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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
Can these cookies be rolled out to be cut into Christmas cookies?
No, they spread too much in the oven. But these cutout cookies can be. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/soft-cut-out-sugar-cookies/
Either this recipe has an error Or I have done something drastically wrong. Mine look nothing like the pictured. Mine did not spread out at all. Little lumps of chewy cake dough. I followed recipe to a “T”. Even double and triple checked myself after the first batch came out of the oven.
I mean this in the nicest way, but if you look through the reviews, the vast majority of people have success with this recipe. I’ve made it more times than I can count. There’s not a problem with the recipe. I would normally suggest that an ingredient was measured inaccurately. If you truly used a food scale and everything was measured right, I’m not sure. I’m sorry.
Mine stayed in lumps too. I rolled mine in color sugar so I don’t know if that was an issue or not. I just flatten them by hand and continue to cook a bit
I had the same exact experience…double checked the recipe and my measurements as I went along, and mine came out like balls of chewy dough as well. Didn’t spread even a little bit! I added 2-3 extra minutes to the bake time and that didn’t seem to make any difference. Strange!
What if I use margarine instead of butter. Should I not use the salt?
I would not recommend substituting the butter.
This is my go-to recipe and everyone loves these cookies! Can I make the dough, refrigerate and then bake the next day?
So glad you enjoy them! You can refrigerate and bake the next day, just be sure to bring it back to room temperature and be aware that they may spread slightly less.
Mine did not spread barely at all…super puffy. I ended up flattening them a bit with a spatula and then baking a couple more minutes. Other than that, delish! Just wondering what I might have done wrong to make them not spread….any ideas?
Most likely you over measured the flour. Slight differences in flour can have a big impact on cookies. Even more than with cake and cupcakes.
Same thing happened to me–balls that didn’t flatten. AND I made this recipe last year and they turned out perfect. It makes me think there’s some small difference in technique–was my butter a little too firm? Did I not beat the butter/sugar mix enough? Something about this recipe is very finicky, because it works great for some people (at least some of the time), and flops for others. I’m super disappointed–last year I proclaimed that these were the best sugar cookies I’d ever made!
If you did not use a food scale to know that the flour was measured accurately, then I am guessing it was the flour. I’m sorry they didn’t turn out as well for you this time.
Mine too. And sorry. I measured my flour with a scale.
The exact same thing happened to me. I tried this recipe twice and they didn’t turn out either time. Yes, I measured the flour exact (I read the note in the recipe about the flour so I made sure of it!). Recipe says cook 7-8 mins but they were still raw at that point so I had to cook them longer. They didn’t flatten at all. Just round puffy balls, they were not “soft and chewy’, and I found them dry. Sadly, I won’t be trying this recipe again.
Can you roll them out and have the same results? I wants to use cookie cutters.
No, they spread in the oven. But I have a cutout cookie recipe you could use and a new one coming on Monday.
I don’t even like sugar cookies but my husband does so Idecided to try this one and now I’m in loooove 💕. The second time I made it my niece wanted cut outs so I decided to try it and YES this recipe is perfect for cut outs. They will be big and fluffy but personally I don’t have a problem with that! I just sprinkled the sugar that they were supposed to be rolled in and sprinkled it over the dough as I was rolling it out
Thank you for a phenomenal cookie!
The absolute best!
This recipe was pretty good except I had to add another large egg because the dough was to dry but over all they were good
These cookies are so yummy. My second batch I added crushed lemon drops and white chocolate chips. 🍋
Ohhh yummy! Glad you enjoyed them!
this is my FAV sugar cookie recipe! they taste so good and not just like flavorless pure sugar 🙂 and they are SO easy to make! i highly recommend giving them a try if you haven’t.
This recipe was so easy…I didn’t have Brown sugar so I added more regular…and rolled them in sugar and sprinkles
Great recipe and easy to make with my two boys!
The BEST sugar cookies ever. They’ve turned out amazing each time I’ve made them over this past year. It took me so long to find a reliable sugar cookie recipe. This recipe is perfect and I love that there are weighted measurements to make it even more consistent. Thank you!!!
ITS SO GOOD! It made my day, it’s super easy and quick.
this recipe was not good
Are the 2 T of brown sugar packed? What size would you say 1 and 1/2 T is? Golf ball size?
Yes, it’s packed.