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!

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.

How to Make Soft Chewy Sugar Cookie Recipe

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

Preheat oven to 350º F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat, such as a silicone mat. 

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

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.

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

Scoop cookie 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!

Place each 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 press each cookie down with the bottom of a glass to lightly flatten.

Bake for 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.

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.

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 sugar Cookie Icing recipe. A pinch of sprinkles on top is always fun!
• Color Sprinkles Sugar 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.

Other Easy Cookie Recipes:

Southern Tea Cakes

No Bake Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Buttery Spritz Cookies

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

Enjoy!
Robyn xo

Originally published 2017. Updated to include step by step photographs.