Old Fashioned Rolled Sugar Cookie Recipe (2024)

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Cut out sugar cookies are one of the best Christmas sugar cookies recipe to make.Requiring just simple ingredients, these soft and chewy cookies are so much fun to make with the whole family!

Christmas sugar cookies are part of our family holiday season traditions. This Old Fashioned Rolled Sugar Cookie recipe is often the first thing I pull out of my recipe box to make. In fact, my kids think it’s the best sugar cookie recipe of all. The first time I made it with my boys’ help was when they were 2 and 4 years old!

Old Fashioned Rolled Sugar Cookie Recipe (1)

Why you’ll love these Christmas sugar cookies

This cut out out sugar cookie recipe is a great recipe that makes a soft sugar cookies that can be easily frozen if desired.

The tender dough mixes up quickly and doesn’t need to be chilled before rolling.

I usually bake the whole batch, let them cool, and then freeze them between layers of waxed paper in airtight containers.

Once it’s time to serve them, I thaw out the baked rolled sugar cookies and mix up a small batch of icing for the amount I want to serve. It’s easy and so delicious.

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How to Make Old Fashioned Rolled Sugar Cookies

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Supplies Needed for Soft & Tasty Cut Out Sugar Cookies:

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Rolled Sugar Cookies Ingredients:

  • 4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup Butter
  • 2 large Eggs, beaten
  • 1/3 cup Milk
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
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How to Make this Old Fashioned Rolled Sugar Cookie Recipe

(A printable recipe card is located at the end of this post for your convenience.)

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You’ll mix up this simple recipe in 2 seperate bowls.

1. In the first large bowl, mix together:

  • 4 cups flour,
  • 1 tsp. baking powder, and
  • 1/2 tsp. salt,
  • Cut in 1 cup butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives.
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2. In another bowl, mix together:

  • 2 beaten eggs
  • 1/3 cup milk,
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract,
  • 1 1/2 cup sugar, and
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
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4. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and stir gently.

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5. Flip the dough onto a lightly floured pastry mat, and knead it gently ~ just so it sticks together.

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6. Divide dough into 2 portions. Start with the first portion and roll dough out to about 1/2 inch thickness.

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I use my Grandmother’s antique dough rolling pastry set (pictured above), but I’ve rounded up a whole list of top tools for dough rolling here.

Here is a video on tips for rolling out this sugar cookie dough:

7. Using your favorite cookie cutters, cut out whatever shapes you’d like. We have stars and trees at our house…

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8. Place on prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. (Placing parchement paper on the baking sheets makes for easy clean up.)

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9. Bake cookies at 375 degrees for 5 minutes – or until very lightly golden brown.

Top Tip: The secret to soft and chewy old fashioned sugar cookies is to take them out before they start to brown. If they are too browned, they will turn crunchy!

10. Cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

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Once completely cooled, ice with your favorite homemade frosting.

Here is my quick and easy homemade frosting for sugar cookies. Or, you could try a fun idea using marbled icing.

Yield: About 4 dozen

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How should I store these cut out sugar cookies?

Store these sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. However, I feel better always refrigerating or freezing mine until I’m ready to use them.

To freeze sugar cookies, place them in an airtight container or heavy duty freezer bag, being careful to seperate each layer with wax paper or parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together. Store in the freezer for up to six months.

For Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies:

You can use this same sugar cookie recipe for all seasons! Just use whatever shaped cookie cutter matches the holiday. Heart shaped cookie cutters with pink icing make darling Valentine’s Day cookies. Another option is to make marbled heart sugar cookies. They’re so pretty!

Need more help with Christmas cookie making?

I’ve put together a recipe collection of Christmas cookie recipes to help you save time & stress. Click the button below for all the details!

SAVE TIME & STRESS!

CHRISTMAS COOKIES RECIPES COLLECTION

With a mix of traditional & trendy Christmas cookies, this recipe collection with pictures can help bring back the fun (& simple) traditions of Christmas baking.

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For more Merry Christmas Season Recipes, you may want to check out these posts:

  • Christmas cookie recipes with pictures
  • Christmas Dipped Chocolates,
  • Swedish Tea Ring,
  • Overnight Buns,
  • Christmas Breakfast Recipes

More Christmas Cookies Recipes:

  • Never Fail Fudge
  • Make this condensed milk fudge recipe in the microwave in 5 minutes!
  • Chocolate Marshmallow Log
  • Cranberry Lemon Bars
  • Jam Sandwich Cookies (a shortcut recipe!)
  • 75+ Christmas cookie recipes with pictures
  • Cute & quick Rudolph Cookies
  • Brownie Mix Cookies
  • Gluten-free cut out cookies
Old Fashioned Rolled Sugar Cookie Recipe (15)
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Old Fashioned Rolled Sugar Cookie Recipe

Yield: 4 dozen

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Additional Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

This old fashioned rolled sugar cookie recipe is the best cut out cookie recipe! The dough is easy to work & the cookies are soft & YUMMY!

Ingredients

  • 4 cups Flour
  • 1 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1 cup Butter
  • 2 Eggs, beaten
  • 1/3 cup Milk
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda

Instructions

  1. Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender
  2. In another bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, vanilla, sugar, and baking so
  3. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and stir gently
  4. Flip the dough onto a lightly floured pastry mat, and knead it gently ~ just so it sticks together
  5. Divide into 2 portions and roll each portion out to about 1/2 inch thick.
  6. Using cookie cutters, cut out whatever shapes you’d like. We have stars and trees at our house…
  7. Place on baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
  8. Bake for 5 minutes in an oven that has been preheated to 375 degrees.The secret to soft and chewy old fashioned sugar cookies is to take them out before they start to brown. If they are lightly browned, they will turn crunchy!
  9. Cool completely on wire racks before icing.Step 10: Once completely cool, ice with buttercream icing with food coloring.
Nutrition Information:

Yield: 48Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 100Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 95mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 0gSugar: 6gProtein: 1g

Did you make this recipe?

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Old Fashioned Rolled Sugar Cookie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is it better to roll sugar cookies on flour or powdered sugar? ›

Be sure your dough is well-chilled and re-chill your scraps after they get warm before cutting into more shapes. This will help the cut-out cookies hold their shapes. Use Powdered Sugar. I strongly suggest you use powdered sugar instead of flour for rolling out the sugar cookie dough.

What is the best surface to roll out sugar cookies? ›

Rather than roll dough on a floured surface, roll it between sheets of non-stick parchment or waxed paper. Adding extra flour to the dough while rolling can make cookies tough. And cutout cookies release easily from paper when you move them to the baking sheet, preserving their shape.

Why put cream of tartar in sugar cookies? ›

Cream of tartar makes cookies chewy, as it precludes the sugar in the dough from crystalizing, which would lead to crispiness (ie: the opposite of chewiness).

Is baking soda or baking powder better for sugar cookies? ›

Ingredients For the Perfect Sugar Cookie Recipe:

Baking powder – This gives the sugar cookies lift, without adding too much spread or browning. Fine sea salt – So important to balance the sweetness! Unsalted butter – It's important that your butter is at a cool room temperature, otherwise your cookies may spread.

What happens if I use regular sugar instead of powdered sugar in cookies? ›

"This means, cup for cup, there would be more sugar in a cup of powdered sugar than in a cup of regular sugar." In addition to inconsistent measurements, regular sugar won't dissolve and mix as well into recipes like frosting and icing. You'll end up with a grainy, unappealing texture.

What is the best surface to roll out cookie dough? ›

Rolling cookie dough between parchment eliminates the need to dust the dough with flour to prevent it from sticking to the work surface. The more flour introduced, the higher the chances of tough, dry cookies. Sheeted dough promises tender, buttery cookies, just the way they're meant to be.

Do you need to chill sugar cookie dough? ›

Chilling the dough is a key step in making sugar cookies, especially when you're making cut-outs. Even if you're tight on time, make sure to get the dough in the fridge, or even the freezer, even if it's only for a little while. Skip this step, and the dough will be sticky, and much harder to work with.

How do you roll sugar cookie dough without sticking it? ›

Place two equal-sized sheets of parchment paper underneath and above the dough, making a kind of dough sandwich. Then roll out with your rolling pin, keeping the dough sandwiched between the two parchment sheets. Once it has been rolled to the thickness you're going for, chill the dough for the requisite time.

Should sugar cookie dough be chilled before rolling? ›

After you make the cookie dough, it must chill for 1–2 hours, and up to 2 days. Chilling is a mandatory step. Without chilling, these cookie cutter sugar cookies won't hold shape.

How long should sugar cookie dough sit out before rolling? ›

As a general rule of thumb, you should refrigerate cookie dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. More than that, and you won't see a noticeable difference in the final product. Once the dough has chilled, let it warm up at room temperature until it's just pliable (about 5 to 10 minutes).

Can you roll out store bought sugar cookie dough? ›

Just roll the dough into one inch balls and then coat them in equal parts cinnamon and sugar. Then I press them gently with a glass before baking them according to the directions on the package. That's it!

How important is baking soda in sugar cookies? ›

Baking soda also serves another important purpose when it comes to cookies: It encourages spreading by raising the mixture's pH, which slows protein coagulation. This gives the dough more time to set before the eggs set, which results in a more evenly baked cookie.

What happens if you add too much cream of tartar to cookies? ›

“Too much cream of tartar will impart a metallic, tin-like taste,” Molly warns.

What is the purpose of cornstarch in sugar cookies? ›

1. Cookies. Cornstarch does kind of incredible things to cookies. I mean not only does it give them soft centers, prevents them from spreading, and makes them somewhat thick (in a good way), but it also contributes to the chewiness factor, which, in my opinion, is the most important cookie attribute.

Can I use powdered sugar instead of flour to roll out cookies? ›

roll out your favorite sugar cookie dough. It won't dry. out your cookies like flour.

Can you roll cookie dough in powdered sugar before baking? ›

Use powdered sugar instead of flour to roll your dough: if you're like me and use every bit of your dough, I recommend using powdered sugar instead of flour to roll your dough.

Should you sift flour for sugar cookies? ›

But is sifting flour necessary? That depends. Sifting flour is recommended for some desserts where the goal is light, delicate, and fluffy results (think angel food cakes, sponge cakes, and chiffon cakes). However, sifting flour isn't a must for desserts that are chewy or crisp, like cookies.

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