The Best Sugar Cookie Recipes Of All Time (2024)

Now that we’re done stuffing ourselves with Thanksgiving turkey and mashed potatoes, the holiday season naturally shifts us away from salty food and hurls us toward an abundance of sugar. To be more exact, we’re talking about sugar cookies.

As soon as it’s remotely appropriate, bakers around the world begin making holiday cookies, rolling out their dough, cutting it into snowmen and reindeer, and painstakingly decorating them before biting off their heads. But there’s one problem: They often taste like cardboard.

We’re here to help. Over the years we’ve tried many of our favorite bloggers’ recipes, and we’ve been picky about which are our favorites. We’re sharing them with you here, including classics, twists and healthier alternatives.

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You’ll notice several of them are from the same bloggers (ahem, Minimalist Baker and Sally’s Baking Addiction). That’s because they’ve become trusted masters of the sugar cookie. Try these recipes, and no one will be disappointed in your cookies this year.

CLASSIC: Snowman Sugar Cookies

The Best Sugar Cookie Recipes Of All Time (1)

Sally's Baking Addiction

"Whenever I decorate sugar cookies, I always begin with a quality homemade sugar cookie recipe. A recipe that I can always depend on, so all I have to 'worry' about is decorating. My go-to sugar cookie recipe produces soft sugar cookies with slightly crisp edges. It starts with butter and sugar creamed together. Add 1 egg and vanilla (sometimes almond extract, yum!), then flour + baking powder + salt. That’s it. Only 7 basic ingredients." -- Sally's Baking Addiction

Get the Snowman Sugar Cookies recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction

CLASSIC: Holiday Cut-Out Sugar Cookies With Easy Icing

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Sally's Baking Addiction

"Trust me when I say that this is a sugar cookie recipe you need to try. It’s taken me awhile to find that perfectly soft-centered, yet slightly crisp-edged recipe. A cookie that keeps its cookie cutter shape in the oven, has a nice flat surface, a recipe without any crazy ingredients, and a recipe that is easy and approachable for everyone." -- Sally's Baking Addiction

Get the Holiday Cut-Out Sugar Cookies With Easy Icing recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction

CLASSIC: Easy Slice 'n' Bake Vanilla Bean Christmas Sugar Cookies

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Half Baked Harvest

"These are cookies for people who want to have fun making cookies, people who have kids or people who just want a good frickin’ cookie. The whole slice and bake thing takes the effort right out of these and saves you your sanity." -- Half Baked Harvest

Get the Easy Slice 'n' Bake Vanilla Bean Christmas Sugar Cookies recipe from Half Baked Harvest

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WITH A TWIST: Eggnog-Scented Sugar Cookies With Easy Vanilla Icing

The Best Sugar Cookie Recipes Of All Time (4)

Half Baked Harvest

"Don’t be freaked if you’re not a fan of eggnog, you will still enjoy these sugar cookies. The eggnog really just keeps the cookies soft, moist and lends a nice sweetness that just kind of reminds you of all things Christmas. It’s perfect." -- Half Baked Harvest

Get the Eggnog-Scented Sugar Cookies With Easy Vanilla Icing recipe from Half Baked Harvest

WITH A TWIST: Brown Butter Sugar Cookies

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Sally's Baking Addiction

"Traditional sugar cookies have their own distinct flavor. But it’s just not what I’d choose if I had other options. So I wanted to create a sweet Christmas sugar cookie that can stand up to its big flavor besties. And the way to achieve it is to brown the butter. Brown butter is always the answer." -- Sally's Baking Addiction

Get the Brown Butter Sugar Cookies recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction

WITH A TWIST: Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

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Sally's Baking Addiction

"There are so many ways to make sugar cookies and adding cream cheese is most definitely my new standard. A little bit of cream cheese produces a richer, softer, and creamier sugar cookie." -- Sally's Baking Addiction

Get the Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction

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WITH A TWIST: Softbatch Funfetti Sugar Cookies

The Best Sugar Cookie Recipes Of All Time (7)

Averie Cooks

"I didn’t want to have to frost them, so baking in sprinkles was my solution. ... I know people love sugar cookies and decorated Christmas cookies, but I think they’re tasteless and way too hard." -- Averie Cooks

Get the Softbatch Funfetti Sugar Cookies recipe from Averie Cooks

LIGHTER: The Ultimate Healthy Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

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Amy's Healthy Baking

"These healthier sugar cookies start with white whole wheat flour. ... Unlike many traditional recipes that call for an entire stick or two of butter, this recipe only uses 2 tablespoons of butter." -- Amy's Healthy Baking

Get the Ultimate Healthy Cut-Out Sugar Cookies recipe from Amy's Healthy Baking

GLUTEN-FREE + VEGAN: Fluffy 1-Bowl Sugar Cookies

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Minimalist Baker

"I've cracked the code on perhaps the most fluffy, perfect gluten-free sugar cookies on the planet." -- Minimalist Baker

Get the Fluffy 1-Bowl Sugar Cookies (Vegan + Gluten-Free) recipe from Minimalist Baker

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GLUTEN-FREE: Super Soft Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

The Best Sugar Cookie Recipes Of All Time (10)

Minimalist Baker

"Here’s the thing about sugar cookies. They contain lots and lots of butter, sugar and gluten, the last one being a major offender for a growing number of people. But I say you can still have cookies, you just have to get creative and replace the gluten with something else, like a baking blend? Yes, like a gluten-free baking blend." -- Minimalist Baker

Get the Super Soft Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies recipe from Minimalist Baker

VEGAN: 1-Bowl Vegan Sugar Cookies

The Best Sugar Cookie Recipes Of All Time (11)

Minimalist Baker

"They are the classic, quintessential sugar cookie all veganized and tender and perfect, just dying to be frosted and brought to all of your holiday gatherings. Your friends and family will forget all about the gifts and nose dive into these bad boys, guaranteed." -- Minimalist Baker

Get the 1-Bowl Vegan Sugar Cookies recipe from Minimalist Baker

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The Best Sugar Cookie Recipes Of All Time (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to a good cookie? ›

The key is to always use top-quality ingredients as they'll result in a better cookie; it really is that simple.
  • Always use butter.
  • Choose the right sugar.
  • Choose the right flour.
  • Check your flour is in date.
  • Choose the right kind of chocolate.
  • Cream the butter and sugar.
  • Beat in the eggs.
  • Fold in the flour.

What is the most loved cookie? ›

Chocolate chip cookies

What is the most popular type of cookie? It might just be this one.

How to improve sugar cookies? ›

Take plain sugar cookies up a notch with exciting mix-ins like chocolate chips, rainbow sprinkles, toasted chopped nuts, chopped dried fruit or M&M's. Add these after blending your butter and egg into the sugar cookie mix.

Can you over beat sugar cookie dough? ›

First, understand the problem with over-mixing:

The first is aeration: If too much air is incorporated into the butter-sugar-egg mixture of cookie dough, for example, the cookies—in the oven for relatively a short amount of time, and without structural support from the sides of a pan—will rise, then fall.

What is the secret to moist cookies? ›

Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.

What is the #1 cookie in the United States? ›

The chocolate chip cookie is far and away America's favorite cookie This should come as no surprise to anyone who enjoys the tasty treat. More than 53% of American adults prefer the cookies over the next most popular kind, peanut butter.

What is the #1 cookie in the US? ›

1 Chocolate Chip Cookie (No Further Description Necessary)

America's favorite cookie and the one dubbed “the American cookie” is the Chocolate chip cookie.

What is the best selling cookie flavor? ›

The Latest Most Popular Cookie Flavors Explained. 52% of Americans prefer chocolate chip cookies over any other type of cookie. The statistic indicates that 52% of the sampled American population have a preference for chocolate chip cookies compared to other types of cookies.

Can you roll out store bought sugar cookie dough? ›

Just roll the dough into one inch balls and then coat them in equal parts cinnamon and sugar. Then I press them gently with a glass before baking them according to the directions on the package. That's it!

What makes sugar cookies too hard? ›

Over-working the dough yields a tough cookie, which is not at all what you want. The very best sugar cookies are soft and tender. → Follow this tip: One of the keys to great sugar cookies is mixing the dry ingredients only until they're just incorporated, and not a second longer.

Should you let sugar cookie dough rest? ›

"This allows the dry ingredients time to soak up the wet ones, which results in a firmer dough. It leads to a marvelously chewy, chocolate-rich cookie." So yes, resting your cookie dough makes better cookies.

What does too much egg in cookie dough do? ›

Too little egg, and your cookies won't have quite the same ooey gooey chewy wonderfulness to them; they'll be a bit tougher and drier. Far too little, and the dough will not come together properly, and bake up dry and crunchy. But on the other hand, too much egg, and your cookies will puff up and be cakey.

Can I refrigerate sugar cookie dough overnight? ›

Most cookie dough can be refrigerated, well-wrapped, for 3-5 days before baking. If you want to make it farther in advance, freeze the dough. You can either freeze the entire brick of dough or divide it into portions for quick baking.

What makes a cookie the best? ›

The best cookies have layers of texture. A slightly crisp outer shell that holds up to some heat with an inner core that's soft and chewy. Premium cookies taste great at room temperature, straight out of the fridge or slightly heated. Creating cookies in small batches is key.

What makes cookies chewy and not hard? ›

If you enjoy your cookies soft and chewy, chances are likely the recipe contains a common ingredient that serves a very specific purpose. No, it's not granulated sugar, nor the butter. It's not the egg, all-purpose flour, or even the vanilla extract. The simple, yet oh-so-necessary component is cornstarch.

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