Best Rolled Sugar Cookie Dough Recipe
Who doesn’t love a soft and chewy sugar cookie? They are such a fun activity to do with the kids and perfect for every holiday. If you have ever been disappointed when taking the time to roll out cookies and they come out wonky, check out this basic recipe! It makes gorgeous cookie cutter shaped cookies that are both delicious and easy to make.
Sugar Cookie Dough for Cut Out Cookies
(adapted from The Decorated Cookie)
Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened (no substitutes)
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
Directions:
With an electric mixer or hand mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and blend well. Add extracts and blend. Mix salt and flour together and gradually add. Knead into a ball. Cover dough and chill dough for about 2 hours (this step is a must!!).
Working with about 1/3 of the batch at a time, briefly knead the chilled dough and roll about 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch thick on a floured surface. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes with the dough.
Bake cookies on parchment paper-lined baking trays at 375 degrees for about 12-14 minutes, or until edges are slightly golden. I love that these cookies come out soft, buttery and perfect! Yum 🙂
Check out this royal icing recipe via Wilton.com that I’ve used on my Valentine’s Day cookies.
For the Valentine’s Cookies pictured above, I’ve used a sugar cookie decorating technique called “flooding” where you outline the cookie in royal icing with a pastry bag and then fill in the middle with a watered down royal icing using a squeeze bottle. You then use a toothpick to help fill in the cookie. It’s actually really simple but definitely time consuming! 🙂 To learn more about this method and the equipment needed click here for a great tutorial.
Not bad for my first time “flooding”, what do you think?
[h2s_box]Written by Lina for Hip2Save. Lina is a proud mom of 2 small kids who loves photography, all holidays, cooking, thrift store makeovers, bargain shopping, and DIY makeovers. Her goal is to create a beautiful life and stylish home on a dime! To see all of Lina’s recipes created just for Hip2Save, click here.[/h2s_box]
Text “Hip2Save” to 41411 to Get Text Messages for HOT Hip2Save Deals 
This looks like my mom’s recipe and it is the best! The Almond Extract is the key ingredient. It is so hard to wait 2 hours while it chills.
I have used this recipe for over 20years and it is the best. The key if you want soft cookies is to not roll out too thin. I never wait until it is chilled but I cut mine thick so it works fine.
I have cookie recipe that is THE BEST THING EVER! Lol it’s called cream cheese cake mix but they actually taste like chocolate chip cookies just made from scratch. They are made from scratch but they don’t take long or use a lot of stuff.
I’d love to see the recipe please?? Would you kindly share THE BEST THING EVER with us?? Please? Oh pretty please???? 😉
Oops! Didn’t read far enough to see you’ve already posted a link to it! Thanks!!!
This is very similar to the recipe I use. Everyone always raves about it, and I agree, the almond extract is what takes it over the top. No leavening so they keep their shape. Try cutting out a smaller heart in the middle and putting in a jolly rancher or lifesavers candy. It’ll melt, leaving a fun window in the middle.
(pics here: http://bluefield5.blogspot.com/2012/02/windowpane-heart-cookies.html)
Fun idea!
I used Lina’s recipe and put the jolly ranchers inside of our heart cutouts, the kids loved it and they turned out so cute. Note: the purple jolly rancher turned brown and tge kids thought it tasted like medicine! Otherwise, thanks for the yummy recipe and great idea for yet another snow day!
Recipe for the cream cheese cake mix? Don’t tease us!
http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/cookies/cream-cheese-cake-mix-cookies-8.html
😋 they are fantastic! It makes a lot of dough so I made two trays and saved the rest and made another 3 trays!
Sounds great but if you share please let people know there is almond extract in it. Those with nut allergies may assume a suger cookie is safe.
I know this is a silly questions, but what flour do you use? Self-rising or all Purpose or ? Sorry I am a new baker.
I use all purpose for these. thanks!
Thank you!
Anyone got a good recipe for the soft type surgar cookies (think lofthouse)? I’ve seen a number of them online and wondered if anyone has one that works out really well?
I like to add about half a cup of sour cream to mine. Sounds gross , but makes them really soft 🙂
Add half a cup of sour cream to sugar cookie recipe. Sounds gross , but makes the cookies soft. Yummy…
I’m actually making sugar cookies myself right now
I really cant wait to get my grain-free flours so I can bake again. I found a rolled Paleo cookie it even has a icing… feeling inspired it try them after seeing these!
What did you use to write the words on the cookies? I am so making these for my husband for Valentines Day!!! Thank you!
Aw thanks Kim! I used a number 1 tip from wilton along with a pastry bag.
One more question… how does the icing taste with the meringue powder? I have never used that before.
It’s pretty thin and sweet but not too sweet. I don’t think the merengue adds much taste. They taste like a cookie from a fancy bakery 🙂
Is there any way to use another extract in place of the almond? My son’s allergic.
Omit and use a little more vanilla, Thanks!
The decorating is the hardest part…and frustrating. But at least it taste good…just not marketable.
Your cookies turned out great, Collin! And thanks for all the tips, especially on ‘flooding’. I can’t wait to try the recipe.
I finally feel brave enough to try these cookies for valentines day….but my question is, are these cookies sweet enough to eat on their own? My husband doesn’t like frosting and isn’t much for sweets, but he mostly likes to eat cookies either in the morning for breakfast or with his chai tea so hopefully these are sweet but not overkill (although I wouldn’t mind if ;)) thanks in advance!!
Yes! We love them without frosting too 🙂
Thank you so much for your reply!
I just made these (without the frosting), it’s my favorite sugar cookie recipe yet! Love the almond extract flavor in it 😉 and it was super easy. Thanks Lina!
That’s great! Thanks Donna!
Can you use salted butter and omit the salt?
How many cookies does the recipe above make? I need to make over 150 cookies for a cookie exchange.
Made this recipes twice this week. Love the smell of the cookies while in the oven. I’ve tried other recipes but they always come out hard but this recipe is the best. I love how it stays soft even after a few days since I’ve cooked it. The kids enjoyed making them with me and decorating.
Just wanted to thank you, Lina. I have struggled for years to find a good, manageable sugar cookie dough. You just shared it! I made a double batch of dough earlier in the week and my boys and I rolled and cut cookies out to bake this morning. Yum! They don’t even need frosting. Warning to anyone considering making these: they are all too addictive! (And thank you, Lina, for the many recipes you share. Your crock-pot beans have been a go to for me now.)
Aw thanks for your kindness. Im glad they worked out!
Can these cookies be frozen? If so, with the icing on them?