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    Home » Cookies » The Best Sugar Cookie Cut Out Recipe

    The Best Sugar Cookie Cut Out Recipe

    May 6, 2023 by Liz @ Tasty Treats & Eats Leave a Comment

    108 shares
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    The Best Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe! This fool proof sugar cookie recipe is perfect for any holiday! Adorable, delicious and easy to make!

    A plate full of cut out sugar cookies with sprinkles on top with a baking sheet on the side

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    My Gram’s Cut Out Sugar Cookies are 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 simple cookie!

    A cut out sugar cookie in the shape of a heart with other cookies surrounding it all topped with sprinkles

    These cookies have a rich, buttery flavor that goes perfectly with the sweet crunch of the sugar on top. They're soft in the center and crispy on the outside, making for the most delightful texture!

    Why you'll love this Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe

    • Delicious: They are buttery and sweet! Soft in the center and crispy on the edges.
    • Easy to make: You only need 7 ingredients!
    • Customizable: Use whatever cookie cutters or sprinkles you like. These cookies are great for any occasion. Perfect for royal icing, classic icing, or sprinkles!
    • Stores well: Last for weeks/freeze well! See below for how to store them.
    • No chill! (who wants to wait for cookies?!)

    Cut Out Cookie Recipe Ingredients

    You will only need 7 basic ingredients to make these cut-out sugar cookies.

    • salted butter
    • white sugar
    • egg
    • milk
    • vanilla extract
    • all purpose flour
    • baking powder
    • food coloring (optional)
    Ingredients for cut out sugar cookies in bowls: salted butter, white sugar, egg, milk, vanilla extract, all purpose flour, baking powder, food coloring

    How to make the dough for Sugar Cut Out Cookies

    1. In a bowl cream softened butter & sugar.
    2. Add egg, milk, and vanilla extract. Add food coloring if using. Stir in flour and baking powder until combined.
    3. On a floured surface, roll the dough to ¼ - ⅙ inch thickness.
    4. Use your favorite cut out shapes to cut out the cookies. Use a thin metal spatula to transfer cookies to a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with colored sugar or sprinkles if you like.
    5. Bake at 400° for 5-8 minutes until browned on edges. Cool on the sheet for 3-4 minutes until firm, then move to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
    Butter and sugar creamed in a mixing bowl for cut out sugar cookies
    Cookie dough for cut out sugar cookies in a mixing  bowl
    A ball of cookie dough on a floured surface with flour over the top
    Cookie dough rolled out on a floured surface with a rolling pin on the side before cutting into cut out sugar cookies
    Heart and star cut out sugar cookies cut out of rolled out sugar cookie dough before being put on a baking sheet
    Star cut out sugar cookies on a baking sheet with sprinkles on top before baking
    Star cut out sugar cookies on a baking sheet with sprinkles on top after baking
    Star, heart, and flower cut out sugar cookies on a piece of parchment paper

    How to roll out Sugar Cut Out Cookies

    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 the cut out cookies onto a baking sheet.

    Roll the dough to ⅙ inch thickness. We love this rolling pin to help control the thickness. You can roll the cookies thicker for softer ones or thinner for crispier ones.

    Once you roll the dough/put your cookies on the sheet – gather your scraps, form them into a ball, and re roll. 

    How to decorate this Cut Out Cookie Recipe

    You can decorate these 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!
    • For the Holidays: Get inspiration from these Easter Cut Out Cookies and St. Patrick's Day Cookies!
    A plate full of cut out sugar cookies with sprinkles on top

    Best way to store Cut Out Sugar Cookies

    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 cookies for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Thaw completely before enjoying.

    Freezing Cookie Dough: We don't recommend freezing this cookie dough.

    Substitutions for these Cut Out Cookies Recipe:

    Cookie Cutters: You can use this recipe with any cookie cutters you like. We use both big and small ones, and this recipe is great for any holiday. Check out these Easter Cookies and St Patrick's Day Cookies. If you don't have cookie cutters, try our Classic Sugar Cookies.

    Food Coloring: You could add a few drops of food coloring to this dough to dye it. This is the food coloring we like.

    Sprinkles: Use any sprinkles you like on these cookies!

    Butter: We always use salted butter when baking. You can sub unsalted butter but it won't be as tasty.

    Doubling: This recipe can easily be doubled, but it makes 6 dozen as is - so that's a lot of cookies if you're doubling it!

    Gluten Free: We haven't tried making these gluten free, but I think it might work with 1:1 flour. If you try it, let us know.

    Butter/Sugar: We can't offer substitutions for butter or sugar for this recipe. I don't recommend swapping with any ingredients.

    A cut out sugar cookie in the shape of a flower with other cookies surrounding it all topped with sprinkles

    Tools for Cut Out Sugar Cookies

    There are a few tools that will help you to make the best sugar cookies ever!

    Rolling Pin I HIGHLY recommend this rolling pin. It has little wheels on the side that allow you to control the thickness of the dough. No guessing or rolling some cookies out too thin or too thick. It's about $20 on Amazon. 

    Thin Baking Sheets- My gram always bakes cookies on thin sheets. They conduct heat faster! I personally like the thicker ones, but either work

    Parchment Paper-I always bake all cookies on parchment paper, while my gram uses greased cookie sheets. It's up to you!

    Colored Sugar- Any sprinkles or colored sugar will work with these cookies. This sprinkle brand is our favorite.

    Food Coloring - This is the only food coloring we recommend. This recipe doesn't require food coloring but you can dye the dough if you'd like!

    Piping Bag (only for icing) If you want to ice the edges of these cookies you can use a piping bag or even a plastic ziploc bag with the corner cut very small.

    A hand holding up a star cut out sugar cookie with a plate and baking sheet of cookies in the background

    Sugar Cookie Recipe Cut Out FAQs

    What is the difference between cut-out sugar cookies and drop sugar cookies?

    Cut out Sugar Cookies and Drop Sugar Cookies are very different. Cut out sugar cookies are rolled out with a rolling pin and use cookie cutters to cut shapes. Drop sugar cookies are scooped, rolled, and baked for a circle-shaped cookie.

    What is the best thickness for cutout cookies?

    The best thickness for cutout cookies will depend on the recipe. ¼- ⅙ inch is usually good.

    How do you keep cut-out sugar cookies from spreading?

    Your cookies can be spreading for a number of reasons. Here are some tips to prevent cookies from spreading: Put cookies on a COOL baking sheet, never put them on a hot baking sheet. Use parchment paper instead of a greased baking sheet. Sometimes the grease on the sheet can make them spread more! Chill your dough- You can put your dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour before rolling to prevent your cookies from spreading.

    Should you refrigerate cut out cookies before baking?

    No, you don't need to refrigerate cut out cookies before baking! If you are having a problem with them spreading too much, you can though.

    What is the difference between a sugar cookie and a shortbread cookie?

    A sugar cookie is typically sweeter and softer while shortbread cookies are drier and crumbly.

    Other delicious cookie recipes:

    • Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies
    • Spritz Cookies
    • Lemon Cool Whip Cookies
    • Lemon Drop Cookies
    • Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
    • Raspberry Linzer Cookies
    A plate full of cut out sugar cookies with sprinkles on top with a baking sheet on the side

    Sugar Cookie Cut Out Recipe

    The Best Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe! This fool proof sugar cookie recipe is perfect for any holiday! Adorable, delicious and easy to make!
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: shamrock cookies, st patricks day cookies
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Servings: 72 cookies
    Calories: 54kcal

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup salted butter softened (2 sticks)
    • 1 cup white sugar
    • 1 egg
    • 3 tablespoons milk
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 3 cups all purpose flour
    • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
    • 4 drops food coloring optional - may need more

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 400 and prepare a greased or parchment lined baking sheet.
    • In a bowl cream softened butter & sugar.
    • Add egg, milk and vanilla extract. Add food coloring if using.
    • Stir in flour and baking powder until combined.
    • On a floured surface, roll the dough to ¼ - ⅙ inch thickness. We recommend this rolling pin for perfectly rolled cookies.
    • Use your favorite cut out shapes to cut out the cookies. Use a thin metal spatula to transfer cookies to a greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with colored sugar or sprinkles if you like.
    • Bake for 5-8 minutes until browned on edges
    • 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!
    • Cool the cookies on a 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 and re roll. Don’t waste!

    Notes

    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
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    Hi, I'm Liz! On Tasty Treats & Eats you'll find simple, delicious desserts that you can enjoy in no time!

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