The Best Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe

Desserts December 1, 2023 | By Kristen Chidsey | 119 Comments | *This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

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This is the Cut Out Sugar Cookie recipe you have been looking for! This recipe for cut-out cookies produces tender, flavorful sugar cookies that hold their shape as they bake. Delicious plain or iced with Sugar Cookie Icing.

Cut out sugar cookie heart with purple sprinkles on cooking rack.

This simple Cut-Out Sugar Cookie recipe will beat ANY sugar cookie recipe you have ever used in the past.

The best flavor. Sugar cookies tend to be bland. However, this recipe produces cookies that are rich and buttery and have notes of vanilla and almond. Even unfrosted, these cut-out cookies are delicious.
The best texture. These sugar cookies are buttery and soft, just like you get at a bakery.
These Cut-Out Cookies hold their shape perfectly when baked. You don't have to worry that these cookies will turn into unrecognizable shapes after baking. These cut-out cookies will retain their cut-out shape after being baked.
The dough is forgiving. Even after rolling and re-rolling, and re-rolling some more, these roll-out sugar cookies turn out tender and perfectly baked.
Rolled with powdered sugar, not flour. This is the secret that sets these cookies apart from all other cut-out cookies. Instead of rolling the dough using a dusting of flour, this recipe calls for using powdered sugar. Powdered sugar works just like flour in the way it helps keep the dough from sticking to surfaces, yet it melts into the cookie as it bakes, instead of leaving it coated in a dusting of flour.
Make-Ahead Friendly. These sugar cookies can be made months in advance and frozen for future use. The perfect way to get a jump start on your holiday baking.
Holiday Must-Make. Whether making Christmas tree Christmas Cookies or heart-shaped Valentine's Day cookies, these cut-out cookies are the perfect festive holiday cookie.

Notes on Ingredients

Ingredients for sugar cookies labeled on white counter.

Butter: Use unsalted butter so that you can control the level of salt in the cookie. And pure dairy butter is BEST. Do not substitute margarine or vegan butter.
Flour: All-purpose flour is best for sugar cookies. You can use unbleached or bleached with the same results.
Extracts: I use both almond and vanilla extract in this Cut Out Sugar Cookie recipe. I typically shy away from almond extract as it can be quite overpowering, but the tiny bit added to this cookie dough makes a world of difference in terms of delicate flavor.
Powdered Sugar: While granulated sugar is used in the cookie dough, I use powdered sugar to roll out the sugar cookies. I know most recipes call for using flour to roll out cut-out cookies, but powdered sugar works just like flour in the way it helps keep the dough from sticking to surfaces and it gives the cookies a nice taste, instead of leaving notes of raw flour on your sugar cookies.

∗ important to remember ∗

Use room-temperature butter and eggs. Before you begin preparing these cookies, be sure to use room-temperature butter and eggs, as they will cream together easier allowing air to incorporate into your batter, which in turn creates a smooth batter and lighter cookie. You will know your butter is at room temperature when you push on it and it easily squishes.

Tips For the Best Cut-Out Cookies

The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect cut-out sugar cookies. However, you will find the detailed instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Chill the Dough. Be sure your dough is well-chilled and re-chill your scraps after they get warm before cutting into more shapes. This will help the cut-out cookies hold their shapes.
Use Powdered Sugar. I strongly suggest you use powdered sugar instead of flour for rolling out the sugar cookie dough. The powdered sugar works to keep the dough from sticking to your work surface just like flour, but the powdered sugar dissolves into the cookie when baked. Meaning, no raw flour taste or cookie coated in white dust.
Roll the dough out evenly. To roll out sugar cookie dough, I think it is best to roll out your cookie dough before refrigerating, as it is MUCH EASIER to manage. To ensure the dough is even when rolled out, my tip is to use wooden spoons on either side of the cookie dough. These wooden handles work as a guide so that your dough will be rolled out to the same depth as the handle, about ¼ inch-evenly across the parchment paper or working surface.
Do not be tempted to over-bake sugar cookies. They should be very blond in color and just set to the touch when you remove the cookies from the oven. Sugar cookies will go from perfectly cooked, to very crispy and browned in a matter of a minute or two and will lose the soft texture they are known for.
Don't reroll scraps more than 3 times. After you cut out as many cookies as you can, place the scraps together to form a ball of dough roll out the sugar cookie dough again, and cut out additional cookies. After that process has been repeated, place the 2nd batch of scraps together. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and roll out the sugar cookie dough one final time. That is a total of 3 times for rolling out sugar cookie dough. Any additional rolling after that will result in an overworked cookie that will be tough and burn easily.
Let cool completely. Prior to serving or icing cut-out cookies with sugar cookie frosting be sure to let the cookies cool completely.

Tray of just baked sugar cookies on baking sheet with sprinkles.

How to Store Cut-Out Cookies

Once the cut-out cookies have cooled completely, place them into an airtight container. If iced, store in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. If uniced, store at room temperature for up to 5 days. It is important to note, that it is best to store cut-out cookies in an air-tight container, NOT a storage bag, as this will help protect the cookies from breaking.

How to Freeze Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

While possible to freeze both iced and uniced sugar cookies in the freezer, keep in mind that iced cookies will not retain their flavor as long when stored in the freezer as plain sugar cookies do.

To freeze uniced cut-out cookies, bake as directed and allow the cookies to cool fully. Place the cookies into a freezer-safe container, separated by layers of parchment or wax paper, and freeze for up to 2 months. Remove from the freezer and allow the cookies to come to room temperature before icing or eating.
To freeze iced cut-out cookies, place the decorated cookies onto a cookie sheet and place them into the freezer. Freeze until solid and freeze until solid, about 1 hour. This will keep the icing from sticking to other cookies or parchment paper. Once the icing is hard to the touch, transfer cookies to a freezer-safe container, being sure to place a layer of parchment paper or wax paper in between layers of cookies. Iced cut-out cookies will last in the freezer for 4-6 weeks.

Make-Ahead Instructions

Whether you would like to get a head start on baking cookies for the holidays or just keep cookie dough on hand for when the craving strikes, you can refrigerate the prepared cookie dough for 3 days or freeze the sugar cookie dough for up to 3 months.

Sugar Cookie Dough wrapped in parchment in freezer bag.

If you enjoyed these Cut Out Sugar Cookies I would love for you to leave a comment below and share your experience.

This recipe was first published in November 2017 but was updated in November 2020 with more tips. The recipe remains the same.

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