The BEST Chewy Sugar Cookies Recipe! (2024)

These Chewy Sugar Cookies are soft, chewy, and delicious! Quick and easy to make, this sugar cookie recipe produces a flavorful bakery-style soft sugar cookie that turns out perfectly every time!

Looking for more delicious cookies? I think you’ll love these cookie recipes: chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, and cut out sugar cookies. They are all amazing!

The BEST Chewy Sugar Cookies Recipe! (1)

Sugar cookies are always a favorite, no matter the occasion! These well-loved cookies are perfect for holidays, as a homemade gift, or as an afternoon treat! This recipe makes absolutely the BEST sugar cookies I’ve ever tasted!

These chewy sugar cookies are quick, easy, delicious, and don’t require a rolling pin! This recipe makes a soft, chewy bakery-style sugar cookie with amazing flavor.

Table of Contents

  • How to Make Soft Chewy Sugar Cookie Recipe
  • Ingredients
  • Step-by-Step Instructions
  • Room Temperature Ingredients
  • Storage Tips
  • Sugar Cookie Decorating Options
  • 7 Tips for the BEST Chewy Sugar Cookies!
  • Other Easy Cookie Recipes:
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • The BEST Chewy Sugar Cookies Recipe!

How to Make Soft Chewy Sugar Cookie Recipe

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Ingredients

Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.

To make these easy sugar cookies, you’ll need the following 7 ingredients:

  • Butter – I use salted butter, but you can use unsalted butter. The butter should be softened to room temperature.
  • Granulated sugar – gives sweetness and structure to the cookie recipe.
  • Egg – use a large, room-temperature egg.
  • All-purpose flour – use your favorite all-purpose flour.
  • Baking powder – if you store your baking powder in the freezer as I do, make sure to allow it to reach room temperature.
  • Kosher salt – balances the flavors of the cookies. I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. If you substitute with Morton’s Kosher salt, fine sea salt, or table salt, you will only need half the amount of the salt called for in the recipe.
  • Vanilla extract– use this homemade vanilla extract recipe or use your favorite high-quality vanilla. If you like the flavor of almond in your cookies, you can also use half vanilla extract and half almond extract.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Preheatoven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat, such as a silicone mat.

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Cream together room-temperature butter and sugarwith a stand mixer or hand mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).

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Add the egg. Then add egg and mix until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl to be sure the butter and sugar are well combined. But be sure not to over-beat the butter and sugar when creaming it together. Doing so could cause the cookies to rise and fall flat when baking.

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Stirin flour, baking powder, and salt, and combine these dry ingredients. Then, gently stir in vanilla extract into the cookie dough.

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Scoopcookie dough with a tablespoon and roll it into a ball. Be sure not to over-handle the balls of dough as it will make the butter too warm. If the dough seems too warm or sticky, chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, then proceed with scooping and rolling into balls.

Add sugar to a large separate bowl for rolling. Lightly roll cookie dough balls in the granulated sugar to coat them. This adds a sparkly touch that lends a crisp little coating to the cookie once it is baked. While you can certainly skip this little step, I highly recommend not. It is so worth it!

Placeeach rolled cookie dough ball onto a parchment-lined or silicone mat-lined cookie sheet, about 1 ½ to 2 inches apart. Make sure to provide ample spacing between each cookie for the best results.

Lightly presseach cookie down with the bottom of a glass to lightly flatten.

Bakefor 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edges. Allow them to cool slightly on the baking sheet, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely. Place on a cookie platter and serve. Cookies can be stored in a cookie jar or airtight container and kept on the counter for up to one week.

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It is just that perfectly chewy, soft sugar cookie recipe that everyone raves over! You’ll want to keep this sugar cookie recipe on your list of must-make cookie recipes. It’s perfect for any cookie platter, cookie exchange, or homemade baked gift tray.

Room Temperature Ingredients

Room-temperature eggs and butter are incorporated more easily and evenly into the cookie dough.

Storage Tips

Store. Once baked, store cookies on the counter in an airtight container for up to a week.

Freeze. For an easy make-ahead sugar cookie recipe, prepare your sugar cookie dough by the scoops of cookie dough in the sugar and place them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with freezer-safe plastic wrap and place into the freezer. Freeze for 30 minutes to overnight. When frozen, transfer your cookies to a freezer-safe zip-top bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.

When ready to serve, remove from the freezer-safe bag and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Then bake as directed, adding about 3 minutes to the baking time.

Sugar Cookie Decorating Options

  • Frosted Sugar Cookies – Glaze cookies with my family’s sugarCookie Icingrecipe. A pinch of sprinkles on top is always fun!
  • Color SprinklesSugar Cookies – Roll your sugar cookies in colored sprinkles (red or green for Christmas cookies or pink for a little girl’s birthday) for a festive cookie!
  • Confetti Sugar Cookies – Mix colored confetti sprinkles in your cookie dough before scooping.

7 Tips for the BEST Chewy Sugar Cookies!

This sugar cookie recipe is so easy to make that you’ll turn to it again and again. Here are seven key tips to make sure your cookies turn out perfectly every time:

1. Room temperature ingredients. All ingredients should be at room temperature to best incorporate into the cookie dough. This includes the egg and butter. The cookies will spread and become flat if the butter is too soft.

2. Do not overbeat your butter and sugar. It adds too much air to the butter. This causes the cookies to rise and then fall flat when baking.

3. Avoid overmixing once you add the flour. This prevents the cookies from being tough and crumbly.

4. Use a high-quality vanilla extract. I love to use my homemade vanilla extract. It is so easy to make and has a major flavor impact for the cookies.

5. Use a cookie scoop. Use a cookie scoop so your cookies are all the same size and bake evenly.

6. Use parchment paper. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper to help the cookies bake more evenly.

7. Do not overbake. Overbaked cookies are hard and crumbly. Check the cookies at the earliest suggested time to make sure they are not overbaked.

Other Easy Cookie Recipes:

Southern Tea Cakes

No Bake Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Buttery Spritz Cookies

The BEST Chewy Sugar Cookies Recipe! (10)

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some key tips for ensuring successful sugar cookies?

See my “7 Tips for the BEST Chewy Sugar Cookies” in the post! Following these tips will give you delicious, chewy sugar cookies every time.

How to prevent flat sugar cookies?

Make sure that your butter is at room temperature and not too soft.

How to know when sugar cookies are done?

When sugar cookies have brown edges, they’ve overbaked. Once these sugar cookies have turned lightly brown and just begin to have a craggy texture on the top, they should be removed from the oven.

How do you store sugar cookies so they stay soft?

Store sugar cookies in an airtight container or package for them to remain soft and chewy. You can also add a small terracotta disc (or a cute terracotta bear!) to the container of cookies. These discs are primarily sold to store in brown sugar containers to keep the sugar from becoming hard. Soak the disc in water, make sure that it is not dripping water, and then place it into the container with the cookies.

What is the best temperature to bake cookies?

350º F is generally the best temperature to bake cookies. There may be some types of cookies that require a different baking temperature, but by and large, the majority of cookies will be baked at 350º F.

This post was updated on 11/2023 to include metric conversions for the ingredients and step-by-step photographs in the recipe post.

Here’s my Chewy Sugar Cookies Recipe. I hope you love it as much as we do.

The BEST Chewy Sugar Cookies Recipe! (11)

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The BEST Chewy Sugar Cookies Recipe!

The BEST Chewy Sugar Cookies Recipe – Absolutely the BEST sugar cookie recipe I've ever tasted! These sugar cookies are soft, chewy and produce a flavorful bakery style soft sugar cookie! Quick and easy to make, this sugar cookie recipe makes cookies that turn out perfectly every single time!

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 36 cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (226 g) butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups (297 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large (50 g) egg, room temperature
  • 2 1/4 cups (270 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon (1.3 g) Kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon (4.7 g) vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup (49.5 g) granulated sugar , for rolling cookies

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350º F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.

  • Cream together butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and mix until well-combined.

  • Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt until well-combined. Stir in vanilla extract.

  • Scoop cookie dough by the tablespoon-sized cookie scoop and roll into a ball.

  • Add granulated sugar to a large bowl for rolling cookie dough in before baking. Place each ball of cookie dough into the bowl of granulated sugar and roll to coat well.

  • Place cookie dough onto baking sheet, spacing about 1 1/2-inches to 2 inches apart. Lightly press each cookie down. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Notes

Storage Tips

To store. Once baked, store cookies on the counter in an airtight container for up to a week.

To freeze. For an easy make-ahead sugar cookie recipe, prepare your sugar cookie dough by rolling in the sugar, and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Then cover with freezer-safe plastic wrap and place into the freezer and freeze for 30 minutes. When frozen, transfer your cookies to a freezer-safe zip-top bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.

When ready to serve, remove from the freezer-safe bag and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Then bake as directed, adding about 3 minutes to the baking time.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 108kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 79mg | Potassium: 17mg | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 165IU | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Enjoy!
Robyn xo

Categorized as:30 Minutes or Less Recipes, All Recipes, By Cooking Style, Christmas Recipes, Cookie Recipes, Cooking, Dessert Recipes, Essentials, Freezer Friendly Recipes, Game Day Recipes, Halloween Recipes, Holiday and Occasion Recipes, Recipes, Shower Recipes, Simple Recipes, Southern Favorites, Valentine’s Day Recipes

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The BEST Chewy Sugar Cookies Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to chewy cookies? ›

Two ways that you can help make sure your chocolate chip cookies come out soft and chewy is to add a packet of cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix to the batter, or add finely shredded chocolate instead of chunkier chocolate. The smaller chocolate particles will melt faster and create more moisture in your cookies.

What are 3 factors that contribute to a chewy cookie? ›

The ingredients you use and how you shape your cookies both play an important role in whether your cookies turn out crispy or chewy. The type of flour and sugar you use, if your cookie dough contains eggs, and whether you use melted or softened butter all factor into the crispy-chewy equation, too.

Why aren t my sugar cookies chewy? ›

Eggs bind the ingredients and make for moist, chewy cookies. Adding too many eggs can result in gummy, cake-like cookies. Adding too few eggs can result in dry, crumbly cookies. Beat each one in separately and thoroughly.

How do you make chewy cookies hard? ›

One way to make soft cookies hard and crisp without melting is to bake them at a lower temperature for a longer time. This allows the cookies to dry out and become crisp without losing their shape or melting. Additionally, storing the cookies in an airtight container after baking helps maintain their crisp texture.

What does adding cornstarch to cookies do? ›

Cornstarch does kind of incredible things to cookies. I mean not only does it give them soft centers, prevents them from spreading, and makes them somewhat thick (in a good way), but it also contributes to the chewiness factor, which, in my opinion, is the most important cookie attribute.

How to make a cookie chewy instead of cakey? ›

Use Melted Butter

If the goal is a chewy cookie, then you absolutely need to be using melted butter. The technique of creaming softened butter and sugar together is often used for making cakes. And for good reason! The process of creaming incorporates air into the butter which results in a more airy and cakey cookie.

What does extra sugar do to cookies? ›

What happens if you increase the amount of sugar called for in cookies? Conversely, when you increase the sugar in cookies, you'll get cookies that spread more and have an ultra moist and chewy texture in addition to a sweeter flavor.

What makes cookies crispy instead of chewy? ›

How to Make Crispy Cookies. While brown sugar keeps your cookies moist and soft, white sugar and corn syrup will help your cookies spread and crisp in the oven. Using more white sugar in your cookies will result in a crispier end product. To achieve a crispy cookie, skip the rest in the fridge.

Should you refrigerate sugar cookie dough before baking? ›

Chilling the dough is a key step in making sugar cookies, especially when you're making cut-outs. Even if you're tight on time, make sure to get the dough in the fridge, or even the freezer, even if it's only for a little while. Skip this step, and the dough will be sticky, and much harder to work with.

Should I use baking soda or baking powder in cookies? ›

Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies. Since baking powder is comprised of a number of ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, etc.), using it instead of pure baking soda will affect the taste of your cookies.

Should I melt butter for sugar cookies? ›

Melted butter is best suited for drop doughs such as chocolate chip, peanut butter, and sugar cookies, as well as most cookie bars. You can usually adapt recipes that don't originally call for melted butter to use this technique if you're looking for an even fudgier texture.

What makes cookies more chewy? ›

Chewy cookies

Sugar dissolved in baking forms a syrup as the dough heats up. Different types of sugars affect the texture because they absorb different amounts of water. Remember moisture is the key! White sugar creates crispier cookies and brown sugar creates chewier cookies.

How do you keep cookies crisp and chewy? ›

Room temperature: Use airtight containers, cookie jars, or plastic bags to prevent air exposure and moisture loss. Keep cookies in a cool, dry area. Refrigerated: Use airtight containers or sealed plastic bags to store cookies in the fridge. Monitor the moisture level to avoid condensation.

What makes cookies chewy baking soda or baking powder? ›

Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies. Since baking powder is comprised of a number of ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, etc.), using it instead of pure baking soda will affect the taste of your cookies.

How to make cookies more chewy and less cakey? ›

Increase fat content: Cakey cookies may benefit from an increase in fat. You can try using more butter or adding a bit of oil to the dough to make it richer and moist. 3. Use less leavening agent: Leavening agents like baking powder and baking soda can contribute to a cakey texture.

How do you make box cookies more chewy? ›

Include an extra egg yolk.

If you like a chewier texture in your cookies, toss in an extra egg yolk to your mix.

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