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Baking · American

Sugar Cookies

Roll, cut, bake, decorate: a cut-out cookie that barely spreads and keeps its shape.

Hands-on
30 min
Hands-off
40 min
Total
1 h 10 min
Makes
24 cookies (2 to 3 dozen, depending on cutter size)
Serves
24

Total = 30 min active (mixing, rolling, cutting) + 40 min hands-off (30 min chilling the dough, about 10 min baking). The oven heats while the dough chills. If you bake more than one tray at a time in batches, add about 10 minutes per extra batch, and let the cookies cool completely before decorating.

Oven 180 °C · 160 °C fan (350 °F)

  • easy
  • vegetarian
  • christmas
  • holiday
  • cut-out-cookies
  • kid-friendly
  • decorating

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Sugar Cookies
Amount
Units
Oven

Ingredients

You need: electric mixer · large and medium mixing bowls · whisk · plastic wrap · rolling pin · cookie cutters · 2 baking sheets · baking parchment · wire racks · oven mitts

Contains: wheat · egg · milk

Method

  1. Cream the butter mixture

    In a large bowl, beat the 91 g (1/2 cup) shortening, 113 g (8 tbsp) butter, 107 g (1/2 cup) brown sugar, 99 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder and 2 tsp vanilla until well combined.

    Ready when: Smooth and well blended, with no streaks of butter or sugar.

  2. Add the egg

    Add the egg and beat until the mixture is fluffy.

  3. Add flour and cornstarch

    In a medium bowl, whisk together the 300 g (2 1/2 cups) flour and 56 g (1/2 cup) cornstarch. Stir them into the butter mixture until fully combined.

  4. Chill the dough

    Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a flat disk, wrap them well and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

  5. Heat the oven

    While the dough chills, heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F, gas 4). Lightly grease two baking sheets or line them with parchment.

    Ready when: The oven has fully reached temperature (the preheat light is off, or an oven thermometer agrees) before anything goes in.

  6. Roll and cut

    Roll one disk at a time on a lightly floured surface to 3 mm (1/8 in) thick. Cut out shapes and set them close together on the sheets; they don't spread much.

    Otto tried this firstOtto spreads six cookies across a whole tray 'to give them room' and runs out of trays. These barely spread, so they can sit close together.

  7. Bake

    Bake for about 10 minutes (10 to 12).

    Ready when: The edges are very lightly browned. Take them out on the early side for softer cookies.

  8. Cool

    Move the cookies to racks and let them cool completely before decorating.

Swaps

  • Instead of light brown sugar: dark brown sugar, same amount Either one works.

Make ahead, store & reheat

Make ahead
Wrap the dough disks airtight and freeze them for up to 3 months. Let them come to room temperature before rolling.
Storage
Keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or freeze them for longer.

If something goes wrong

  • Cookies too brown or hard Why: They stayed in a little too long.
    Take them out as soon as the edges are very lightly browned, around the 10-minute mark.
  • Dough too soft to roll Why: It hasn't chilled long enough.
    Give the wrapped disks the full 30 minutes in the fridge before rolling.

Good to know

  • Decorate once they're completely cool. A glaze that dries firm and shiny works well with sprinkles or piping.
  • Rolling one disk at a time keeps the other one cold.

Safety

  • Don't taste raw dough, and don't let kids snack on it or play with it: raw flour and raw egg can both carry bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella. Only the baked cookies are safe to eat.
  • After handling flour and raw egg, wash hands, bowls, utensils and the counter with warm soapy water, and keep raw dough away from ready-to-eat food.
  • Baking sheets and oven racks stay very hot for a while. Use oven mitts, and kids should only move things in and out of the oven with an adult.