These Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies take all the hard work out of rolling, cutting and icing cookies but still yield perfect cookies every time!
I love sugar cookies – they’re easily one of my FAVORITE cookie flavors. And I love frosted sugar cookies, but I honestly loathe rolling out, cutting out, and icing all those cookies. It is so time consuming!
I wanted to make a sugar cookie recipe that was essentially a drop cookie (similar to a chocolate chip style cookie – aka, no rolling needed!) that had all that sugar cookie goodness in it without the hassle of rolling, cutting and icing.
Enter: these babies. They’re SO perfect!
Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies
These cookies have a bunch of very simple pantry ingredients in them that when combined, yield the most delectable sugar cookies ever. Those ingredients include:
- Butter: for this recipe, we’re using unsalted butter so we can control the salt in the dry ingredients. Make sure your butter is room temperature!
- Sugar: granulated sugar, to be precise
- Egg and egg yolk: make for an extra chewy and tender cookie
- Baking soda and powder: both baking soda and baking powder help make these cookies extra soft
- Salt: for flavor and balance
- Vanilla extract: for flavor
- All-purpose flour: the binder of everything. Make sure to spoon and level your flour for the most accurate measurements.
You’ll simply mix together these ingredients to create your cookie dough, drop them onto parchment lined baking sheets with cookie dough scoops and bake! I really recommend rolling the cookie dough balls into some granulated sugar or sugar crystal sprinkles before baking for a little sparkle and crunch.
Cookie FAQ’s
Do these cookies need to chill before baking? No, these cookies can be baked straight away after the dough has been made. However, if you want to make the dough ahead, you can chill it with plastic wrap covering the dough for up to 48 hours ahead of time. This will definitely enhance and deepen the flavors.
Can I use a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer? Yes, a hand mixer can be used in place of a stand mixer!
What kind of baking sheet is recommended for these cookies? I always recommend people use light metal baking pans for baking, as they conduct heat the best out of glass, dark metal and ceramic.
Can this recipe be used for cut-out cookies? No, this is a drop cookie recipe. For a cut-out recipe, try my Best No-Chill Cut-Out Sugar Cookies.
How can I customize these? Roll them in colorful sprinkles before baking, or customize the flavors by trying different extracts, like almond, cake batter extract (yes, it’s a thing now!), or a citrus extract. You can also use citrus zest, or mix in add-ins like chopped nuts or fruit, or chocolate chips.
These cookies are so tender, light, soft and chewy – you’re going to want to save this Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookie recipe!
Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1½ cups granulated sugar, divided
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and 1¼ cups of the granulated sugar together until creamy and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Add in the egg, followed by the yolk, mixing well after each addition, and lastly adding in the vanilla extract to combine. Add in the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour, and mix on low speed until just combined.
- Place the remaining ¼ sugar in a small bowl. Using a Tablespoon-size or 1.5 Tablespoon-size cookie dough scoop, portion out balls of dough and roll them into the bowl of granulated sugar. Place 2" apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking time to ensure even cooking. Cool on the baking sheets for about 5-10 minutes before transferring cookies carefully to wire racks to finish cooling. Cookies will be delicate while they're hot but will continue to set up once cooled.
These will soon become my family’s FAVORITE when I share with them this Christmas, and I know your family will love them, too!
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley
Steffie says
Your recipe turned my kitchen into a cookie haven! These sugar cookies are pure bliss—soft, chewy, and utterly irresistible. Thanks for sharing the magic behind making these delectable treats!
Justly says
The chewiness is perfection, and they’re just the right amount of sweet. Thanks for sharing this gem!