The BEST Easy and Chewy Sugar Cookie Recipe
Looking for the BEST easy and chewy sugar cookie recipe?! These soft sugar cookies will pretty much just dissolve in your mouth & they’re perfect for decorating.
Raise your hand if you’re a HUGE fan of SOFT and CHEWY sugar cookies rather than harder ones that have more of a shortbread texture!
Me! Me! Me!
After doing some experimenting in my kitchen, I tweaked a recipe enough to where I think I can officially say these are my favorite: the absolute best chewy sugar cookies. When they came out of the oven and I tried the first one from that batch, I think I literally said, “Holy cow.”
Back in my former life (pre-mom life ?), I used to make & decorate sugar cookies several times a year. But waaaay back in the day, back in high school and college, I’d just use store-bought dough and icing; it’s what my mom always did, and they always tasted ok, so I never had a reason to change.
But, in my adult life when I do almost 100% of my baking from scratch, I decided it was time to have a perfect from-scratch sugar cookie recipe.
However, as much as I don’t want to think of myself as a cookie snob, I will say: chewy cookies are far superior to crunchy ones. I don’t love the shortbread-type of sugar cookies. If you’re reading through this recipe, I think you probably feel the same way, or, you at least are on a mission to also find a perfect CHEWY sugar cookie to add to your recipe box.
And, in addition to finding the perfect sugar cookie recipe, I was also on a mission to figure out the perfect buttercream frosting recipe – specifically for sugar cookies.
While I love to decorate cookies, I don’t want to transition to using fancy equipment (my method has always worked out just fine!), and, royal icing just isn’t one of those things that gives your tastebuds a hug and makes them want to hug it back. Ya know?
However, the hundreds of times I’ve made frosted sugar cookies, I’ve always had to be extremely careful with how I store them and transport them so I didn’t mess up the buttercream.
This mama just can’t be so fussy! In search of a little more practicality, I experimented with some icing recipes to go along with these perfectly chewy sugar cookies – a buttercream frosting that would taste good (a total must!), be easy to work with, AND harden enough to where I don’t have to walk on eggshells to transport the cookies after decorating them.
Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner, friend! And oh my, I just can’t wait to share them both with you!
But, before I get too carried away with frosting & decorating them, let’s chat about how to make those perfectly soft, chewy, and melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies, shall we?!
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Before we get started running through this simple recipe, let me give you a few tips:
Tips for making these amazing sugar cookies in your kitchen:
- My absolute #1 tip for making these chewy sugar cookies (and ANY cookies): use these baking pans. THEY ARE THE BEST. No, this isn’t hyperbole. This isn’t exaggeration. This isn’t me being over-bearing and bossy. This is me telling you, as a fellow friend who cares about helping you make great cookies to enjoy with your people: these USA Pans are absolutely amazing. I’ve had mine (I have 3 – 2 large ones and 1 small one) for over 8 years and they still perform just as well today as they did when I first got them. They’re miracle workers. I sound so dramatic, don’t I? Just take my word for it.
- Do NOT over bake the cookies. I know, this goes without saying. Over-baked cookies don’t produce chewy cookies. But still, you’ll just want to keep your eye on that oven timer!
- Speaking of ovens: use an oven thermometer! I’m blown away by how many people don’t use one – I live by mine. I do NOT trust my oven to tell me the truth about the temperature. The oven thermometer is much more honest with me than my oven. A run-of-the-mill basic oven thermometer is all ya need.
- These stay chewy for a while! Even on days 5 & 6, they were still fairly chewy. I know, is this even a tip? Well, I’m calling it that, because I want to know these things about recipes when I’m deciding between which ones to choose!
- Make sure you don’t skip the step of rolling them in the sugar! This helps keep their shape, and also adds to the texture. Hardly takes ya any extra time!
How to make the BEST soft & chewy sugar cookies
Step 1: Divvy up your ingredients & whisk together the dry ones (except the sugar)
You just need basic ingredients for these sugar cookies! Nothing special – I think it’s just how you combine ’em and the way you bake ’em that helps them to come out so soft and chewy.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- All-purpose flour – yep, just what you probably have in your cabinet! I always use unbleached, all-purpose flour.
- Baking soda & baking powder
- Salt – I always use sea salt when I’m cooking & baking
- Unsalted butter – slightly softened
- 1 large egg + egg yolk – 2 eggs makes these spread too much. The extra egg yolk helps make these even more moist and chewy without making them spread.
- Regular granulated white sugar
- Vanilla extract – I always use vanilla from our local Mexican grocery store. I go in 2x a year and get a huge bottle of it – it’s AMAZING!
So, anyway, onto this step – lightly whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and then set that mixture aside. This helps to get those all evenly blended and helps get rid of any unwanted clumps and lumps.
Step 2: Cream together the butter & sugar; add egg + yolk & vanilla
I always use my KitchenAid mixer with the paddle attachment when I’m making cookies. (By the way, this thing is like an old friend at this point. My loyal KitchenAid has been with me for over 12 years, and it’s still kicking!)
You’ll cream together the butter & sugar for a few minutes on low speed. (Usually on the notch right above the lowest speed on my mixer.)
Then, you’ll mix in the egg + yolk & the vanilla, continue to cream them together for another minute or so, and then you’re ready to match them up with the dry ingredients.
Step 3: Gradually add in the flour mixture
Just pour in a bit at a time – maybe a half of a cup or so – and continue to mix while you add in the dry ingredients.
Once you’ve mixed in all of the dry ingredients thoroughly with the wet, you’re about ready to start rolling these cookies into dough balls.
Step 4: Roll into dough balls & roll in extra sugar
You’ll roll the dough into balls about 1-inch in diameter, and then gently roll each ball into a shallow bowl of extra granulated sugar. Don’t skip this! I promise, it’ll make such a big difference to your cookies!
They’ll come out of your oven so soft and chewy with an ever-so-slight crisp coating of sugar. You’re going to love them!
Step 5: Bake in preheated oven at 375 for 8 minutes
Yep, 8 minutes: no more, no less!
Mmmm. And when you bake ’em on one of those USA pans, I’m telling you, they’ll pop right off that pan!
Step 6: Remove from pan & cool on baking sheets
I’ll talk you through the recipe & *easy* process of frosting these on Days 3 & 4 of the series! 🙂
That’s it, friend! Your turn to go make some delicious sugar cookies!
But before we go, let me answer a few questions about this recipe for you:
- Are these cookies good without icing? YOU BETCHA! They taste delicious all on their own. So, if you’re wanting just some straight-up, bare sugar cookies, you’ll enjoy these!
- Do I need to chill the cookie dough before baking? Nope!
- How many cookies does this recipe make? About 24
More cookie & icing recipes you might like:
- AMAZING Chai Sugar Cookies with Spiced Frosting – this sugar cookie recipe but with lots of spice & a decadent spiced icing. DELISH.
- PERFECT Easy Cut-Out Sugar Cookies (No spread!) – perfect if you’re wanting to make shaped sugar cookies.
- Christmas Cookie Charcuterie Board (w/ leftover cookies!) – have leftover cookies & lots of Christmas goodies? Make a gorgeous cookie tray!
- BEST Buttercream Frosting for Cookies (that hardens!) – a GREAT icing recipe if you want to decorate with buttercream but need it to harden up. It won’t harden up as much as royal icing will (no buttercream will), but it gets pretty close. Definitely makes for easier transport of decorated cookies!
- Easy Buttercream Frosting for Cookies – tastes the same as my buttercream that hardens, but this one is a little simpler to make and it’s fluffier if you want a super soft icing.
The BEST Easy and Chewy Sugar Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks, slightly softened)
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Extra granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together on low speed for about 2-3 minutes.
- While butter & sugar are creaming, use a separate bowl and lightly whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl with the butter & sugar. Mix in egg + yolk & vanilla, just until combined.
- Gradually add in the flour mixture to the wet ingredients until fully combined.
- Roll into dough balls, roll dough balls into sugar, and set them on the pan until you've got your traditional dozen on the pan.
- Bake for 8 minutes at 375.
- Remove from oven, allow to cool on the pan for a couple of minutes, and then remove from the pan onto a cooling rack.
- Repeat with remaining dough for another 12 cookies.
Mr king gave me some and they are the best sugar cookies i have ever had in my life
So glad to hear it! 🙂
Absolutely delicious, highly recommend! 😋🩶
I can’t wait to make these cookies! They were the best tasting cookies I have had in a very long time and we really enjoyed having them at our class Christmas party today! Thank you for bringing them!
I am so glad!! 🎉
Made these cookies yesterday for our life group Christmas party.
They turned out so good & chewy. They were a hit! Thank you so much!
Can I roll the dough and use cookie cutters?
No, this isn’t a rolled cookie recipe – it’s much softer & chewier, so it won’t hold a precise shape. This is a drop cookie recipe (where you just want to have regular circle cookies), but I’m actually sharing a FANTASTIC cut-out sugar cookie recipe tomorrow! 🙂 Check back then!
I LOVE THESE COOKIES! They taste just like the ones my grandma used to make years and years ago.. Easy-peasy to make and done in no time flat. The only changes I made was to add an additional teaspoon of pure vanilla extract (2 teaspoons total) and 1/2 teaspoon of pure almond extract.
Thanks so much for sharing the recipe.
Oh I am so happy to hear this! I love that! I actually just made a batch of them yesterday, too! So funny! I was giving a test run to see how they’d be as funfetti cookies – they were pretty darn good! I will definitely have to try them with extra vanilla & almond extract! I didn’t used to like almond extract very much, but it’s been really growing on me in the last year, especially in buttercream frosting. 🙂
Hi there! Where did you post how to use this recipe for cut out cookies? Thanks
https://theamericanpatriette.com/how-to-make-cutout-cookies-with-any-cookie-dough/ – here ya go!
Made these last night with my family. They tasted amazing and the texture of the cookies was perfect! The icing was just as you promised, hardened just enough, easy to work with and tasted great! My only problem was the cookies didn’t flatten when they baked. We rolled them into balls but they baked into mounds. I had to flatten them with a spatula after baking, so they didn’t have a nice even shape like yours. Any input? I’d like to make them again next year.
I’m so glad everything else was great, but so sorry that they didn’t flatten! I’ve made this recipe a million times and they always turn out the same, so when someone doesn’t get the same result, the only thing I can think of is a difference in ovens, or perhaps a difference in baking pans, although I’m not sure how much of a difference pans would make when it comes to flattening. The only other thing I can think of is using too much flour. Did you pack the flour in the measuring cups, or did you lightly scoop the flour in there?
Hubby put the recipe together, I rolled them half in sugar and half in cinnamon sugar, and boy, are they just perfect. We are at 3500′ in the NC Appalachian mountains, so the temp had to be put at 385. Hubby wanted them a bit harder, so one batch got cooked an extra minute so he’s happy. Now to make your buttercream frosting that hardens, and I’ll be munching them with a cuppa! Thank you for the reipces!
I’m so thrilled! They sound like a delicious snickerdoodle! 🙂