Best 145 Calorie sugar cookies Ever

Hi there! I’m Alex, and I’m so glad you’re here. If you’ve ever felt the stress of holiday baking looming over you, know that I’ve been there—that corporate burnout life left me terrified of the kitchen! But learning to bake something simple, like these incredible **sugar cookies**, was honestly my first real taste of pure cooking joy. Forget those dry, crumbly disasters that crack when you try to move them.

This recipe is the one I turn to again and again because it’s the absolute best soft cut out sugar cookies recipe out there. We achieve that amazing, almost cloud-like, soft texture while still making sure they hold their shape flawlessly for decorating. These are bakery-style cookies that everyone raves about, and I promise you, they are tested and 100% reliable. Let’s get baking!

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Why This is the Best Sugar Cookie Recipe for Cut Outs

I know what you want when you search for the best sugar cookie recipe: cookies that look gorgeous on your platter but taste like heaven when you finally sneak a bite. That’s exactly what we get here! These are your dream no spread sugar cookies. They bake up thick, substantial, and stay wonderfully soft rather than turning hard and brittle.

The secret to keeping the edges perfect for decorating isn’t complicated, though! It comes down to two things: using butter that is softened but still cool to the touch, and never, ever skipping the chill time. A quick dunk in the fridge prevents the dough from melting into thin puddles when they hit that hot oven. Proper cooling is key before you even think about reaching for the icing—speaking of which, make sure you check out my guide for sugar cookie icing that hardens just right!

Achieving Soft Sugar Cookies Texture

If you’re just like me, you want that beautiful, thick cookie that has a slight chew to it—definitely not cakey! The creaming of the butter and sugar is crucial here; it creates tiny air pockets that give lift and softness. This formula, with the careful balance of flour and leavening, results in those glorious melt in your mouth cookies you remember from childhood. These aren’t just pretty; these are the best everyday sugar cookies you’ll ever bake.

Gathering Ingredients for Perfect Sugar Cookies

Okay, before we dive into the serious business of chilling dough, we need our team assembled! Having everything measured out and ready to go makes the mixing process so much smoother. Trust me, when you’re working with delicious ingredients like these, you want zero scrambling halfway through. It’s all about making this simple cookie recipe stress-free.

Here is exactly what you’ll need for about three dozen gorgeous homemade sugar cookies:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Ingredient Notes and Substitution Tips

This recipe is really solid as-is, but let me share a few little things I’ve learned over the years. First, we use baking powder here, not baking soda. Baking soda makes cookies spread and brown too quickly, which we absolutely don’t want for our beautifully shaped cut out sugar cookies. Baking powder gives us that slight puffiness and soft interior. Also, please let those eggs sit out! Room temperature eggs mix into the creamed butter much better, which means a smoother batter overall.

If you’re making these for a very simple dessert and not decorating, you could technically swap the granulated sugar for a mix of white and brown, but I highly recommend sticking strictly to white granulated sugar. It keeps the color light, which is essential if you plan on decorating these beautiful holiday sugar cookies later on!

Step-by-Step Instructions for Easy Sugar Cookies

Alright, friend, this is where the magic starts, but don’t panic! This recipe is designed to be super straightforward, turning you into a pro baker in no time. You’ll preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) right before we roll out the dough so it’s perfectly ready when the shapes are cut.

I remember one New Year’s Eve; I was rushing everything—I thought I could skip the chill time because I was so excited to decorate. Oops! Within five minutes of baking, my perfect stars and trees looked like slightly melted snowmen. It only happens once, trust me. Chilling is your secret weapon for success! Once we get the dough mixed, be sure to check out my guide on the perfect cookie icing recipe for when these beauties come out of the oven.

Mixing the Dough for Fluffy Sugar Cookies

First things first: grab your stand mixer or a big bowl and a sturdy hand mixer. We start by creaming that softened butter and sugar until it gets pale and wonderfully fluffy—this takes a few minutes, but this aeration is what gives us that light interior. Next, add the eggs one by one, making sure each one is fully incorporated before adding the next, followed by the vanilla. Don’t forget to scrape down the sides!

Now, for the dry stuff. Add the flour/baking powder/salt mix gradually, on low speed, until it *just* comes together. Stop mixing the second you don’t see flour streaks anymore! Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, and that’s the enemy of soft, tender sugar cookies. We want tender, not tough!

The Critical Chilling Time for Cut Out Sugar Cookies

Once the dough is formed into a cohesive ball, divide it half. Flatten each half into a sturdy disk—I always wrap mine tight in plastic wrap—and send it straight to the fridge. This isn’t optional; this is mandatory for making your beautiful no spread sugar cookies. You need a minimum of two hours in there. If you can leave it overnight, even better! When you’re ready to bake, roll that chilled dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. The colder the dough, the crisper your edge will be when cutting shapes.

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Baking and Cooling Your Homemade Sugar Cookies

We’ve mixed, we’ve chilled—now we get to the fun, slightly nerve-wracking part: baking! Heat that oven up to 350°F (175°C). Make sure you have your baking sheets lined with parchment paper first. Parchment makes clean-up a breeze, and it helps guarantee these wonderful sugar cookies don’t even think about sticking to the pan.

Grab one disk of that beautifully cold dough. Dust your counter lightly, roll it out evenly to about 1/4 inch thick. If you roll it too thin, they’ll lose that lovely, soft thickness we are aiming for. Use your favorite cookie cutters—don’t be shy with the shapes! I love using mine for holiday sugar cookies.

Place those cut-outs onto the prepared sheets, leaving about an inch between them since they will puff up just slightly. Now, keep a close eye on them! For these thick, soft cookies, you’re looking for a bake time between 8 to 10 minutes. You aren’t looking for deep golden tops; honestly, you just want to see those edges set and look *barely* kissed by gold. If you see them starting to look fully brown, you’ve gone too far.

When that timer goes off, pull the tray out. This is the crucial cooling advice: leave them exactly where they are for five full minutes! They firm up a lot during this short rest, and trying to move them too soon means sad, broken shapes. Once they seem settled, gently transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Seriously, don’t touch them with icing until they are stone cold—patience pays off!

Tips for Success with Bakery Style Sugar Cookies

Making bakery style cookies at home is all about mastering those little details where pro bakers sneak in their secrets. Even with the perfect dough, things can go sideways if the dough warms up, so you need a game plan! If you find your dough getting too soft while you’re cutting shapes—especially if you live somewhere warm—just slide the remaining dough back into the fridge for 15 minutes. It’s better to work in shifts than to rush it and end up with pancakes!

For thickness, I always suggest using a ruler on your rolling pin, or a set of adjustable rolling pin guides if you have them. Keeping that 1/4 inch uniform is the key to even baking. Every cookie needs to be the same height so they all finish baking at the exact same time. This is how we guarantee that ‘best ever cookie recipe’ experience!

Cookie Decorating Ideas for Festive Sugar Cookies

Once these beautiful sugar cookies are totally cool—and I mean completely cool, not even slightly warm—it’s time to get decorating! For cut-outs that need to keep their crisp edges, you absolutely must rely on royal icing. It dries hard and gives you that sharp, clean line that looks so professional. If you use buttercream, your gorgeous shapes will just get a little messy when you stack them up for your holiday platters.

For simple holiday sugar cookies, I love keeping it minimal: maybe a thin coat of white icing, letting that dry completely, and then just adding simple dots or piping a contrasting color around the edge. If you want the icing to dry hard without fuss, you should definitely check out my notes on how icing dries hard if you are having trouble with it staying soft!

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Storage and Reheating Instructions for Sugar Cookies

You’ve made the perfect batch of sugar cookies, and now you need to make sure they stay just as soft and delicious as the day they came out of the oven! How you store them really depends on whether you’ve iced them yet. For the plain, undecorated cookies, storage is super easy, but you have to keep them airtight!

If you haven’t frosted your sugar cookies, place them in a single layer in a large, sturdy container with a tight-fitting lid. I often put a single paper towel in the bottom just to absorb any ambient moisture. They will stay wonderful and soft for about a week at room temperature this way. If you stack them, I always put a piece of wax paper or parchment between each layer so the icing—or even just residual butter—doesn’t make them stick together.

If they are already decorated with royal icing, wait until that icing is completely rock hard before stacking anything, and then use that parchment paper separator religiously. Decorated cookies generally don’t last quite as long as plain ones before the texture starts to shift, so try to enjoy those within four or five days for the absolute best experience.

Now, if you’re thinking ahead for the holidays or just baked too many (is that even possible?), these freeze like a dream! You can freeze the plain, un-iced sugar cookies for up to three months. Wrap them tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap, and then pop them into a freezer-safe zip-top bag. When you’re ready to thaw, just let them come completely to room temperature on the counter before you unwrap them. This stops any condensation from ruining that lovely, soft texture we worked so hard to achieve!

Frequently Asked Questions About These Sugar Cookies

I totally get it—baking sometimes brings up quick questions right in the middle of the process! Don’t let a small uncertainty stop you from getting these perfect sugar cookies made. Here are some of the things people ask me most often as they follow this recipe for the first time.

Can I use this recipe for chewy sugar cookies instead of cut outs?

That’s a fantastic question! While this recipe is specifically engineered to be the best for cut out sugar cookies—meaning it focuses on structure—you absolutely can lean it toward a chewier result. The secret is thickness and time. If you decide not to roll them out and just drop spoonfuls of the dough onto the sheet (forgetting the chilling!), you’ll naturally get a thicker, less uniform cookie that trends chewier.

If you are rolling them out, try rolling them slightly thinner than 1/4 inch, maybe 1/8 inch, and pull them out of the oven closer to the 8-minute mark. That little bit less baking time keeps the center softer, giving you that wonderful chewy sugar cookies texture, even if the edges are a little crisper. Enjoy that sweet treat recipe however you like it!

How long do I need to chill the sugar cookie dough?

Listen, this is the one step I have zero tolerance for skipping! For these specific results—our beautiful, thick, sharp-edged no spread sugar cookies—you need to chill the dough for a minimum of two full hours. If your kitchen is warm, or if you’re just a very fast worker, you might even push that to three hours. Why? Well, the chilling solidifies all the butter we creamed in earlier.

When the fats are cold, the cookie doesn’t melt aggressively in the oven. Instead, it spreads slowly, allowing the flour structure to set up before the butter fully liquefies. That slow spread keeps the shape intact, guaranteeing you get those gorgeous, uniform shapes perfect for decorating or just enjoying as a lovely, thick, bakery style cookie.

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If you need more tips or inspiration for your next bake, you can always browse my full collection of articles over on the Pure Cooking Joy blog. Happy baking!

Nutritional Estimates for Classic Sugar Cookies

I always feel a little goofy listing out nutrition facts because, let’s be honest, when you’re baking something this delicious, you aren’t exactly calculating macros! But for those of you who like to keep track, here are the estimated nutritional details for one of these lovely, thick sugar cookies based on the standard ingredients. Remember, these are just ballpark figures, as brands and exact measurements can shift things slightly.

If you manage to not eat the entire batch in one go, you can see the breakdown here. I’ve always found that knowing what’s in these classic treats makes enjoying them guilt-free! For more inspiration on all my favorite recipes, feel free to drop by and say hello over on my Facebook page: Pure Cooking Joy on Facebook.

• Serving Size: 1 cookie
• Calories: 145
• Sugar: 14g
• Fat: 7g
• Saturated Fat: 4g
• Carbohydrates: 19g
• Protein: 2g
• Sodium: 85mg
• Cholesterol: 30mg

See? Nothing too scary in that list for a beautiful, homemade treat! These are sturdy cookies, but they definitely melt in your mouth when you eat them plain.

Share Your Baking Creations

I truly hope this recipe brings you the same sense of peace and pure joy that it brings me every time I pull a tray of these sugar cookies out of the oven. Baking really is a love language, and I’m so excited you’re using this recipe to share that love, whether it’s for a big celebration or just a quiet afternoon treat.

Now that you’ve tried the best sugar cookie recipe, I would absolutely love to hear what you thought! Did you go classic with sprinkles, or did you try some wild cookie decorating ideas? Seriously, pop down into the comments below and give this recipe a star rating—that honest feedback is what helps fellow bakers know they are making a winner.

And if you managed to take a beautiful photo of your finished homemade sugar cookies, please tag me on social media! Seeing your holiday shapes or your perfect royal icing work makes my entire week. You can always learn more about how I approach simple baking over on my About Page. Happy baking, friends!

The Best Soft Cut Out Sugar Cookies Recipe (No Spreading)

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I am so glad you are here to make these perfect sugar cookies. This recipe delivers soft, thick, bakery-style cookies that hold their shape perfectly for decorating, making them ideal for holidays or any sweet treat.

• Author: purejoyalex
• Prep Time: 30 min
• Cook Time: 10 min
• Total Time: 160 min
• Yield: 3 dozen 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

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• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

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Instructions

1. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. This step is key for a soft cookie.
2. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix the dough.
5. Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days. Chilling prevents spreading.
6. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out shapes.
8. Place the cut-out sugar cookies onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
9. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are just barely set and lightly golden. For softer cookies, err on the shorter baking time.
10. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before you decorate them.

Notes

• For the best cut out sugar cookies that do not spread, make sure your butter is softened but still cool, not melted.
• Chilling the dough is not optional; it ensures your shapes stay crisp when baking.
• If you plan to decorate, wait until the cookies are completely cool. Use royal icing for the best decorating results.
• These are melt in your mouth cookies when eaten plain, too!

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cookie
• Calories: 145
• Sugar: 14
• Sodium: 85
• Fat: 7
• Saturated Fat: 4
• Unsaturated Fat: 3
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 19
• Fiber: 0
• Protein: 2
• Cholesterol: 30