Joyful.

Soft Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

By Martis Guleryan Updated

In short: Cream butter and sugar, add egg and vanilla, mix in flour and baking powder, chill the dough 1 hour, roll ¼ inch thick, cut shapes and bake at 350°F for 8–10 minutes. Decorate with a simple icing. Makes about 30 cookies.

  • 2 hr 30 min
  • 30 cookies
  • Medium
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Soft cut-out sugar cookies shaped like stars and Christmas trees with smooth white icing on a wire cooling rack
Illustrative AI-generated photo.

Why you’ll love this recipe

A good cut-out cookie needs to do two jobs: hold the shape of the cutter and still taste soft and buttery. This dough uses just a teaspoon of baking powder for a tender bite without puffing the edges out of shape.

  • Make-ahead dough that keeps 3 days in the fridge.
  • Rolled between parchment, so no flour-covered counters.
  • Icing that sets for stacking and gifting.

How to keep cut-out cookies sharp

Temperature is the whole game. Rolling the soft dough before chilling makes it easy to handle, and cutting it cold keeps the butter firm so the shapes stay crisp at the edges. If your kitchen is warm, chill the tray of cut shapes for 10 minutes in the freezer before it goes in the oven. Bake on cool baking sheets, too; a hot sheet straight from the oven starts melting the butter before the cookies set.

Ingredient substitutions

Instead ofYou can use
Almond extractLeave it out, or use ½ teaspoon of lemon zest or extra vanilla.
Simple icingRoyal icing for hard, detailed decorating, or a buttercream frosting for soft cookies.
Unsalted butterSalted butter; reduce the salt to ¼ teaspoon.
Iced star and tree sugar cookies with sprinkles arranged on parchment next to cookie cutters

Soft Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

Prep
40 min
Cook
30 min
Chill dough and cool cookies
1 hr 20 min
Total
2 hr 30 min

Ingredients

Servings
30 cookies

Cookie dough

Simple icing

Metric weights use ingredient-specific densities from King Arthur Baking — Ingredient Weight Chart. For baking, weighing is more accurate than cups.

Instructions

Tap a step number to mark it done.

  1. Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients

    In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

  2. Step 2: Cream butter and sugar

    In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, vanilla, almond extract and milk.

  3. Step 3: Add the flour and chill

    On low speed, mix in the dry ingredients just until a soft dough forms. Divide in half, flatten each half into a disk between two sheets of parchment, roll to ¼ inch thick and refrigerate the sheets flat for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days.

    Tip: Rolling the dough before chilling, between parchment, means no extra flour and no wrestling with a cold, hard disk.

  4. Step 4: Cut the shapes

    Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Peel off the top parchment, cut shapes with 3-inch cutters and place them 1 inch apart on lined baking sheets. Re-roll the scraps once, chilling them again if soft.

  5. Step 5: Bake

    Bake one sheet at a time for 8–10 minutes, until the edges are set and just barely golden on the bottom but the tops are still pale. Cool 5 minutes on the sheet, then move to a rack to cool completely.

    Tip: If the cut shapes feel soft before baking, put the whole tray in the freezer for 10 minutes. Cold dough holds sharper edges.

  6. Step 6: Ice and decorate

    Whisk the powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, corn syrup and vanilla, adding more milk a few drops at a time until thick but spreadable. Tint if you like, spread or pipe onto the cooled cookies and add sprinkles. Let the icing set at room temperature for 2–4 hours before stacking.

Equipment

  • Stand mixer or hand mixer
  • Rolling pin and parchment paper
  • 3-inch cookie cutters
  • Baking sheets lined with parchment
  • Kitchen scale (optional)

Tips for the best results

  • Weigh the flour if you can (360 g). Too much flour makes the dough crack when you roll it; too little makes cookies spread.
  • Bake until the tops are still pale. Golden tops mean crunchy rather than soft cookies.
  • Bake same-size shapes together so small ones do not overbake while large ones finish.

Storage, reheating and freezing

Refrigerator
Store iced cookies in a single layer or with parchment between layers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Rolled dough keeps in the fridge up to 3 days.
Reheating
Not needed. Serve at room temperature.
Freezing
Freeze rolled dough sheets or baked, un-iced cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw cookies at room temperature before icing. Iced cookies can be frozen, but the icing may spot or bleed as it thaws.

Frequently asked questions

Why did my sugar cookies spread and lose their shape?

The dough was too warm, the butter was over-softened, or the flour was under-measured. Chill the cut shapes before baking and measure flour carefully.

How thick should I roll sugar cookies?

A ¼-inch thickness gives soft cookies that are sturdy enough to decorate. Thinner dough bakes up crisp and needs less time.

How long does the icing take to set?

This simple icing sets enough to touch in about 1 hour and firm enough to stack in 2–4 hours, depending on humidity.

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Written by Martis Guleryan

Martis Guleryan is the founder of Joyful Home Cooking and writes and edits the recipes and cooking guides on the site, with a focus on easy weeknight dinners, family-friendly baking and clear, practical steps.

Published , last updated . Read our editorial policy.

Sources and food safety references