Soft Cutout Sugar Cookie
This 5 star sugar cookie cut out recipe is loved by hundreds of families. They are soft with thick centers, satisfying, and hold their shape after baking. You can use all your favorite cookie cutters and still have those crisp, cut-out edges after baking!
A house favorite cut out sugar cookie recipe
Christmas sugar cookies are a quintessential part of the holiday. If you’re looking for cut out cookies that hold their shape for the holiday season, this is the well-balanced recipe!
This is a house favorite cut-out sugar cookie recipe you’ll find. Some sugar cookies don’t cut well, need to be formed into balls to cook, or when they bake they lose shape.
With these, they still remain soft, they’re satisfying, they are straightforward to cut, and retain their shape when they bake.
With this recipe, you get a house favorite of both worlds. You’ll have a cut-out recipe that maintains its shape when baked but is also soft and satisfying. Everyone who tries them will be asking you for the recipe!
“This is a house favorite sugar cookie recipe we've used. It’s incredibly straightforward to cook, they hold their shape when baked, they stay soft and the flavor is memorable. We've already passed the recipe to a dozen people.”
Binky Bell
Why you will come back to these Christmas cutout cookies
We know there are a lot of cut out cookie recipes out there that all claim to be a house favorite. We're here to tell you there are so many reasons to love this one!
- Hold their shape – you won’t have any misshapen baked blobs. These cookies hold sharp, crisp edges.
- Soft and satisfying – these sugar cookies have soft, thick centers with a slightly crisp edge. If you’re looking for crunchy Christmas sugar cookies, this is not it!
- Straightforward to cut – forget difficult to roll out, hard to cut cookies. This batch is straightforward to cut and with the tips we give, rolling them out will be even easier!
- Freeze well – these cookies freeze evenly. You can freeze them before or after baking.
- Straightforward to cook – the plain to follow instructions give you an straightforward to cook recipe that’s suited to making on your own or with kids.
- Great for decorating – this recipe is well-balanced if you have kids that want to decorate or you plan to host a cookie decorating party. This recipe will work whether you have plans to make some ornament cut out cookies or star sugar cookies with royal icing.
Sugar cookie cutout recipe ingredients
- Unsalted butter
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Egg
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
How to cook cut out sugar cookies
Detailed instructions and measurements to make holiday sugar cookies are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
This recipe for Christmas cutout cookies is straightforward to cook! We’ve also included a few plain tips and tricks that will help along the way.
Using a stand mixer or an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for approximately 2 minutes. You want the mixture to be light and fluffy.
Add in the vanilla and egg until fully combined.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Slowly add in the flour mixture about 1/2 cup at a time until it is fully incorporated. If you’re using a stand mixer, you’ll want to switch to the paddle attachment for this step.
Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and place it on a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper.
Cover with another sheet of wax paper or parchment paper and roll it out to between 1/4″ – 1/2″ thickness.
Place it on a cookie sheet and put it in the refrigerator to chill for about 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Once chilled, remove the dough from the fridge and remove the top sheet of paper. Cut out all of the shapes. This is the step you will add sprinkles if you’d like.
Place the cookies on a parchment paper or silicone mat lined baking sheet.
Bake them in the oven for 8-9 minutes.
If you have to bake them in batches, keep an eye on them as you progress. If the dough has had time to come closer to room temperature, it will need less time to bake and they may begin to spread a bit.
You want the cookies to firm up, but pull them from the oven before they begin to brown at all.
Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the cookie sheet for about 45 seconds. Then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Leaving them on the sheet will cause them to over cook.
Once they’ve cooled completely, you can top with icing if you choose.
Best thick cut out sugar cookie recipe tips & tricks
The secret to making straightforward cookie cutouts, especially if you’re baking with children is to roll out the dough between two sheets of wax or parchment paper Before Chilling the dough in the refrigerator. No need to have a big ball of dough in plastic wrap.
If you do this and lay it on a cookie sheet, it only needs to chill for about 20 minutes. When you go to cut them out, it’s straightforward and they hold together much better.
You also don’t have to fight to roll out the dough and a house favorite part is that there is no flouring your surface or your rolling pin!
Be sure to spoon the flour into your measuring cup instead of scooping it. By spooning it into the measuring cup, you get an accurate measure and you won’t end up with too much.
Scooping can cause it to compact in the measuring cup resulting in too much flour. Too much and your sugar cookie dough becomes a sand texture and you have to start over. If you have too much flour, they also get a different flavor and don’t bake upright.
Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe Ideas
Whether you are looking for something satisfying to bring to a cookie exchange, or want something fun to do with the kids, these cut-out cookies are well-balanced, especially during the holiday season.
To gift these cookies, you can place them in a cute baking-themed basket. Place the cookies in a goody bag and put it in the basket with a cookie scoop, kitchen towel, whisk, and fun measuring cups.
You can also get creative with designs. Using royal icing, you can make fun, frosted cookies in any design you like.
Unique designs are suited to the Christmas season and special occasions.
Top Tip
Be sure to use room-temperature butter. This means when you press it with your finger, it indents but doesn’t sink into the butter.
Drop sugar cookies vs cutout
While they generally taste the same, there are some differences between drop sugar cookies and cut out sugar cookies.
Drop sugar cookies are made by scooping the dough onto baking sheets.
Cutout cookies are made by rolling out the dough, cutting it out, and then placing it on the baking sheet.
There’s also a bit of a difference in the texture of each. Drop cookies usually have more of a soft chewy texture, while cutout cookies have a soft crumbly texture.
Drop cookies will often have mix-ins like chocolate raisins, chips, and nuts. Cut out sugar cookies are usually decorated afterward with things like sprinkles, royal icing, or buttercream.
How long do Christmas sugar cookies last
When stored properly, Christmas sugar cookies will last up to one week. That’s assuming they don’t get eaten in that time!
In order to keep them fresh for up to a week, it’s important to make sure that they are stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
How to cook sugar cookies keep shape
If you’re looking for soft cut out sugar cookies that hold their shape, there’s a few things you need to keep in mind.
First, the recipe you use will make a difference. It’s important to look specifically for a soft cut out cookie recipe. Christmas drop sugar cookie recipes will not give you the same results. There are differences in baking powder amounts and flour.
Second, be careful about the temperature of your dough before it goes in the oven. If your dough comes too close to room temperature before baking, you can end up with spreading. The chilled dough is what helps that sharp edges stay in tact during baking.
How long to cream butter and sugar for cookies
In this recipe, it’s important to cream the butter and sugar together for approximately 2 minutes.
You want the mix to be light and fluffy and not clumpy or dense. It will help the overall texture of the cookie.
Sugar cookie cutout recipe FAQs
Products and tools you’ll need to make a house favorite soft cut out sugar cookie recipe
Baking sheet
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Measuring spoons
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Measuring cups
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Parchment paper
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KitchenAid Stand Mixer
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Wax paper
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Rolling pin
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Glass mixing bowls
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Soft cut out sugar cookie recipe storage
Sugar cookies need to be stored in an airtight container on the countertop. They’ll remain fresh and soft as long as they are stored properly.
Prep 30 minutesCook 8 minutesTotal 38 minutesMakes 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 3 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Method
- Cream together the butter and sugar for approximately 2 minutes. You want the mixture to be light and fluffy.
- Add in the vanilla and egg until fully combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. If you are using a stand mixture, be sure to switch to the paddle attachment at this point in time. Slowly add in the flour mixture about 1/2 cup at a time until it is fully incorporated.
- Remove the dough and place on a sheet of wax or parchment paper . Cover with another sheet of wax or parchment paper and roll out to between 1/4 – 1/2″ thickness.
- Place on a cookie sheet and put in the refrigerator to chill for about 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Once chilled, remove from the fridge and remove the top sheet of paper. Cut out all the shapes, cover in sprinkles if you’d like and place on a silpat lined cookie sheet.
- Bake in the oven for 8-9 minutes. If you have to go in batches, keep an eye on them as you progress. If the dough has had time to come closer to room temperature, it will need less time to bake. You want them to firm up, but pull them from the oven before they begin to brown at all. Remove from the oven and allow to sit on the cookie sheet for about 30 seconds and then transfer to a cooling rack . Leaving them on the sheet will cause them to over cook .
- Once they’ve cooled completely, you can top with icing if you choose. Have fun baking and enjoy!
