Soft, buttery and full of vanilla flavor, this sugar cookie recipe is perfect with only a few ingredients and comes together in less than an hour.
One of the first recipes I began with was this classic sugar cookie, rollout version. It was a chill recipe the first time it came around, but it received an update last year as a no chill (honestly better too imo). At one time I think I had about 8 or 9 rollout sugar cookie recipes in my recipe notebook (some published, some not) and it was a constant question of 'which one next?'.
Eventually I moved beyond the rollout cookie to just drop cookies, and now find myself working hard to learn and share recipes for other desserts (brownies, cakes, oh my!). But I'll never forget where my roots began with recipe development - the basic rollout vanilla sugar cookie. I decided to circle back to this recipe and update one more time to include any tips and tricks that helps me tremendously.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Simplicity. While most of the other recipes I share on the site may seem complex, or intimidating because of the number of ingredients or method, this recipe is really quite simple. It takes only 7 ingredients - ones most of us already have in our pantry.
Flavor Profiles. I use vanilla extract in this recipe, but you can easily sub with your favorite extract. Lemon, almond, strawberry, etc - truly this recipe will work with any flavor of your choosing.
Decorate As You Wish. You can choose to spruce up the cookie using royal icing, buttercream or candy melts. Or you can enjoy as if that is your preference. No matter which way you go you will still have a delicious cookie.
Baking Tips
Weigh Your Ingredients. You will have a better chance of success with this recipe if you weigh your ingredients. A kitchen scale is a low cost investment - as low as $10 if you purchase a simple one on Amazon. Volume measurements are provided for your convenience as well.
Room Temperature Ingredients. The eggs should be at room temperature, just remove from refrigerator about 30 minutes prior. Butter you want to be a bit cool to the touch where if you push your finger you leave a slight indentation but too far in either. You can speed up the process by cubing the butter.
Use An Oven Thermometer. I just purchased a new oven thermometer for $6 from Amazon. Our ovens can run hot or colder than what is shown, so I highly recommend an oven thermometer so you can ensure the recipe you are baking is not under or over baked.
Use A Stand Mixer. This recipe is tough to make with a hand mixer, so I've heard. I've never used a hand mixer for a rollout cookie recipe so I honestly can't share any tips there. I highly recommend using a stand mixer.
Parchment Paper For Rolling Dough. Rolling the dough between two pieces of parchment is such a life saver. It helps avoid dough sticking to the rolling pin, and reduces or eliminates the need to flour the dough and potentially make it too dry.
Wow With Color. If you love the colors displayed on these cookies I am sharing, you can easily do this yourself by purchasing my Jungalow Inspired Color Guide on the Let's Create section.
Chilling Dough. While this is a no chill recipe, you do have the option to chill it. You can wrap in plastic wrap prior to rolling out and chill between 2 to 12 hours. Then allow to soften a bit before you roll out to the desired thickness. You can also follow the steps and chill after placing shapes on baking sheet, but I still recommend wrapping in plastic wrap to keep the dough from drying out.
Troubleshooting
Dough Too Soft. If your dough is too soft than it is likely the result of butter being too softened to room temperature. Best fix is to place the finished dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. This will help the butter solidify and make it easier to manage/cut your shapes.
Difficulty Transferring Cut Shapes. If you are struggling to transfer your cut cookie shape to the baking sheet, one easy fix is to take the rolled out dough and place on the cookie sheet. Then cut your shapes allowing at least 1" to 2" of space between each cookie.
Cookie Spread Too Much. This recipe does have a small amount of spread to the cookie. If you find that they spread too much there could be a few reasons why - butter too warm, flour or sugar not measured properly. Measuring ingredients helps eliminate this challenge.
More Recipes To Enjoy
No Chill Vanilla Sugar Cookie
Equipment
- stand mixer with paddle attachment
- parchment paper
- Rolling Pin with measuring guides
- silicone spatula
- kitchen scale optional but recommended
Ingredients
- 3 cup all purpose flour 390g
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature 168g
- ¾ cup sugar 150g
- 1 ea large egg room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar and vanilla on high until light and fluffy - about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down bowl as needed.
- Once creamed, scrape down bowl and add egg. Mix on low for about 1 minute. Scrape down bowl as needed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients on mix on low until partially combined.
- Increase mix speed to medium low until dough comes together on paddle attachment and pulls away from bowl - about 1 minute.
- Place parchment paper on counter and lightly flour.
- Place dough on parchment paper and knead with hands if dough still needs to come together a bit more. Add another sheet of parchment on top of the dough.
- Roll out to desired thickness with rolling pin. Remove top piece of parchment and light flour dough.
- Cut shapes and place on baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until there is light browning along bottom edges.
- Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. Allow to cool completely before enjoying or decorating.
Julian
Best cookies ever!