The BEST Chewy Sugar Cookies Recipe!
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
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.
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 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.
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:
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
Make sure that your butter is at room temperature and not too soft.
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.
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.
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!
Equipment
- Hand Mixer or stand mixer
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
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Originally published 2017. Updated to include step by step photographs.
Hi, if I make these and they don’t flatten out, what should I do? After mixing everything it was very crumbly, so I stuck it in the fridge for a little. Is the dough too cold? Or maybe are the rolls too big?
Just made these today! I’ve made 40 of them 🙂 thank you for putting such a wonderful ,quick and easy recipe! They taste delicious ?
So tickled you like them, Heather! I love making them as well – so easy and so good! Thanks so much! Great to hear your thoughts! xo
Hi, I’m looking at making your cookie recipe, but I’m craving almond flavour. Would you suggest adding some ground almonds in place of some flour or just almond extract?
Jo – Milton Keynes, England
Hi Jo,
I’ve not made these particular cookies with almonds, but the almond extract may taste great. I can’t wait to hear how you like them. They are delicious made according to the recipe as well. Hope you like them! Thanks!
How many does the recipe make?
Hi Reyna,
The recipe makes approximately 36 cookies when made according the instructions in the recipe, scooping a tablespoon size for each cookie. Hope you enjoy them! Thanks!
your recipes are killing me – I have to get your book. Simple but sooooo wonderful! I’m so hungry!! Thank you so much
Aww, that is so sweet of you, Lorraine! I hope you enjoy all of the recipes – and that you find many more you like in my cookbook! I can’t wait to hear about what you make first!!!
Thank you so much! xo
I made these last night! They tasted excellent but they turned out rather flat and a little too soft. I’m guessing it’s the butter. I’m also in Germany and ingredients are always slightly different.
Hi Janani,
Glad you like them! These are a chewy, soft cookie – not the traditional sugar cookie. It could have been a difference in ingredients where you are, I’m not sure. When you make them, make sure the butter and/or the dough doesn’t get too warm before baking. If so, place in fridge a few minutes before forming the cookies to bake. Hope this helps. Thanks so much!
Yes exactly what I was doing tonight left in the freezer for 20 minutes before baking, came out fabulously delicious!
I always read reviews but I never leave a comment. After making these cookies, I thought I would give kudos to the recipe maker. I am a terrible baker and have tried dozens of times to “get it right”. I thought I would try a different recipe as my kids are home from daycare for the next 2 weeks and it’s raining, so we need something to do. I followed this recipe and was so uncertain about the final product in the mixer. It was light, and fluffy. Nothing I’ve ever seen before. I thought we would make the best of it. I was so surprised that these pillow like balls coated in sugar turned out into the easiest, tastiest, and most chewy cookies ever. They were amazing. I’ve written this recipe down for future use and will continue to make them for years to come. ***first time bakers*** don’t be discouraged. The dough is not meant to be firm. Or maybe it is and I screwed up. Either way. Really good cookies. Thank You!!!!
I am so thrilled that you gave these a try, Sabrina! I love these cookies for so many reasons and make them often – a great gift to take to a friend, awesome to bake with the kids, and a wonderful quick cookie to make when guests are coming over!
You are correct about the dough – it’s not a firm dough…but this results in such a chewy, delicious cookie!
I’m so happy you left a comment – I’m glad to know you like them! Thank you! xo
Do you have a recipe that i could use powdered sugar rather than granulated?
I am planning on making these cookies but I am wondering if it will be okay to decorate with royal icing? will they be too soft for that?
These are chewy, softer cookies, Aisha. You may want to use my Cut-Out Sugar Cookie recipe for royal icing. Both cookies are delicious – hope this helps and that you enjoy them! Thanks! xo
I have not tried this recipe yet. They look so much like the sugar cookie my dear mother-in-law used to bake. She used buttermilk and rolled the dough. Do you have such a recipe? Her cookbook became lost and no one knows the recipe. Love your site and always find something to create.