. ...
  6. Salt before baking the cookies. ...
  7. Reduce baking time for extra soft cookies.

What makes cookies more fluffy? ›

That fluffy texture you want in a cake results from beating a lot of air into the room temperature butter and sugar, and it does the same for cookies. So don't overdo it when you're creaming together the butter and sugar.

How do you make cookie dough more dense? ›

Soft – Dough that's “soft” or “runny” can be thickened by adding one or two tablespoons of flour to your mix. This will help keep your batch from “Spreading” and coming out of the oven looking like flat, not-so-cookie-like puddles.

What ingredient makes cookies expand? ›

Cookies spread because the fat in the cookie dough melts in the oven. If there isn't enough flour to hold that melted fat, the cookies will over-spread. Spoon and level that flour or, better yet, weigh your flour. If your cookies are still spreading, add an extra 2 Tablespoons of flour to the cookie dough.

Which sugar makes cookies spread more? ›

Brown sugar, meanwhile, is dense and compacts easily, creating fewer air pockets during creaming—that means that there's less opportunity to entrap gas, creating cookies that rise less and spread more.

What does baking powder do in sugar cookies? ›

Ingredients For the Perfect Sugar Cookie Recipe:

If you add too much flour, your cookies won't spread at all and won't be soft or chewy. Baking powder – This gives the sugar cookies lift, without adding too much spread or browning.

What happens if you put too much baking powder in sugar cookies? ›

Too much baking powder can cause the batter to be bitter tasting. It can also cause the batter to rise rapidly and then collapse. (i.e. The air bubbles in the batter grow too large and break causing the batter to fall.) Cakes will have a coarse, fragile crumb with a fallen center.

Are sugar cookies better with powdered sugar or granulated sugar? ›

Powdered sugar has a much finer texture and a higher cornstarch content, which can absorb moisture and lead to a drier, crumbly cookie texture. If you use powdered sugar in place of granulated sugar, you'll likely end up with cookies that are more cake-like and less chewy.

What happens if you use more brown sugar than white sugar in cookies? ›

The molasses content of brown sugar leads to baked goods that are softer and moister. You can still swap them, but you'll need to use less brown sugar in a recipe that calls for white. Brown sugar will add a caramel-ish hint to your baked good and darken its color.

How can I improve my packaged cookie mix? ›

Take your boxed cookie mix to the next level by browning your butter to add nutty, caramelized richness to the flavor. Just melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Then, continue to stir and cook the butter until it's a golden-brown color. And before adding it to the mix, make sure it's totally cooled down!

What can I add to sugar cookie mix that is too dry? ›

To avoid this, try using as little flour as possible while preparing to roll your dough. Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.

How do I get better at decorating sugar cookies? ›

Start by outlining the cookie with piping-consistency icing in any color you choose. Then, use flooding-consistency icing to fill the outlined area, starting by flooding around the edges and working your way towards the center. If the flooding is inconsistent in thickness, redistribute the wet icing with a toothpick.

How to improve Betty Crocker chocolate cookie mix? ›

How can I make Betty Crocker's chocolate chip cookie mix better? With any purchased baking mix use butter for your oil & milk for your liquid. It will add richness to your desserts. A *pinch* of salt can pop the flavor.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Reed Wilderman

Last Updated:

Views: 6614

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (52 voted)

Reviews: 91% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Reed Wilderman

Birthday: 1992-06-14

Address: 998 Estell Village, Lake Oscarberg, SD 48713-6877

Phone: +21813267449721

Job: Technology Engineer

Hobby: Swimming, Do it yourself, Beekeeping, Lapidary, Cosplaying, Hiking, Graffiti

Introduction: My name is Reed Wilderman, I am a faithful, bright, lucky, adventurous, lively, rich, vast person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.