Easy No-Chill Cut-Out Sugar Cookies that are perfect to bake and decorate for any holiday!
I’m finally finally finally getting around to sharing my favorite cut-out sugar cookie recipe that I’ve been making and perfecting for years. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve emailed or texted this recipe to a friend asking for it so it’s about time I share it on here with all of you.
It’s the perfect recipe. Most importantly, the cookies are delicious! We’re talking chewy and perfectly sweetened with a simple sugar icing that compliments it so tastefully.
They’re so easy to make, super kid-friendly when it comes to rolling out the dough and cutting into shapes, and no chilling required which means you can mix the dough and have your first batch in the oven in no time. Because seriously, who really has the patience when it comes to waiting for cookies?? Especially the kiddos!
The dough is balanced perfectly to hold its shape through baking, icing, sprinkling, serving and enjoying.
I like flavoring the dough with almond extract, but vanilla extract and also peppermint extract turn out super tasty too. Feel free to use your favorite or switch it up each time.
I also like the results I get from using half and half in both the dough and the icing. It adds just the right amount of rich moisture to the texture of the cookies and thickness of the icing.
We bake this recipe all throughout the year. Whether it’s a birthday party, a football watch party, Valentine’s Day hearts for the school party, the Christmas cookie exchange or just our family in the kitchen having fun, this recipe is a success for any occasion.
I hope baking, decorating and eating these sugar cookies brings sweet memories and delicious enjoyment to you and your family and friends for years to come.
xoxo,
Easy No-Chill Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 9 mins
- Total Time: 29 mins
- Yield: 4 dozen
- Category: Dessert
Description
Easy, chewy, no-chill, cut-out sugar cookies that are perfect to bake and decorate for any holiday!
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted COLD butter, sliced into tablespoon portions before mixing
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons COLD half and half
- 1 teaspoon almond extract, vanilla extract or peppermint extract
- 3 COLD large eggs
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Icing:
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup half and half
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cold butter and sugar just until creamy. Try not to over beat the dough so the butter stays cold. Beat in the half and half and almond extract and then the eggs, one at a time, until mixture is well combined. Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix on low speed until a thick dough forms. *If the dough seems too wet, add an additional 1/4 cup of flour at a time until it comes together smoothly.
- On a floured surface, roll half of the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes. Repeat with remaining dough until you’ve used it all.
- Place cookies about an inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 7-9 minutes, rotating cookie sheets after 5 minutes, or until cookies are just set and starting to turn light brown around the edges. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the icing, whisk 3 cups powdered sugar and 1/4 cup half and half in a medium bowl until smooth and spreadable. Spread a thin layer of icing on one cookie at a time and immediately garnish with sprinkles before the icing sets. Repeat with remaining cookies.
Notes
Baked cookies can be frozen for up to 6 months. Let cookies cool completely, stack with parchment paper in between each layer of cookies and store in a freezer safe container or resealable plastic bag. Lay out to thaw completely before icing.
Cookie dough can also be frozen up to 6 months. Wrap the cookie dough tightly in plastic wrap and then place in a freezer safe resealable plastic bag to freeze. Let defrost in the refrigerator overnight before rolling out and cutting into shapes to bake.
Definitely trying this recipe this weekend with my little man!! I love all of your recipes.
Yay Rachel! Enjoy! 🙂
Way to sticky. Added lots of flower and still to sticky. Tasted good though.
Hi Rose! Did you make sure your butter was cold to start with?
Can anyone tell me what half and half is Is it milk
Hi Tracy! It’s equal parts whole milk and heavy cream. So half whole milk and half heavy cream. You can buy it in the refrigerated section at the store near the milk and it’s called half & half. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
This recipe absolutely works. Thank you!
You are killing me with all these delicious recipes! It all looks so tasty!
Finally! I’ve tried at least 20 different sugar cookie recipes over the years and yours is by far the best! Thank you for ending my quest.
Does the frosting set up like royal icing?
Hi Melissa! It hardens nicely like a royal icing, but doesn’t get so hard that it cracks when you bite into the cookie. Still a little creamy but hardens enough so you can stack them without the icing messing up. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
I was so happy to find a no chill recipe! I don’t have half and half tho, only heavy cream so I’m gonna try it with that, hope it works !
Jennifer, did the recipe work with heavy cream?
I want to make these tmrw for Xmas Eve with my son tmrw. I only have reduced fat milk on hand and can’t make it the store. I have icing but any ideas for a replacement or substitute for half and half for the cookie dough? Could I use yogurt? But it’s reduced fat. Hmm.. any help is welcome! Thanks!
Hi! Yes, yogurt would be a great substitute for the half and half. I hope y’all enjoy making them. Merry Christmas!
I just pulled these out of the oven, and they are delicious. Now I just have to hope they aren’t gone before I get the icing made. Great recipe!
Yay Lori! I love hearing that. So happy you enjoyed them! 🙂
What is half and half?
Hi Lee-Ann! It’s an equal parts blend of whole milk and light cream. You can find it near the milk at the store.
I just tried this recipe!! Thank you my whole family loved them thank!!!
Hello,
I made these cookies for a party yesterday and I noticed that the dough was much to wet for cut-outs, so I had to make drop cookies instead. The cookies were delicious, but do you think that dough would have been cut-out ready if I had added more flour during the mixing process? Thank you.
Hi Natasha! Did you follow the ingredients exactly? The dough should be pretty thick and only require a dusting of flour on the work surface to roll it out on. Certainly if the dough was wet, it would need more flour. You could try adding more in the mixer or coating it generously on the work surface before rolling it out. Hope this helps.
Mine was crazy wet too! No clue what went wrong. I even added almost another whole cup of flour and had to freeze it to cut them out. They baked really puffy 🙁 Apparently, I am not a baker ????????
Oh goodness, Kaitlin! I’m wondering if your butter was too soft or if you missed a cup of flour when adding it? The dough should be really thick and require just a little flour on the surface to roll out. I’m sorry they didn’t turn out for you.
If your eggs were really large then the dough was more wet so you would have to add more flour.
its really 3 medium sized eggs.
Hi Barbara! That’s a good point especially if someone has used x-large eggs. I always use large eggs, but I agree that eggs definitely vary in size. Thanks for sharing!
Yup really wet for me too and I had to add more flour 🙁
Hi Amanda! It could be the moisture in your home or the humidity of where you live. Next time, add 1/4 cup flour at a time until the dough is smooth enough to roll out, but not too thick to where it feels dense and dry. Hope this helps!
Hi! I am baking a big batch of cookies and I was wondering if I can make the dough ahead of time? May I keep them in the fridge for say 3 days? Or better to just stick them in the freezer?
Also, since it is a big batch, the cookies would end up pretty sturdy yes?
Hi Emma! Yes, you can divide the dough into several balls and wrap each one tightly with plastic wrap to keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days. Just let them come close to room temperature so you can roll the dough out and easily cut into shapes. Yes, the cookies are sturdy yet chewy. Enjoy!
Mine was crazy wet too…it even stuck to parchment paper! I used the 3 cups of flour, barely soft butter, and medium sized eggs…are you sure you tried the recipe before putting it on the site? Idk what went wrong. I had to almost 3 cups more flour to it and still wasnt able to make cut outs. I had to change them to thumbprints! So disappointed
Oh goodness, Mindie! It sounds like something went wrong as you were preparing the recipe. Sometimes the moisture of your home or the humidity of where you live could cause the dough to be wetter and require more flour, but certainly not 2 cups additional flour. The recipe calls for 4 cups flour. Are you sure you just added 2 tablespoons half & half? And used cold butter? We bake these year-round and never have issues with the dough being too wet to roll out. I’m so bummed the recipe didn’t turn out the way its supposed to for you. I hope the thumbprints still tasted good at least!
what is half and half
Hi Denise! It’s half milk and half cream.
Amazing recipe! Perfect no- chill cookies that roll and cut-out like a dream! Thanks so much ????
Yay, Samantha! I’m so happy you baked them and loved them! It’s a no-fail recipe that always gets such rave reviews. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Hello Maegan – I can’t wait to try the cookies. But as noted above, my dough is also too wet to roll out. I won’t add more flour for fear of making the cookies too tough. (I’d rather add flour when I roll out the dough.)
I wanted to know your definition of “barely softened” since I think my butter was too soft and made the dough wet. So….my dough is in the freezer – chillin’.
Hi Christine! Barely softened butter should still be cool to the touch, but when pressed using a little pressure, your finger will leave a slight indentation. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
Could I add cocoa powder to make a chocolate football cookie?
Hi Helen! I have a chocolate sugar cookie recipe that would be great for cutting into football shapes: https://thebakermama.com/recipes/chocolate-sugar-cookies/
Hi I would like to know what to use instead of half and half
Hi Joelle! You could use whole milk or heavy cream. Enjoy!
Hi,
I tried you recipe and the dough was amazing! But the bake was not so good, the cookies tasted really hard. I know if I probably made t right it would be amazing!!
Thank you!!
Hi Deniz! It sounds like you may have over-baked them. Oven temperatures do vary so check them around 5 minutes and take them out when the cookies are set. Hope this helps.
My daughter is home from college and was hanging out with a friend. They didn’t know what to do, so I suggested they put on some music and bake cookies. I searched for a no chill recipe, read the reviews on this one and checked my cabinet for ingredients. I didn’t have no salt butter, so they left out the salt. (After I read online that this is okay to do.) . These cookies were amazing! Perfectly moist in the middle, not crumbly and dry. I plan make them next time with no-salt butter, but using salted butter and leaving out the salt was not a disappointment. This recipe is a keeper! And the no-chill part will make this easy when I make them for Christmas! By the way, loved the icing too!
After searching for a great sugar cookie recipe for a couple years now, I have finally found a winner! I made these for the first time yesterday, and they are delicious! I iced about 3/4 of the cookies after they were done, and left 1/4 of the batch without icing… even without the icing they are wonderful. I will be making these again and again, and they will make some very scrumptious Christmas presents.
I would like to use this recipe to make these with kids at a winter break camp. Will it work without a paddle mixer? We have hand mixers or our hands only.
Hi Becky! Of course, just requires a little bit more effort and time to mix the dough together well. I hope they turned out great!
Can you add food coloring to the icing?
Sure! Just add it like you would to any icing recipe. Enjoy!
I’m going to try them with my little man today! I’ll keep you posted…
Hope you enjoyed baking and eating them! 🙂
I’m notorious for just “winging” it when it comes to baking things. I decided at the last second I didnt want THAT many cookies and cut my ingredients in half…everything came out perfect : )
Hello! My family and I bake for Christmas every year, and I found your recipe on my first try for a no-chill version. We were all excited by how easy and delicious they were, and they’ll be on our list every year! We all said our baking was less stressful this year! Kudos to you and thank you for sharing! Happy holidays!
LOVE the recipe- the cookies were so soft and chewy and thick! The best tasting sugar cookies I have personally made yet. However, I have found in general, the dough does need to chill in the fridge even if it’s for 20 minutes. I started rolling the dough out and it was just too warm. My butter was barely soft, like you note but I feel for the perfect ‘cut out’, a good hour in the fridge is the trick! Just my take on it, but this was the best recipe I have come across by far!
This is absolutely the best sugar cookie recipe I’ve ever used!!!! It’s quick to put together and not having to chill it makes it that much better. The cookies are always moist and have the perfect chew to them. Thank you Meagan for sharing your recipe. I’ve used this recipe dozens of times since finding it online and always get great compliments from friends, family and coworkers!!!!
Hello,
Thanks for the recipe!
I followed it to a T, I also had thick but rather wet dough, I had to use a generous amount of flower for rolling. Then after baking my cutouts lost shape, wondering if you can tell me where I may have gone wrong?
Hi Madison! I’m wondering if you rolled the dough too thick and the cookies puffed as the baked and lost their shape? Or did they spread as they were baking?
Can you use both vanilla and almond extract? If so, how much vanilla would you use? How much almond extract would you use?
Thank you
Hi Laney! Yes, you could use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Enjoy!
My 2 year old is dairy free but I would love to make these with her. I have a dairy free substitution for the butte. Any suggestions of what I could substitute for the half and half? Thanks!
Hi Kyrie! I would recommend a store-bought substitute or coconut milk or blend one part coconut cream with one part unsweetened or plain soy, rice, or oat milk to create the desired amount of half and half. Hope this helps!
This has become my go to cookie recipe. It’s so versatile and emulsions can be added as well and it doesnt change the consistency. I have made at least 15 dozen cookies using this recipe and I love it so much!
Do you use bleached or unbleached flour? Does it make a difference?
Thanks
Hi Laney! It doesn’t make a difference, but I like to use bleached all-purpose flour so the cookies are lighter in color.
These are hands down the best sugar cookies I’ve ever made. Easy to roll out, keep their shape, easy enough for my 6 and 7 year old to put together with very little help.
I overbaked the first batch because I wasn’t sure they were done, but overbaking made them too hard. Your timing is perfect, even if they aren’t browned and makes them perfectly chewy yet firm. Thanks so much for sharing!!
What is half and half??? Welp
Hi Talia! It’s half whole milk and half heavy cream.
Loved your recipe! I’ve been trying many different sugar cookie recipes and this is my favorite! I added orange zest and about a tablespoon of orange juice in place of a little or the half and half and the flavor was delicious!
Is the ‘half and half’ needed for the cookie to turn out well?
Hi Sea! Not necessarily, but I would recommend using a heavy cream or whole milk as a substitute to get the richness and firmness of the dough that is desired. Enjoy!
Can u use just regular oleo
Hi Sue! Yes, it should work just as great. Enjoy!
I am not a baker so what do you mean…. “Rotating cookie sheets after 5 minutes, or until cookies are just set and starting to turn light brown around the edges.”
Hi Edilynn! Great question. After the cookies have been baking for 5 minutes, use oven mits to rotate the cookie sheets so the cookies that were toward the front of the oven are now toward the back and if one pan was on the top shelf and another was on the bottom shelf, rotate those too so they’re on different shelves. As soon as the cookies look set and are starting to brown very slightly around the edges, remove them from the oven. Hope this helps! Enjoy!
I found this dough to be very, very sticky. I was very frustrated and probably added an additional cup of flour. I was ready to throw in the towel and start over with a different recipe but I stuck with it, worked with it until I could get the cut outs to come off the floured surface successfully. I have to say, after tasting the finished product, I will never use another sugar cookie recipe. These are out of this world delicious. I don’t normally send cookies out to neighbors and such, but this year, I’m considering it, just so I can knock their socks off too. I will add a bit more flour next time, from the get go. It may just be my environment, I live in FL, so perhaps more flour is needed to dry the dough a bit more. Either way, these cookies redeemed themselves completely! I sincerely hope there are some left for when my kids get home.
Thanks so much for the recipes. Both the cookies and icing worked out really well! The dough was easy enough for my 6 year old to roll.
Hi Maegan!
I’m anxious to try your no chill sugar cookie recipe, but I don’t have a paddle attachment for my hand mixer. Will the dough have the same consistency if I use the regular beaters? I do have an older stand mixer I could use, it’s just so cumbersome so I rarely bring it out. Thanks so much!
Hi Stephanie! You can definitely mix the dough with regular beaters, but it gets pretty thick so just be prepared to hold the hand mixer tight. I definitely recommend a stand mixer, but the dough should still turn out great. Enjoy!
How long do the fully iced/decorated cookies last out of the fridge? Just baked the cookies for a valentines party in three days from now. Would love to go ahead and ice but want to hold off if the icing won’t be “good” 3+ days from now. Thanks!!
Hi Sarah! They’ll last for up to 2 weeks if stored in an airtight bag or container, so you’re good to go ahead and ice them. Just be sure to let them dry completely before storing them. Enjoy!
My daughter is currently making these and I’m watching vid FB Video Chat. 🙂 What can she do if the dough has gotten too dry and is splitting in layers, after re-rolling and cutting a few times? I’d recommend kneading in some water, but that would probably make the dough tough. What would you recommend?
Hi Jody! I would recommend returning the dough to the mixer and slowly beat in 1 teaspoon of half & half or milk at a time until the dough is moist again. Hope this helps!
Do you think the cookies with still keep their shape if I roll them 5/16″ thick? Any suggestions on how long to bake them? Thanks. Can’t wait to try this recipe. I hope it’s a soft cookie. 🙂
Hi Kimberly! They should definitely keep their shape with that slight of an increase in thickness and won’t need to bake much longer than the cookies do at 1/4 inch thickness. Just check them after 9 minutes and let bake for an additional minute or two, if necessary. Enjoy!
My 4 yr old loves to bake sugar cookies, and so I’ve tried A LOT of different recipes. I try to avoid recipes that require chilling the dough, because my daughter has zero chill when it comes to waiting. I find that most no-chill recipes are either really sticky or really crumbly. This is HANDS DOWN THE BEST RECIPE for no-chill sugar cookie dough. We did have to add more flour to make the dough less sticky, but that’s not a complaint, it’s just a tip. We’re in arrid AZ if that helps. Thank you BakerMama for sharing!!
★★★★★
A fantastic recipe, this is my new go-to for cut outs!
I found chilling the bowl in the fridge while getting things together helped the butter from warming up too much during the process, pre-measuring ingredients too, so you can just add them in and not have it mixing for too long. 1/2 -1c of flour extra (full recipe) didn’t take away from the flavor or sweetness when I’ve needed it.
I love lemon zest in these. Thanks for sharing this!
These are the best Christmas sugar cookies!! My girls will love these sugar cookies. A great way to keep the weekend cravings ready. Thanks for such an amazing recipe plus the fewer the ingredients married is the making.
Larry Sclafani
http://nextbestreview.com/
Hi! When you say cold butter do you mean straight from the fridge cold?
Hi Kt! Yes, straight from the fridge is best. Enjoy!
Probably a dumb question: how much food coloring should be used to achieve colorful icing? Are there any good ratios of food dye (blue/yellow/red/whatever) to add for pretty, non-primary colors?
Hi Bea! Not a dumb question at all. Here’s a great guide for coloring frosting: https://www.bettycrocker.com/how-to/tipslibrary/baking-tips/how-to-color-frosting-like-a-pro I always just eyeball it and mix a few drops at a time. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
I’m with others — two wet to roll out so ended up putting them in the fridge to chill! Used 4 cups of flour, plus added an additional 3/4 cups — still too sticky. And used butter right out of the fridge!
Tasted good though!
Hi Christina! Did you use half & half? Do you live in a high altitude location? Would love to help figure out what went wrong. Glad to hear they still tasted good, but they definitely shouldn’t be too sticky to roll out.
This was the easiest recipe to follow and the easiest to make! I didn’t have cold butter, but it still worked well! I used our fresh eggs from our chickens, 2 of them were pretty large, but it seemed okay. The cookies taste amazing. I’m going to make another batch today 🙂
★★★★★
Any tips on making this recipe gluten free?
Hi Meredith! You could try using an gluten free all-purpose flour. I haven’t tested the recipe with gluten free flour, but I’ve heard others that have substituted with success. Hope this helps and that they turn out great. Enjoy!
The best sugar cookie recipe!! Make this every year. We love to add almond extract vs regular vanilla, game changer 🙂
★★★★★
These cookies turned out perfectly! I am so impressed. It has a shortbread-like taste but with a softer texture. I made sure the butter was cold, just like for a pie-crust recipe, which added to the flaky texture. I even halved the sugar and they still tasted great! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Yum, they came out great! I didn’t have half and half so I used one tablespoon of whole milk and one tablespoon of Bailey’s Irish Cream, and I also added a dash of ginger, Nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon.
★★★★★
Also, I made sure to roll them out with lots of flour on the counter and on the rolling pin. They would have been too sticky otherwise, but this solved it.
This by far is the best recipe for sugar cookies! The flavor is amazing! Easy to make, quick to make, and love the fact of no chilling. I have tried many different recipes and this one beats them all! Thank you!
★★★★★
Just made these last weekend. Fantastic recipe!
★★★★★
The easiest sugar cookie recipe ever. I’ve been using it for 3 years now!!!! Comes out perfect every time! Thank you!!
★★★★★
I made these for the first time today. I, too, had to add extra flour to be able to roll them out, as they were pretty sticky. However, they taste so good! My husband loved them. I will make them again. Thank you for the recipe!
I don’t have half and half, can I use milk?
Hi Precious! Yes, I would recommend whole milk though since it has a greater fat content and is thicker. Enjoy!
Hi there! Just tried this recipe and it was really wet and sticky! I double checked that I followed the recipe exactly, my kitchen was not unusually hot or humid and my butter was cold. Any idea why this could be?
Hi Jen! How did you mix the dough? A stand mixer, hand mixer or by hand? Sometimes the way the dough is mixed can result in a wetter dough. It sounds like the batter got too warm in the process. If this happens again, try refrigerating the dough for just 5-10 minutes or add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until the dough is no longer wet. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
Tried this tonight. I found the dough too soft. When cutting shapes, it was difficult to transfer without them stretching or deforming. Added almost half cup extra flour. Not sure what went wrong. They do smell yummy.
★★★
Hi Jenn! It sounds like your butter was either too soft or the room temperature was warm and causing the dough to soften. Adding the extra flour was definitely the right thing to do. If your dough is too wet, I always recommend adding 1/4 cup of flour at a time until it’s just soft enough to roll out. Also, be sure to flour your work surface well. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
This recipe is AMAZING! My cookies came out perfectly. I am so happy that I didn’t need to chill the dough.
★★★★★
Taste delicious but had to chill. Tried more flour but just too sticky. Used cold butter.
★★★★
These still turned out great! I only had 3 cups of flour and made these drop cookies and they are still amazing! Hoping to try again once we get more flour!
★★★★★
My grandson wanted cut out cookies. I was limited time, only 2 cups of regular flour & no half & half. So I cut it in half, substitute yogurt for half & half & used 1 extra large egg. They turned out very well. The butter was only out long enough for me to cut them, put in the stand mixer & take out other ingredients with his help. We did not over mix. I had to use bread flour for counter top, and sprinkle over before rolling out. It did stick a little in one area – so I’m thinking about chilling my stone rolling pin a bit before using it. All other recipes for sugar cookies will be deleted- these taste SO good. We filled 2 cookie sheets. I think it’s better not to roll too thin & I stuck my metal spatula in some flour before transferring to cookie sheet. I baked 7 minutes, removed from oven & let sit on cookie sheet until cool. BTW -We live at 10 ft above sea level, it humid here but In a/c.
Hi Sonomi! So happy to hear you baked and enjoyed them. Thanks for sharing your substitutions and tips. Continue to enjoy!
So disappointed, but I’m not the best baker. I tried everything, but the dough just stayed sticky. Couldn’t roll it out at all.
Hi Lali! Did you use cold butter? Sometimes if you overwork the dough or prepare the dough in a warm environment, the ingredients will warm and make the dough sticky. I would recommend making sure the butter, half & half and eggs are cold when mixing the dough and also try not to over beat the dough. You can also add more flour (1/4 cup at a time) until the dough is thicker and easy to roll out. Hope this helps. Enjoy!