These simple sugar cookies are moist and soft but keep their shape well. Just make the dough, chill it, roll it, shape it, and bake it! These are the perfect cookies for decorating!
Looking for more easy cookie recipes? Try these soft gingerbread cookies or these buttery spritz cookies. Both great recipes for gift giving!
Frosted Sugar Cookies
My wonderful neighbor Heather shared this recipe with me. They are moist, stable cookies that keep their shape very well. I don't love making cookies, especially sugar cookies. It's too tedious for me! But the results were well worth the time with this recipe! And truly, compared to many baking projects, this isn't as complicated as so many are. Just be sure you let the dough chill in the refrigerator so the cookies keep their shape!
This is a perfect recipe to get the kids in the kitchen to help with. They'll love mixing up the dough with you, and then making their own little creations when decorating the sugar cookies. It's really such a fantastic holiday season activity. You'll get into the holiday spirit, and you'll get some tasty cookies to fill up cookie trays with! Win win!
How to Make the Best Sugar Cookies
Sugar cookies are a classic for a reason - they are super easy to make and give you so many options for decorating! (Plus, they're delicious.) Here is how you can make the perfect cut out sugar cookies:
- Cream together the shortening and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
- Add the sour cream and vanilla.
- Add the baking soda, baking powder, flour, salt, and nutmeg if using, and mix all together.
- Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes (and up to 2 days).
- Roll it out on a well floured surface to ¼ to ½-inch thick.
- Use cookie cutters to make shapes, and transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 7 to 10 minutes.
- Repeat with remaining dough, gathering and re-rolling the scrap dough as you go along.
- Decorate cooled cookies with icing and sprinkles; the messier the better.
- This is my favorite frosting for sugar cookies if you need a recipe to go with this one.
Common Questions About Making Sugar Cookies
How long do I chill sugar cookie dough?
I recommend chilling sugar cookie dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days. Sometimes you just lose track of time, you know?!
Are sugar cookies supposed to be soft?
This totally depends on the recipe and your preference. I like a cookie with a little bite, but not totally crumbly. These are firm, yet soft, and they keep their shape well. It's my favorite sugar cookie consistency ever!
How do I decorate sugar cookies for Christmas?
The most fun part! Get you some fun cookie cutters in the shapes of Christmas trees, wreaths, candy canes, and anything else festive. Then, make my famous sugar cookie icing (you can dye some of it using a couple drops of food coloring) and add it to the cookies with bright sprinkles after the cookies have cooled. Voila! Christmas cookies!
Why do my sugar cookies taste like flour?
A dry and chalky sugar cookie with a strong flour flavor means, lo and behold, you probably used too much flour! Be careful with your measurements and you should be just fine!
My Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 dozen medium cookies 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup shortening (I use butter flavored)
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 4 ½ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- dash of nutmeg, optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
- Add the sour cream and vanilla.
- Next, add the baking soda, baking powder, flour, salt, and nutmeg if using, and mix all together. The dough should be tacky without being sticky; adjust the flour as needed until you have a workable dough.
- Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes (and up to 2 days).
- Working with ¼ of the dough at a time, roll it out on a well floured surface to ¼ to ½-inch thick. Be generous with your flour on the rolling surface since the dough is very tender; it will stick easily.
- Use cookie cutters to make shapes, and transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 7 to 10 minutes.
- Repeat with remaining dough, gathering and re-rolling the scrap dough as you go along.
- Decorate cooled cookies with icing and sprinkles; the messier the better.
- This is my favorite frosting for sugar cookies if you need a recipe to go with this one.
Notes
- I don't use shortening for a lot of recipes (this and My Favorite Pie Crust Recipe are about the only ones that I use it in), but it helps the cookies keep their shape and the end result is so much nicer. I figure if you're just eating stuff like that a few times a year, it'll balance itself out.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Category: dessert
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: sugar cookies, sugar cookie recipe, sugar cookies with sour cream, Christmas cookies, Christmas cut out cookies
More Christmas cookie recipes to try:
- No-Bake Chocolate-Covered Fluffernutter Cookies
- Soft Gingerbread Cookies
- Grandma Lucy’s Christmas Sugar Cookies
- Christmas Magic Cookie Bars
- Peanut Butter Snowballs
- Perfect Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Easy Mexican Wedding Cookies
- 1 Dough, 4 Christmas Cookie Recipes
- How to Ship Christmas Cookies
This recipe was originally published in 2010, and has been updated and rephotographed in December 2019.
Anna
These cookies are so delicious and absolutely adorable! My kiddos love them!
★★★★★
Melissa
Happy holiday baking to you and yours Anna! Thank you for leaving a comment!
Julia Davis
Yum! Perfect timing for this post! I think I shall make some this weekend for V-day indeed!
So, I rented Julie and Julia this weekend and totally thought of you! You are such an amazing cook and homemaker. Keep teaching us, Lady!