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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

Sara Collins - December 18, 2023

Help!!! Just made a batch, followed the recipe exactly but they spread out really bad. What can I do to fix it? I live in coastal NC and I know sometimes elevation and weather can affect the outcome. Suggestions?
———
The Cookie Countess replied:
Hi Sara! If you used Hillary’s recipe, it could be that your butter was too soft; overly-softened butter can definitely cause spread. You can also pop your trays in the fridge or freezer for a bit before baking to try to firm everything up. You don’t generally need this step with this particular recipe, but worth trying if you are struggling. I would also just triple check your measurements—you don’t know how often someone accidentally adds too much or too little of something, and it can really have a drastic effect on the results! Good luck!

Jill Miller - December 18, 2023

Hi
I have a sugar cookie recipe that I love! After the second rolling out, my cookies puff UP!! I don’t want to throw dough away bc I have a small cookie business in my home. The recipe contains baking powder, baking soda and sour cream. I really hope you can help me! I love the taste of my cookies but, this problem is driving me crazy!
Thank you, jill
———
The Cookie Countess replied:
Hi Jill! It’s likely the baking powder that is creating that puff (think “P”uff for powder, and “S”pread for soda). You could either eliminate the powder entirely or adjust the amount, and see what happens. Good luck!

Kathlynn - October 13, 2023

I’ve tried a few cookie recipes and this has to be the one with the best results! I have little to no spread! I did use 2 teaspoons of baking powder. I may try 2.5 tsps next time and see the difference. These cookies are a nice soft bike and just the right amount of sweetness!

Alyssa - July 31, 2023

These cookies are excellent! I did just a half batch so I could test out the custom cookie cutter I had made. I zested half a lemon but couldn’t taste too much of it so I’ll do a full lemon on my next batch. I used a dark metal pan and a light metal pan with parchment paper, both at 12 minutes. The light pan batch turned out perfect…just the right amount of softness. The cookies held the shape of the cutter perfectly! Thank you for this easy recipe.

Faith - July 27, 2023

Thank you for the recipe I am a beginner so I want to teach my daughter ‘s and I would love to bake these sugar cookies for my son’s 1year birthday party aspecially a theme party of baby Yoda (gorgu)

Linda - July 6, 2023

Hi, I’m going to cook and ice these biscuits in stamped fondant. Can you tell me how long I can store them for once iced and do they need to be stored in the fridge. Many thanks.
———
The Cookie Countess replied:
Sugar cookies should typically not be refrigerated, as that can cause them to dry out. In an airtight container, sugar cookies (even ones covered in fondant) will stay good for a couple of weeks at minimum. We always recommend testing your sealing process in order to reach a more specific conclusion! 😊

Jill - June 24, 2023

Wow. I was apprehensive to make these because this recipe uses a lot less ingredients than the recipe I have always used. They are amazing even without the icing! I only made half a batch and to be honest, I ate so many of them that I went ahead and made another batch!!!! They seem to be just sweeter than an animal cracker without the icing. Perfect!!!! I can’t wait for my airbrush to get there in a few days so I can play!!!! I also loved the fact that I didn’t have to wait and chill the dough before rolling them out!!! I love this recipe!

Amanda - July 6, 2023

Multiple comments reference baking powder in the recipe, but there is none listed in the ingredients. I made these once and they were a bit harder than we would have liked. How much baking powder would help?
———
The Cookie Countess replied:
You could start with 2 teaspoons and adjust up or down as needed. Hope this helps!

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!

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