Classic Sugar Cookie Recipe: Soft, Bake-and-Share Cookies

The best quick and easy sugar cookies recipe — no rolling, no cutting shapes, no chilling. These drop cookies are soft, slightly chewy, and perfectly sweet.

Why You Should Make This Recipe

This no-fuss sugar cookie recipe delivers classic vanilla flavor with minimal effort. It’s great when you want a familiar sugar-cookie taste without the time-consuming steps of cut-out cookies. Highlights:

• No chilling the dough.
• No rolling out dough.
• No cutting shapes.

These cookies are delicious plain, but you can add a simple buttercream or a swirled glaze if you prefer.

Easy Sugar Cookie Recipe

Drop-style sugar cookies are simple: mix the dough, scoop onto a baking sheet, and bake. Rolling the dough balls in granulated sugar before baking adds a light sparkle and extra texture, but it’s optional.

The finished cookies are slightly crisp on the outside and soft and chewy inside — similar in texture to a classic snickerdoodle but with pure vanilla flavor.

Ingredients You Will Need

• Unsalted butter — use unsalted so you can control salt levels.
• Granulated sugar — sweetens the cookies and helps with spreading.
• Egg — binds and adds structure.
• Vanilla extract — classic flavor.
• All-purpose flour — measure carefully by stirring, spooning, and leveling or use a scale.
• Baking powder — helps cookies rise for a slightly thicker bite.
• Baking soda — helps spread and aids browning.
• Salt — enhances flavor.

How to Make Easy Sugar Cookies

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line half-sheet pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.

1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Cream the room-temperature butter and granulated sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, mixing until combined and scraping the bowl as needed.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
4. Pour granulated sugar (or sprinkles) into a small bowl for coating. Use a #30 cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons) to portion dough. Roll each dough ball briefly between your palms, then roll in granulated sugar to coat. Place dough balls on prepared baking sheets 2–3 inches apart (no more than eight per tray).

• Bake at 350°F for 11–13 minutes, until the tops wrinkle or crack and the bottoms are lightly browned. Cool cookies on the tray for 1–2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Easy Sugar Cookies

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 12 mins

Total: 32 mins

A quick, reliable sugar cookie made as a drop cookie — soft inside, lightly crisp outside, no rolling or cutting required.

Ingredients

• 2 ¾ cups (344 g) all-purpose flour (stir, spoon & level)
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Optional

• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar or sprinkles for coating

Equipment

• Half sheet pans
• Silicone baking mats or parchment
• #30 cookie scoop (about 2 Tbsp)
• Kitchen scale (optional, for best accuracy)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line half-sheet pans with silicone mats or parchment.
• Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, mixing to combine.
• Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
• Place granulated sugar in a small bowl. Scoop dough with a #30 scoop, roll slightly between palms, then roll in sugar. Arrange dough balls 2–3 inches apart on prepared trays (no more than eight per tray).
• Bake 11–13 minutes until tops wrinkle and bottoms are lightly browned. Cool on the tray 1–2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

• Only coat dough balls with sugar right before baking to prevent crusting and extra cracking.
• Store cookies in an airtight container up to 5 days.
• To freeze dough: freeze scooped dough balls on a tray 1–2 hours, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake frozen dough 3–5 minutes longer.
• To freeze baked cookies: layer with parchment and freeze up to 3–4 weeks. Thaw at room temperature.
• If you plan to frost the cookies, skip the sugar coating so frosting will adhere.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cookie | Calories: 180 | Carbohydrates: 26 g | Protein: 2 g | Fat: 8 g | Sugar: 15 g

Disclaimer: Nutritional values are estimates.