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Wondering how to make soft and chewy sugar cookies? Then you have to try this easy recipe. These simple sugar cookies don’t need to be chilled and stay wonderfully soft & 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 soft drop sugar cookies like these are perfect year-round.
As with any classic, simple cookie that doesn’t hide behind frosting or anything, it really needs to be just right. That’s these cookies – they’re soft and chewy for days, my friends.
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.
So 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.
- 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 want to keep eating them all!
In addition to all of the above, these sugar cookies have another major bonus – the dough doesn’t need to be chilled!
That’s right – there is no need for chilling the cookie dough or even pressing the balls flat. They spread perfectly on their own. These two features make these cookies perfect for spur-of-the-moment baking!
Before we get into how to make this cookie recipe in particular, 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 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!
Tips for Success
Although these soft sugar cookies are super easy to make, there are a few simple tricks you can use to make sure that your cookies come out perfectly. Here’s what I recommend:
- 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.
- 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 How To Make Them
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 recipe. These cookies require no chilling, are easy to make, and stay wonderfully soft and chewy for DAYS!
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
Categories
Enjoy!
Omg. I made these today and they were so easy and delicious! After mixing all the ingredients, the dough was a bit more crumbly than I expected, but when I used the rubber spatula as instructed to form into a ball, the dough looked (to me) as it should! In my oven, 7 minutes was too little time (way too soft and barely light brown on the edges although tasty when I tested one!), so I increased the time by 1-2-minute increments until about 14-15 minutes, which was perfect – soft & chewy and just the right golden brown color. This recipe is a keeper!
I think the recipe tastes delicious, but my cookies turn out ‘plump’, therefore have a hard time cooking through. Next time I’m going to omit the baking powder. Wish me luck
It honestly sounds like you’ve added a little too much flour to the cookies. I don’t think removing the baking powder will help.
I was looking for a no-freeze sugar cookie recipe and this one EXCEEDED my expectations. They are the perfect texture, perfect flavor, and the proportions of the two types of sugar makes the flavor truly amazing. PS: Thanks for the tip about how to know when the butter is the right temperature. I tried a different recipe before yours, and they didn’t spread — now I know that it was because my butter was too cold. Thank you again!
So glad you were happy with them!
Made these once with the exact directions & another time with sprinkles on top. Success with both batches. Such a simple, yet delicious, recipe. Thank you! My son and I have enjoyed the ease of this recipe 🙂
So glad to hear you’ve enjoyed them!
Made a double batch of these this morning. I added rainbow sprinkles for a pop of color. They held shape wonderfully & baked just as well. They flattened a bit as they cooled a bit which was great. This is a very simple to make & bake recipe! You can add anything you desire to the dough ( sprinkles, dried fruit or nuts) & they still bake well. I’m a lead cook at a local senior center so I serve a lot of people on a daily basis. I’m always looking for a quick & easy dessert & these cookies are perfect!! They make great ice cream sandwiches…. A double batch made 72 one ounce cookies. I used a Ice cream scoop so they were all equal size.
I love these cookies! However. Mine turned out crumbly? They are soft but crumble apart. I did use half home made butter and the other half store bought I wonder if that did it? Not sure I measured everything in grams. Any ideas?
I have never used homemade butter, so I can’t really say. If they are crumbly, it sounds like there’s a lack of fat, which butter usually provides. So the butter is a possibility.
Hi Lindsay, I left a comment and for some reason I am not seeing it anymore. I was asking you that if I send a dozen of these cookies to my daughter in Texas would they be okay to mail? Also how would she store them? How long is the shelf life? It will take approximately 2 to 3 days for her to get them. I will be mailing them out the day after I make them. Thank you Jana
I don’t really see an issue with mailing them, per-se. But they are fairly tender in my experience, so you’ll want to wrap them well so they don’t break a bunch. Plus, the heat softens things and that might not be ideal when they’re shipped – they’re more likely to break apart. Once she has them, just store in an air tight container. The cookies are best for 2-3 days generally.
Best sugar cookie recipe ever!! I followed the recipe almost perfect.. the only thing I did different was make the cookies about 2 Tbsp for each cookie. It took approximately 18 minutes to bake a dozen at 2 Tbsp for each cookie. I like a bigger cookie. Next time I will probably make them smaller. lol They turned out perfect. They rolled into a ball nicely and tasted like heaven!! I placed a raisin in the center of each ball. They spread perfectly too. Excellent recipe. I will use this recipe for my only sugar cookie recipe from now on. Thank you so much.
One question though.. I want to mail a dozen in a care package to my daughter in Texas. Will they be okay to mail? She would be getting them in approximately 2 to 3 days. Once she gets them how long will they keep once she gets them. How would she store them?
Thank again. I love your recipes. They are the best!!
Jana/Mount Morris Michigan
Wow. Worth it. Mine did not spread either, but I changed the recipe. I had leftover pistachio jello mix from moms b cake. So I only put 1 cup sugar, no brown sugar, added almost 5 Tbsp of P. Pudding jello mix. The first batch about 8 mins, came out soft chewy and fluffy. Perfect. I started smashing a little and my error to ling in oven, dried out a little. But they were still sooooooo good. Will be making lemon pudding jello mix next week. I did stop dipping them in sugar because after tasty one. It was too sweet for me. My batch made 43 cookies and they were big. Side note do not frig. I like a clean service before I bake, plus apt only 620 sq ft, so I popped in frig for 10 mins. Starts drying out. This recipe cant handle frig. Next time I’m going to roll dough in log and just slice it. No need to roll in balls. Dough is real wonderful to work with. Great recipe
Not only did they stay chewy and soft until the next day (we ate them ALL by then lol), they TASTED like they were from a bakery. So good. I’ve never found another sugar cookie recipe that lives up to these
These cookies are awesome!!!!!! I had to bake them 20 mins in my oven. The whole family love’s them. Thank you for this recipe.
Lindsay, these are the best sugar cookies I have ever made and were beautiful. Thank you so much for the recipe:)
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
These are my go to cookies for all the kids parties. All the kids and adults love them and they are fun to decorate with different sprinkles with the kids. Thank you so much,
Hi! Haven’t tried the recipe yet but was wondering if it would be okay to use a hand mixer with a whisk attachment instead of a paddle because that’s all I have! Also, I just have regular sugar, not granulated. Would that be okay?
I wouldn’t think the whisk attachment would be very effective. As for the sugar, to me granulated sugar is regular sugar, so what kind of sugar are you referring to?
Whoops, sorry! For some reason I had thought granulated sugar was different from regular, so thank you for that correction!
I used a hand mixer, with a tea towel for sugar guard(ha!). The dough was a little sandy, but came together fine, when I rolled them. They turned our perfectly!
I just have to comment, this are wonderful! I just measured the ingredients, didn’t weigh anything and was out of baking powder so used cream of tartar, best sugar cookies ever!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
These cookies were so delicious. They were really soft and chewy. I added bit too much flour because I packed it into the measuring cup and I realized this once I finished the dough as it was a bit crumbly. I pressed the cookie down so it could spread, but it was still a delightful cookie. Thank you so much for this recipe!
I made these cookies, and Oh My Goodness, they are delicious! I halved the recipe as I didn’t want 30 cookies, but now I wish I hadn’t. As a family of 4, we ate these up. I highly suggest this recipe to anyone wanting some sugar cookies.
Side note: I found this recipe on Pinterest; however, after making them, I wanted to leave a review. That is when I realized I was reading your fertility stories just weeks ago! The world is so big yet so small. Congrats on your addition.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! And what a coincidence! I hope you found the fertility posts helpful!