This easy cut out cookie recipe requires no chilling! It makes the perfect cutout cookies for Christmas or any other holiday. They're adorable and delicious, with or without frosting!
My Gram’s cut out cookie recipe is pure nostalgia for me. We’ve made them for every holiday for as long as I can remember, and they truly are the most delicious Christmas cookies!
The rich buttery flavor goes perfectly with the sweet crunch of the sugar on top. They're soft in the center, with crispy edges, making for the most delightful texture!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- No-chill dough. No more waiting for hours for the dough to chill in the fridge. This recipe is much quicker to make!
- Customizable for any occasion. While Christmas cut outs are the most popular, there are literally thousands of different cookie cutter shapes to choose from. You can make sugar cookie bunnies for Easter, flags for the 4th of July, hearts for Valentines Day - you name it!
- Both the dough and the baked cut out cookies are freezable.
Ingredients
You will only need 7 basic ingredients to make the sugar cookie dough.
- salted butter - I prefer to bake with salted butter, but if all you have is unsalted, that's fine. Just add a small pinch of salt to the bowl of dough when you add the flour.
- white sugar
- large egg
- milk - Any variety of milk will work - even non-dairy substitutes are fine!
- vanilla extract
- all purpose flour - For gluten free cut out sugar cookies, swap out the AP flour for a cup-for-cup gluten free all-purpose flour.
- baking powder
- For decorating (optional) - This recipe doesn't include frosting. So, if you'd like to color the cookie dough instead, you'll need a few drops of liquid or gel coloring.
Supplies for Making Sugar Cookie Cut Outs
- Rolling Pin: It's really important that the dough be rolled out rather than pressed with your warm fingers. Using a rolling pin ensures that the dough stays cool enough to bake right away.
This rolling pin has removable discs on each side that allow you to control the thickness of the dough. No guessing or rolling some cookies out too thin or too thick. - Stand Mixer or Electric Hand Mixer: To properly cream the butter and sugar together, it's best to use an electric mixer of some sort.
- Thin metal or silicone spatula. I prefer metal because it's easier to slip underneath the cookie dough.
- Parchment paper: My Gram likes to grease her baking sheets, but I think lining them with paper helps to prevent the dough from spreading too much.
- Cookie Cutters: You can use this recipe with any cookie cutters you like. Check out these Easter Cookies and St Patrick's Day Cookies. If you don't have cookie cutters, you can make my recipe for Classic Sugar Cookies instead.
- Sprinkles: Use any type of jimmies or colored sprinkles you like.
How to Make the No Chill Sugar Cookie Dough
This is just a summary of steps. The complete recipe instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post ⬇️
- Cream the butter and sugar together.
- Incorporate the remaining wet ingredients. Add the egg and vanilla extract, then mix on medium-high speed.
- Lightly dust your work surface and dough with flour.
- Roll out the cookie dough. Aim for a thickness of ¼ to ⅙th of an inch. Thicker dough results in soft sugar cookies, while thinner dough results in crispy cut out cookies.
Liz's Tips for the Best Cutouts
- Use flour when rolling out the dough. Make sure to flour your work surface and the top of the dough/rolling pin very well when rolling out the cookie dough. Otherwise, the dough will stick/be difficult to transfer to the baking sheet.
- Prevent waste by re-rolling dough to cut out more cookies! After cutting the dough into shapes, gather up the scraps and form them into a ball. Then, re-roll and cut out more sugar cookies.
- If the temperature in your kitchen is above 75°F., you might want to chill the dough before baking. Otherwise, it may spread more than you'd like.
- Do you want frosted sugar cookie cutouts? To keep things as simple and mess-free as possible, I prefer to use sprinkles instead of frosting. If you want to frost your sugar cookies, check out these frosted Christmas cookie recipes.
Creating and Baking the Cut Out Sugar Cookies
- Use a thin metal spatula to transfer cut outs to the cookie sheet. Be sure to leave some space between each cookie.
- Allow the baked sugar cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes. Then, carefully transfer them to a wire cooling rack, to cool completely.
Decorating Ideas
You can decorate your Christmas cookies however you'd like. Here are some suggestions:
- Food Coloring- You can keep the cookies white and add sprinkles, or color them with food coloring.
- Colored Sugar - We used classic colored sugar on these cookies
- Sprinkles - You can use regular sprinkles on these cookies
- Royal Icing- We don't use royal icing but you can! Here's a link to a royal icing recipe.
- Powdered Sugar Icing: Mix powdered sugar and milk until it's thick. You can dye it with food coloring and use a piping bag (or Ziploc bag) to ice. 1 cup of powdered sugar to 1-2 tablespoons of milk. Add more milk until it's thick but only add a TINY bit because it gets thin quickly!
Storing Sugar Cookie Dough
How long do sugar cookies stay fresh? You can store these cookies for up to a week in an airtight container at room temperature.
Freezing: You can freeze these the dough and/or the baked cookies for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container. Thaw the dough completely before rolling it out.
To freeze sugar cookie dough, press the ball into a disc shape. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then place it in a freezer-friendly container. When you’re ready, thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight, roll and bake!
Cut Out Cookie Recipe FAQs
What is the best thickness for cutout cookies?
The best thickness for cutout cookies will depend on the recipe. I recommend ¼ to ⅙th of an inch.
Should you refrigerate cut out cookies before baking?
You shouldn't need to refrigerate this sugar cookie dough before baking! If your cut out cookies are spreading too much in the oven, you can chill the next batch before baking. Place the cutouts on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
Can this recipe be doubled?
As written, this recipe makes about 6 dozen cookies. Feel free to double the recipe, but that's a lot of cut out sugar cookies!
Other Easy Holiday Cookie Recipes
- Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies
- Peppermint Sugar Cookies
- Spritz Cookies
- Lemon Cool Whip Cookies
- Lemon Drop Cookies
- Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
- Raspberry Linzer Cookies
Cut Out Cookie Recipe with No-Chill Dough
This quick cut out cookie recipe makes perfect sugar cookies for Christmas and other holidays. The no-chill dough doesn't spread!
Print
Pin
Rate
Servings: 72 cookies
Calories: 54kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter softened (2 sticks)
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 drops food coloring optional - may need more
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a mixing bowl and electric hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until pale yellow and creamy.
- Add egg, milk and vanilla extract and mix on medium speed until well combined. Add food coloring, if using.
- Stir in flour and baking powder until just combined. Do not over mix the dough.
- On a floured surface, roll the dough to a thickness of ¼ - ⅙-inch. I recommend using this rolling pin for perfectly rolled cookies.
- Use your favorite cookie cutter shapes to cut out the dough. Use a thin metal spatula to transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with colored sugar or sprinkles, if desired.
- Bake in preheated oven for 5-8 minutes, until lightly browned on edges.
- Helpful Tip: Add a piece of scrap dough to your cookie sheet. You can lift this scrap piece to check if the bottom of your cookies is golden brown rather than damaging one of your perfect cut out cookies!
- Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 3-4 minutes, until they’re firm, then move to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks for freshness!
- Note: Once you roll the dough/put your cookies on the sheet, gather your scraps, form into a ball. Roll it out again and cut out more sugar cookies. Don’t waste!
Helpful Notes and Tips From Liz
Gram's Cookie Baking Tip: Add a piece of scrap dough to your cookie sheet. You can lift this scrap piece to check if the bottom of your cookies is golden brown rather than damaging one of your perfect cut out cookies!
Watch when baking! These go from perfectly golden brown to burnt quickly!
Measure your ingredients correctly - It is super important to measure your ingredients correctly, specifically the flour! Check out this tutorial on how to measure flour correctly.
Use flour when rolling out the dough. Make sure to flour your work surface and the top of the dough/rolling pin when rolling out the cookie dough. Otherwise the dough will stick/be difficult to transfer the cut out cookies to a baking sheet
How long can you keep cut out sugar cookies? Up to 2 weeks if stored correctly. These cookies stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks (if you don't eat them all before then!)
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 54kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 30mg | Potassium: 8mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 83IU | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Morgan
This recipe was perfect for making with my 3 year old since we didn’t have to wait for the dough to chill and it was easy to roll out (since it wasn’t cold and hard!) So delicious and soft too! We bake for 5 minutes. Will be my go-to sugar cookie recipe from now on!
April Stuart
So easy. No altitude adjustments or Fridge time needed. I hadn't made sugar cookies in 20+yrs. This yr Christmas 2025 I decided I would give it a try. Before that I'd only known the old way that ment I had to adjust for altitude and was a lot of work. I didn't change anything. I was so grateful to have found this recipe. They were perfect. it was so easy that I'm making more to give my neighbors and close friends and family along with other homemade goodies.
Best ever...
Liz Marino
I'm sorry I didn't answer your question in time - I am not at high altitude so I'm not familiar with baking there! I'm so glad these turned out well!
Nina
This recipe is my go-to for making cut out cookies with my kids. We've used vanilla extract, almond extract, and tonight we used peppermint extract along with red food dye to make candy cane cookies. Paired with icing or just plain, these cookies are great!
Liz Grey
Hi can I refrigerate the dough and roll later? Thank u
Liz Marino
You can but we don't recommend it! It's best rolled right away! When the dough is refrigerated it gets difficult to roll and can become much firmer.
Becky
I found this recipe while looking for a recipe I could make cut out cookies, with my three year old. We have now made these three times. This is the best sugar/cut out cookie recipe I have ever had! They come out perfect every time, keep their shape, and are sooo delicious!!! The only downfall, is I can’t stop eating them…lol! Thank you for sharing your recipe! You have made a mom and her little very happy, spending time baking together, as well as other family members who get to taste test. Best cookie recipe ever!!
Judi
The no chill version makes it easy to mix and go! Texture was perfect and they rolled out easily. The cookies are delicious, Not overly sweet and have a shortbread like quality to them. Try them, you won’t be sorry!
Liz Marino
So happy you enjoyed them, Judi, Thank you!
Liza
These were so yummy we did a test batch for Santa cookies. Thank you! I was wondering if I could make dough the night before and roll out and cut next morning?
Liz Marino
I haven't tried that. I recommend rolling it out fresh! hope this helps!
Cindy Ralston
My family is having so much fun with this recipe! Easy to make, roll out and they’re delicious!
Liz Marino
I'm so glad you liked the cookies!
Rachel
this recipe tastes great and the cookies really hold their shape after baking - a first for me!
Dana small
By far,THE BEST rolled sugar cookie recipe I have come across! My new favourite.
Liz Marino
That makes me so happy to hear, Dana! Thank you so much!