- Measurements grams + cups
- Cuisine American
Why You'll Like This Recipe
- No chilling, no rolling and no cutter — the dough is scooped and rolled in sugar.
- Soft in the middle with a crackled sugar surface.
- Twenty-four cookies in half an hour.
Recipe
Soft Sugar Cookies
Tender vanilla sugar cookies with soft centres.
Ingredients
Ingredients scaled. The method below still refers to the original quantities.
Instructions
- Step 1. Preheat the oven to 175 C / 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Step 2. Beat the softened butter and 200 g sugar until light and creamy.
- Step 3. Beat in the egg and vanilla until smooth.
- Step 4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Step 5. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix just until a soft dough forms.
- Step 6. Scoop 30 g (about 1 1/2 tbsp) portions and roll into balls.
- Step 7. Roll each ball lightly in the remaining sugar and place on the prepared sheets. Flatten very slightly.
- Step 8. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers are still soft. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes.
Notes
- Flatten only very slightly. They spread on their own, and pressing them down gives thin, crisp cookies instead of soft ones.
- Pull them when the edges are set but the centres still look underdone. They finish on the hot tray.
- Weigh the dough at about 30 g per cookie so they bake evenly.
Soft Sugar Cookies — Simple Table Recipes · https://simpletablerecipes.com/recipes/soft-sugar-cookies/
Ingredient Notes
- Butter, softened
- Softened means it gives when pressed but holds its shape. Melted butter makes them spread flat; fridge-cold butter will not cream.
- Baking powder rather than soda
- Powder gives lift without the browning that soda encourages. It is what keeps these pale and cakey rather than golden and chewy.
- Sugar for rolling
- Gives the crackled surface and a slight crunch against the soft interior. It is not decoration.
Equipment
- 2 baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Mixing bowls
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Cookie scoop
Substitutions
- Vanilla extract
- Almond extract, about half the quantity, gives a bakery-style flavour. Lemon or orange zest also works.
- Sugar for rolling
- Coloured sanding sugar or sprinkles for holidays. Cinnamon sugar turns these into snickerdoodles in effect.
- Unsalted butter
- Salted butter works — reduce the added salt to a pinch.
Storage & Freezing
Storing: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. A slice of bread in the container keeps them soft.
Freezing: Freeze rolled dough balls for up to 3 months and bake from frozen, adding 2 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my sugar cookies spread too much?
Butter that was too soft, or a warm baking tray. Softened butter should hold its shape when pressed, and trays need to cool between batches.
Do I need to chill sugar cookie dough?
Not for this recipe — it is written to bake straight away. Chilling is only necessary for rolled and cut cookies that need to hold a shape.
Why are my sugar cookies hard?
Overbaking. Nine to eleven minutes is enough and they should come out looking slightly underdone in the centre. They set on the tray.
Can I roll and cut these?
Not really — this is a soft drop dough. For cut-out cookies you need a stiffer, lower-moisture dough that is chilled before rolling.
How do I get the crackled top?
The sugar coating. Roll each ball generously in granulated sugar before baking — as the cookie spreads, the sugar crust cracks.
Did you make this?
Let other people know how it went. One tap, nothing to fill in.
Thanks — that helps.
