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Sugar Cookie Recipe for Cookie Cutters

Sugar Cookie Recipe for Cookie Cutters

Here's my favorite, easy sugar cookie recipe for cookie cutters. This is the most popular recipe on our website, thousands of people around the world make this recipe every year!

Baking Sugar Cookie FAQ

How many cut out cookies can I make from one batch?

Yield will greatly depend on the size of the cookies you are making - but you will get about 3 dozen 3" cookies. You can halve this recipe for a smaller batch.

How do I keep cut out cookies from burning?

Use Mesh Cookie Baking Mats (link) or parchment on your baking sheets to keep your cookies from burning and spreading.

How long do I bake cut out cookies for?

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until cookies have just started to turn golden brown around the edges. For best results bake similar sized cookies on the same cookie sheet.

If I have 2 cookie sheets in the oven at once, I like to swap them halfway through, so they cook more evenly.

Should I turn on convection to bake my cookies?

I don't use my oven on convection as I find it cooks my cookies too fast and sometimes burns them. You may need to experiment with your oven for best results.

Where can I buy unique cookie cutters?

The Cookie Countess online store sells over 200 styles of cookie cutters for Christmas, Halloween, birthdays, baby showers, and more!

How do you store the cookies until you are ready to decorate them?

If you're only storing them for a day or two, an airtight container in the fridge will be fine. Any longer, and I'd recommend freezing them. You can read our blog article about How To Freeze & Defrost Sugar Cookies here. 

NEXT: Royal Icing Recipe

 

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Comments

Barb - May 24, 2023

Hello! I was wondering, do weigh your flour?
Thank you!
———
The Cookie Countess replied:
Hi Barb! We typically just make this recipe using measuring cups instead of a food scale, but if you struggle with it, it’s never a bad idea to weigh your ingredients for consistency. Happy baking! 😊

Catherine - May 24, 2023

Hi Susan,

I had no problems at all with this recipe whatsoever. The finished cookies tasted GREAT, the lemon zest added exactly the right balance of flavor. I found this recipe to indeed be non-spreading, the bake time to be just right, and I had no “butter bleed” into my royal icing. I’m actually at high altitude, and all I did to compensate was to reduce the baking powder by 1/3, but that was the only change I made to this recipe. Weighing ingredients might help those who are experiencing variations in outcome; I always weigh my ingredients because I’m prone to errors otherwise! A cup of all purpose flour is 4.25 ounces, a cup of sugar weighs 7.1 ounces, for anyone who wants to go that route too. These cookies came out perfectly and I made six dozen perfectly shaped graduation cookies that everyone loved!! Thank you for an awesome, easy, delicious recipe!! It’s a new favorite!
———
The Cookie Countess replied:
Hi Catherine! So glad to hear this recipe worked well for you! That’s an excellent point about weighing ingredients, and a good reminder to us all that one cup is not always one cup, depending on how you’re measuring it 😊 Happy baking!

Bailey - May 23, 2023

Hi! The only problem I am having with this recipe is the butter is bleeding through my Royal icing. I use a fan and keep the a/c on low. Any tips?
———
The Cookie Countess replied:
Have you tried letting your cookies dry while sitting on paper towels? The butter should bleed downwards onto the paper towels instead of up into your icing. Hope that helps!

Susan - May 16, 2023

Honestly, and I KNOW this won’t be posted. These are the worst sugar cookies I have ever tasted! They are flavorless and taste mostly like flour, and of course, that is why they don’t spread. A good sugar cookie should melt in your mouth with a slight crispness when bitten into. I now know NOT to use websites that only post approved comments and reviews. If thousands of people use this recipe more than once, they have poor palates. I’ve been using waxed paper forever to roll my cookies. Mine are not as easy as these, but everyone says they are the best sugar cookies. So someone else doesn’t waste their hard earned money and dump the the dough in the trash, post recipes and include real reviews.
———
The Cookie Countess replied:
Hi Susan,

I’m sorry to hear you struggled with this recipe. The 1cup sugar/ 1cup butter/ 3cups flour recipe is a pretty standard base for most sugar cookie recipes, with most variations coming from the additional ingredients: flavor extracts/emulsions, baking powder, add-ins (lemon zest, for example). Every baker is different, as is every palette. We are glad you have a recipe that works well for you.

Patti - March 22, 2023

Hi. I recently moved from sea level to 8000 feet. This is the recipe I used with baking powder great success! Soft, tender cookies. Any tips to create this cookie at high altitude? I tried leaving baking powder out but the cookies were dense. Thank you.
———
The Cookie Countess replied:
Hi Patti! The most common suggestion for high altitude baking is to increase baking temperature, decrease the baking time, increase the amount of liquid, and decrease the amount of leavening agent. You will have to experiment, but somewhere in there is a combination that should work for you 😊

Linda - March 13, 2023

Can I substitute margarine for butter and add almond extract too along with the vanilla?

Thank you
———
The Cookie Countess replied:
You should be able to substitute margarine for butter without too much issue, although you would then likely have to add salt as well. You may also want to add a butter emulsion to make up for the butter flavor you lose in the substitution. And you certainly can add almond extract with vanilla! This recipe actually stands up very well to flavor substitutions 😊

Christine - February 20, 2023

How do you store the cookies until you are ready to decorate them? I will probably make and bake one day then decorate the next day.
———
The Cookie Countess replied:
If you’re only storing them for a day or two, an airtight container in the fridge will be fine. Any longer, and I’d recommend freezing them 🥰

Sam - January 17, 2023

Can the recipe be reduced by half? I’m hoping to have a quick small batch.
———
The Cookie Countess replied:
Yes, you should be able to half this recipe with no issues!

Kim - January 18, 2023

Can I use lemon extract instead of zest for same effect? If so how much would you recommend?
———
The Cookie Countess replied:
Yes, you can definitely add lemon extract instead. Start with 1tsp, and if you want it to be more lemon-y, add another as needed.

Sophia Martinez - December 21, 2022

Hello, can the cookie recipe be doubled .
Also , I cannot find my whisk attachment for the royal icing. Would there be a problem in using the paddle attachment through the process?
Thank you 😊
SophiA
———
The Cookie Countess replied:
Yes, you can double the recipe! The only portion of the royal icing recipe that really should be whisked is the water and meringue powder, which you could definitely just use a handheld whisk for and use the paddle attatchment for the rest 😊

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