Easy Soft & Chewy Bakery Style Sugar Cookies

Name: Best Bakery Style Sugar Cookies (Soft + Chewy)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (or 00 flour) (190g)*; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (3g); 1 teaspoon cream of tartar (4g); 1/4 teaspoon salt (1.5g); 3/4 cup sugar (148g); 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (1 stick) (113g); 1 large egg, room temperature, lightly beaten (room temperature (50g); 1 to 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (4-8g) *add the extra teaspoon if you want more vanilla flavor; 2 tablespoons coarse turbinado sugar (for sprinkling cookies before baking) (26g)

Jump to Recipe·5 from 1 review

This is the easiest and best homemade bakery-style sugar cookie recipe EVER! Thin, soft, and chewy sugar cookies sprinkled with crunchy raw sugar for a nice sweet contrast. Buttery soft sugar cookies are perfect any time of year, but they make especially great treats for Christmas holiday baking and snow days when the kids have cabin fever.

Plus, you don't even have to chill this cookie dough before you bake! Sugar cookies don't get any better than this (unless of course, they're my Aunt Donna's family-famous sugar cookies♡).

A sheet pan lined with white parchment paper with freshly baked sugar cookies with nonpareil sprinkles looking soft and chewy just like bakery sugar cookies.

parchment paper-lined cookie sheet with 11 raw sugar cookie dough balls

a sheet pan lined with white parchment paper with raw sugar cookie dough balls with nonpareil sprinkles

Ingredients for making sugar cookies on a cutting board.

Soft and Chewy Homemade Sugar Cookie Ingredients

All you need is 30 minutes and a few basic pantry staples to make these easy homemade cookies. This cookie dough also happens to make the best sugar cookie fruit pizza (or you can try this easy Italian shortcrust pastry)!

all-purpose flour
baking soda
cream of tartar
salt
granulated sugar
unsalted butter, room temperature
egg, room temperature
pure vanilla extract
coarse turbinado sugar (for sprinkling cookies before baking)

Find the full ingredient measurements in the recipe card.

Note: I use 00 flour when I'm in Italy, and King Arthur all-purpose when I'm in the States. And the weight of these different flours varies based on the humidity content of the flour and also the environment you're living in. No matter where you live, just be sure to use the 'scoop and level' method to measure your flour into measuring cups and spoons and the recipe works perfectly every time.

a beautiful and perfectly cooked sugar cookie covered with nonpareils

a cookie tray full of just cooked sugar cookies

a sheet pan lined with white parchment paper with freshly baked sugar cookies with nonpareil sprinkles

How to Make Soft Chewy Homemade Sugar Cookies Step-by-Step

Making homemade sugar cookies is super easy. And since you don't have to chill the dough before you bake, they're ready in just 30 minutes.

Step 1. Preheat oven to 350°F/176°C and prepare the baking sheet. Line baking sheets with nonstick Silpat or parchment paper.

Step 2. Cream the butter and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a handheld mixer and a medium mixing bowl), cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).

Step 3. Combine wet ingredients with the creamed butter mixture. Add the egg and vanilla extract to the creamed butter mixture and beat just until combined.

adding egg and extract to creamed butter and sugar

adding flour mixture to creamed butter and sugar mixture

folding flour mixture into cookie dough (less flour streaks)

finished sugar cookie dough in stand mixer bowl with le creuset rubber spatula

Step 4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt, and whisk to combine. Add ½ of the flour mixture to the wet mixture and use a rubber spatula to gently incorporate the ingredients. Add the last ½ of the flour mixture and fold with the spatula until no flour streaks remain.

Step 5. Roll and bake the cookies. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until cookies are set and lightly browned on the bottom but not around the edges. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool directly on the baking sheet for a minute or two before removing them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!

How do you store sugar cookies?

Unfrosted sugar cookies last up to two weeks in the fridge but keep them away from smelly foods. It's best to either freeze baked cookies layered between wax or parchment paper in freezer bags and pull out cookies as you want.

This way, they maintain their peak freshness. Alternatively, you may freeze cookie dough logs tightly wrapped in sustainable plastic wrap or parchment paper and store them in freezer bags. When you want a freshly baked cookie, cut off dough slices, roll, and bake.

a cute bear cookie with two marcona almond eyes, 1 pecan half mouth, red and green sprinkle ears, strawberry sugar rosy cheeks, and red and purple eyebrows made out two long cookie sprinkles over each eye with red over the purple sprinkle)

Homemade Sugar Cookie Ideas

Looking for a few fun inspired ways to use this delicious sugar cookie dough or leftover sugar cookie dough? Look no further because this cookie dough recipe is versatile. Here are a few of our favorite ways to turn sugar cookies into something even more special.

make sugar cookie bears by shaping the dough and adding nuts and sprinkles
use this dough to make the best sugar cookie fruit pizza
add ice cream to make homemade ice cream sandwiches
bake the dough in muffin tins to make sugar cookie cups
bake the dough in an 8x8 inch or 9x9 inch baking pan for sugar cookie bars

a single sugar cookie dough ball sitting in a container on top of nonpareils

a single sugar cookie dough ball covered with nonpareils

Ways to Customize Sugar Cookies

There are all kinds of ways to customize sugar cookie dough or any cookie dough, really. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

for strawberry speckled tops, add larger pieces of crumbled freeze-dried strawberries to strawberry sugar and roll the sugar cookies in it
top cookie dough balls with Sicilian lemon sugar for a lemony accent
top cookie dough balls with Sicilian Blood Orange Sugar for a fresh orange accent
top with candy sprinkles
add ½ cup macadamia nuts to the dough
add ½ cup of white chocolate chips to the dough

a stack of 3 perfectly cooked sugar cookies

the bottom side of a beautiful and perfectly cooked sugar cookie

Sugar Cookies FAQ

Why are my sugar cookies crumbly?

Crumbly or dry sugar cookies mean you may have either over-mixed the cookie dough or added too much flour, not enough butter, or a combination of these things. You may be able to remedy this if you find your cookie dough is too dry by adding a little extra softened butter to the mix. Whatever you do, don't throw away cookie dough or cookies that aren't perfect. You can add them to a bowl of ice cream, or even use them to make a cookie crust for your next no-bake dessert or key lime pie.

Why are my sugar cookies cakey?

Usually, a cakey cookie means the flour-to-fat and sugar ratio is out of balance. Which means you may have added too much flour. It can also be if you've added more egg or a larger egg than is called for (a typical large egg should weigh about 50-55g once it's cracked in a bowl). Do not use cake flour which can also give you cakey cookies.

Why are my sugar cookies hard?

If your sugar cookies are hard, you may have overmixed the cookie dough, or you may have baked them too long. Baking cookies longer than required leads to vital moisture from butter and eggs evaporating leaving you with a harder cookie. Also, don't leave them out uncovered for too long if you're in a dry environment especially. This can also zap moisture from your cookies.

Why are my sugar cookies spreading out so much?

As you know from above, too much flour in your cookie dough can make cookies crumbly and dry. Alternatively, too much butter and sugar can make cookies spread out and lose their shape when baked. Also, if you chill the dough beforehand, it will help keep them from spreading.

Can you overmix cookie dough?

Yes, you can definitely overmix cookie dough. In fact, doing so will leave you with flatter, crispier cookies because overmixing adds more air to your dough, which causes them to rise higher and then fall flat. But this method is great if you want extra crispy cookies.

What does cream of tartar do for cookies?

Cream of tartar acts as a leavening agent in baked goods like cookies but also helps create a super soft cookie texture. If you don't have cream of tartar, replace it with the same amount of baking powder.