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I love this simple sugar cookie recipe, especially when I want to do some spur-of-the-moment baking. The cookie dough doesn’t need to be chilled and the finished cookies stay wonderfully chewy for DAYS.
Next to a good snickerdoodle, chewy sugar cookies are a total favorite of mine any day of the week. Unlike cutout sugar cookies, which are definitely a Christmas staple, I feel like drop sugar cookies are perfect year-round.
I tested SO many versions of these sugar cookies. I’m pretty sure my mother-in-law (who watches the twins while I work), thought I was losing my mind. I’d be all, “Just one more version!” and then a week later there’d still be new batches on the counter. But finally, I found the perfect sugar cookie recipe. Everything about these cookies is just right.
What makes this the best soft sugar cookie recipe? These cookies are:
- Not too thin. They are just thin enough to get golden edges without losing their soft centers.
- Not too thick. They are just thick enough to be chewy without being cakey.
- Soft and chewy. These cookies have the PERFECT texture.
- No need to chill the dough! That’s right – there is no need for chilling the cookie dough or even pressing the balls flat. They spread perfectly on their own.
- Delicious! I mean, many cookies are delicious, but these sugar cookies have the kind of flavor that makes you daydream about your next opportunity to eat one.
- And they stay good for DAYS. I’ll be honest, these cookies are usually gobbled up stat. But for the sake of testing this recipe I did purposely see how long they would last and I’m happy to say these sugar cookies stay soft and chewy for days when stored properly.
In closing, these soft sugar cookies are dangerous because you’ll want to eat them all in one sitting.
Lets talk a bit about what makes a cookie soft and chewy in the first place. Here are the major elements:
Baking Soda + Baking Powder
Sugar cookies can easily turn out dry or too cakey. In all my testing, I found that my favorite sugar cookies were ones that used a combination of baking soda and baking powder – and just a bit more soda than powder.
There is nothing wrong with using just one or the other – I have done both in other cookies. In fact, I have an all baking soda Coconut Sugar Cookie that is delicious! But for the straight-up vanilla bakery-style sugar cookie, the combo works best.
Baking powder only = thicker and cake-y. Baking soda only = chewy and thin. A combo = just right.
White Sugar + Brown Sugar
The other big thing here is the sugar. Naturally a sugar cookie is going to use white granulated sugar. It’s just how it is. But part of what makes a cookie chewy is a high moisture content.
Brown sugar has more moisture than white sugar, because it contains a little bit of molasses. You don’t want to overdo the brown sugar here, but I swapped out two tablespoons of white sugar for brown sugar and the result was fantastic. It makes a much softer and chewier cookie that stays fresh longer.
And just a little tidbit about baking cookies – it’s amazing how much of a difference such a small change can make to a cookie. Just two tablespoons! When I used all white sugar, the cookies didn’t spread as much (less moisture). When I used just a bit of brown sugar, they spread just enough AND stayed soft for DAYS! And when I used just a bit more brown sugar, the flavor started to get a bit too off track and they spread more than I wanted, leaving me with a little thinner cookie with less defined edges. So I totally suggest sticking with it as I have it. The best!
The Right Amount of Flour
The other important part of a chewy cookie is having enough flour. You have to have enough flour to support the moisture content, but not too much to make it dry. A tight balance, but it’s well achieved here.
Mine baked just enough at 7 minutes, but keep an eye on them to see how they do in your oven. I removed mine when they had spread nicely, looked just done enough without looking undercooked, and the edges weren’t quite golden. Don’t worry if the centers of the cookies are still quite soft, they will firm up as they cool.
These sugar cookies are the perfect example of a treat that doesn’t have to be fancy to be awesome. In fact, I think something simple like this is one of the most impressive things when done well and right. And these are SO right!
Want to Decorate Them?
Want to add a little something extra to these sugar cookies? Here are some ideas:
- Sprinkles: If you’re looking to make sugar cookies for a holiday or an event, these cookies would be great rolled in sprinkles, instead of sugar. Use any color you like!
- Frosting: If you simply can’t have a sugar cookie without it being frosted, check out my royal icing or my vanilla buttercream frosting. Even my cream cheese frosting would make a tasty addition. Any of them would be delicious!
Helpful Tips
- Make sure your butter is at the right temperature. Room temperature can be a little misleading if your house is too warm or too cool. Your butter shouldn’t be so soft that your finger goes right through it if you press on it, but it should also be able to make an imprint. If it won’t, or it barely does, it’s likely too cold still.
- Be sure to use just two tablespoons of brown sugar. It adds just enough additional moisture to the cookies to help them spread correctly and stay soft and chewy for days!
- Don’t over-mix the dough after you add the flour. It can over-develop the gluten and cause the cookies to not spread as nicely or be tough.
- Make sure your cookie dough balls are 1 1/2 tablespoons each or you’ll want to adjust the baking time. I also found that size to be just right for spreading well.
How to Store and Freeze
- Counter: Store these cookies on the counter in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Fridge: If you want to extend their shelf life, you can pop the container in the fridge. The cookies will keep in the fridge for up to 7 days.
- Freezer: These cookies freeze nicely too! Just let the baked cookies come to room temperature, then pack them in a ziplock bag and freeze them. Thaw them in the fridge or on the counter when you’re ready to eat them.
Watch the Video Tutorial
Print
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Total Time: 37 minutes
- Yield: 30-32 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
If you’re wondering how to make soft and chewy sugar cookies, then you have to try this easy recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups (358g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup (224g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp (233g) granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp (28g) light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sugar (additional for rolling)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugars together in a large mixer bowl on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. You should be able to see the change in color happen and know it’s ready.
- Add the egg and mix until well combined.
- Add the vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until the dough is well combined. It will be thick and shouldn’t be sticky. Do not over mix. Once it’s well combined, use a rubber spatula to help it come together to form a more cohesive ball.
- Create 1 1/2 tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough. Gently roll into a ball, then roll each ball in the additional sugar to coat. Set the balls on the baking sheet.
- Bake cookies for 7-8 minutes. The cookies will spread and the centers will look soft, but should look done. Remove just before the edges begin to turn golden. Don’t over bake. The cookies will be a little puffy when you take them out of the oven but will fall a bit as they cool.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for 4-5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
The sugar amounts are important for these cookies. If you chose to use all granulated sugar, rather than a little brown sugar, the cookie won’t spread quite as much and will be a little thicker and a little less soft.
Be sure to measure the flour accurately. The best way is by weight with a food scale, but if you don’t have one, give your flour a stir, then scoop it out with a measuring scoop. Do not pack it into the measuring cup.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cookie
- Calories: 126
- Sugar: 8.4 g
- Sodium: 79.3 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 16.7 g
- Protein: 1.4 g
- Cholesterol: 21.1 mg
Wondering why the Google ads are directly over top of your recipe ingrediënt…happens with all your recipes…soooo annoying! I can’t figure out how to remedy the situation!
I don’t see that happening on my end. If you email me a picture of what you see to lifeloveandsugar@gmail.com, I can try to see if we can make adjustments. Sorry for the trouble!
First off I love these cookies as does everyone I bake them for! I know you don’t have to chill, but will they hold if I chill the mix overnight! I can’t have a flop with these cookies after so many good years.
Thank you!
So glad you enjoy them!
I’ve made these cookies several times. I find that 8-9 minutes is not nearly enough. Anyone else?? I find 15 does the trick with balls of 1.5 tbsp of dough. These are my favorite cookies, regardless
Ovens can definitely vary. And your specific cookie sheet could even make a difference. Glad to hear you enjoy them though!
Can you roll out this recipie for cutout christmas cookies.
They spread too much for cut out cookies. I would recommend my cut out cookie recipe.
This is the BEST sugar cookie recipe and my go to! Everyone loves them. BUT, my cookies don’t seem to spread too much once I roll them into balls. They stay rather puffy and small. How do I get them to spread and cool to flat rather than puffy?
So if they don’t spread that much during baking, it could be that you over measure the flour a bit. Do you use a food scale?
If they spread fine during baking, but just stay puffed up, is try baking them for a minute less.
I hope that helps! Glad you enjoy them!
This is my FAVORITE RECIPE. I foolishly strayed away, thinking another recipe would be ok. I was wrong. The creator of this recipe has these sugar cookies on point ! Thank you for sharing this recipe ! It will be forever my go to !
Glad to hear you came back! 🙂 So glad you enjoy them!
This is my favorite sugar cookie recipe! My family & friends LOVE them!
Awesome! So glad to hear that!
Can I shape these with cookie cutters? (No luck so far so unsure!) also the bottom of my cookies aren’t cookie?
These are meant to be drop cookies, not cutout cookies. They spread, so they shouldn’t hold their shape. I do have a cutout cookie recipe though, if you’s like to try those.
Can you freeze this dough to bake at a later time?
Yes, you can. You can thaw the cookie dough and bake when you’re ready, or even bake from frozen. If baking from frozen, they just don’t spread quite as much and need a couple extra minutes to bake.
I really liked this recipe I used honey and sugar which was actually really good. It needed more flour was kinda sticky but I very much so. Also add a little cinnamon for a little extra flavor.
Just made these cookies and oh my word, it’s amazing!! I halfed the recipe and did not use a stand mixer as I did not want to dirty anymore dishes 😅 so I creamed it by hand. The batter was pretty soft and sticky so I put some flour on my hands to roll it. After I rolled it I popped it in the fridge for about 10 minutes since I thought it was too soft….With these alterations, they still baked perfectly. Soft ..chewy…and delicious 😋
I’m glad you enjoyed them!
I’m s there a gluten free flour substitute you would recommend for these?
I don’t really work with gluten free ingredients much. Just a regular all purpose gluten free flour would probably be best.
I use gf Jules gluten free blend for baking for my husband. Because it has a primarily corn starch and tapioca starch base rather than rice flour, it makes gf bakes less gritty. Try the cookies with Tahitian vanilla, too
I have a quick question… can you add dried fruit and white chocolate chips to this recipe?
I suppose you could. You could also try my white chocolate macadamia nut cookies and swap out the nuts for the dried fruit. I feel like the texture might work better.
I’ve made these cookies for a few years now and the taste never disappoints! I do have a question for you though. If I make a bigger batch and they don’t all fit in the oven at the same time, the dough that sits out longer has a different texture. It’s not bad, but a little puffier and not quite as soft. Any thoughts on how to keep them consistent??
This recipe is amazing! Made loads of cookies and friends loved them. I recommend adding chocolate chips.
I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Hmm, that seems odd. I might try to refrigerate half of the batch (or more, if needed) and bring it back to room temperature as you’re ready to use it. I’m glad you enjoy them!