The Best Soft Sugar Cookies That Hold Their Shape
I am glad you are here. This recipe delivers incredibly soft, buttery sugar cookies that stay tender for days. You can cut these out for decorating, and they will hold their shape perfectly without spreading into flat messes.
- Prep Time: 25 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 155 min
- Yield: 3 dozen 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. This takes about 3 minutes with an electric mixer.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until just combined. Do not overmix at this stage.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until a soft dough forms.
- 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. Chilling is key for no spread sugar cookies.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out one chilled dough disk to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters.
- Place the cut-out cookies onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. The edges should look set but the centers should still look slightly pale. For the softest cookies, err on the side of underbaking slightly.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Decorate with your favorite frosting once fully cooled. These homemade sugar cookies stay soft for days when stored in an airtight container.
Notes
- For the softest texture, use room temperature ingredients, especially the butter and egg.
- If you plan to decorate, chilling the cut-out shapes on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before baking helps them hold their shape even better.
- To keep these melt in your mouth cookies soft longer, store them with a slice of bread in the airtight container.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 85mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 25mg